buzzbomb

Carping was a lot more popular in the US 20 and 25 years ago than it is now, and it's a real shame. Carp Angler's Group forum was really popular until they started being insistent about charging membership fees. They had to fund tournaments and so on, but when the forum withheld local content from non-paid members it began to get a bit cliquey and started to fade. There were some really great people on there and it just sort of fell apart. Some very serious specimen hunters began US Carp Pro, and some of them were the ones who would go any distance and devote as much time as it took to get the big ones. I won a bag of plastics off them once in a draw. I think it lost steam and then became mainly for fly carpers, but I lost track of them. There is probably still a gang of carpers and maybe even a forum in Ontario but I lost track of them too. Some years ago someone from here was going on holiday and spending some time in Chicago, and I phoned the new owner of Wacker Baits, who said he'd be glad to take him out fishing with his pals, provide tackle and everything for free, but the guy begged off and wouldn't take him up on it. Too bad because that group was the US world competition team. I would have gone! Those were the days when there were 6 or 7 US shops dedicated to Carp tackle and baits and 2 in Canada. Those were the days when the North American section of this forum was busy because of CAG members joining here too. Keith Thompson was the mod who sort of ran that section, iirc. How many people remember him, or the raging arguments with mudfish until he got banned? 😁

I was going to suggest steel flour scoops for baking or the cast aluminium ice scoops we use in the bar, but then I watched the video and saw I didn't know what I was talking about. 😀 As you say, a nice big cooking spoon would do.

Good work all the catchers! The next time I go fishing it will probably be through a foot of ice.

I've never been to the UK, but I've seen some match fishing on television and I think paylakes may be closer to coarse match fishing than specimen carp fishing or runs waters, despite the difference in fish size. The lack of concern for natural surroundings, crowded arrangement of pegs, and competitive atmosphere all seem to be common traits. On paylakes the serious players are there to enter for cash prizes, and at night the water, sectioned off by ropes so everyone knows their fish-able space, is illuminated by floodlights. I found this site to give our UK brothers an idea of what they do. http://www.angelfire.com/sports/carpking/html/paylake-pics.html

In the fall when we're drifting for walleye we even get the odd carp on big diving rapalas. They're opportunistic like every other fish; if they can catch it and expend less energy than they gain, they'll go for it. Re: sweet vs savoury, in my groundbait I like to put something sweet (or sweet-ish) like a fruit drink or soft drink, ice tea powder, kool aid or syrups (I get expired stuff from the bar where I work), something hot like chili flake or sriracha or other hot sauce for the capcasin element, and something fishy. I have old cans of Red Bull I've been waiting to use for years. I use nuoc mam Vietnamese fish sauce for the fishy element, and it's also really salty, so checks that box as well. I add it all when I soak overnight so I know what level the canner is at, then bring to a boil and simmer for an hour and it's ready. Experimentation is the name of the game, and the mad scientist thing is absolutely one of the more attractive aspects for me. There are a thousand hacks for hookbait, but in my experience, where I am, any sizeable piece from a decent groundbait will work on the hair.

Well done the catchers!

Dale Hollow Lake is a nice looking water; do you know where you'll be fishing from or are you going to have to search for a spot once you get there? Is it legal to put in ground bait? The lake I fish most often is quite a bit bigger, but on yours at almost 28,000 acres the same technique of baiting a spot (usually trying to get past the weeds to keep out of trouble) and hoping to interdict the carp as they cruise around the shore, should work as well. I've always considered river fishing more challenging than the lake, just because current adds another dimension to baiting strategy, but I guess it's a personal preference. Good luck on your holiday, and take lots of pics for us!

Years ago when I first went catfishing on the Red I picked up a few 9' Shimano FX rods for my friends and I. They proved strong enough for the sumo cats and short enough to use out of the boat, and were only about $20. One fellow who didn't get one of those rods went to the same store and bought an FX 8' (I'd taken all the 9'), and he broke it in half bringing in a big fish. All the 9' rods handled channel cats to 35 lb in strong current. I still have mine with a big D.A.M. Quick baitrunner on it, and used it last on Sunday float fishing for perch and for pitching big pike lures. Med-heavy so I'd have no compunctions about throwing 3oz leads, and fast action so lots of give under the tip. There may not be a shred of graphite in it, but the only real fault I've found is it's cheap so lacks prestige..... My first 12' rods were a set of fibreglass Ultimate 2.25 tc and I used one of them to the point it's been beat to flinders and gotten soft so probably closer to 1.5 lb now, but I still prefer it to my nicer rods in close river swims.

Hi Gaffa, welcome to the forum. I remember Sweetcorn and the gang from the black forum.

Welcome to the forum. Wait until you get a screamer of 12 or 15 lb on; the needle goes into the red. 😄

Welcome to the forum.

For a wasp or bee sting a handful of mud off the bank, and just slap it on. Unless you're anaphylactic, then you'd better use your epipen.

Reviews on Skin So Soft as insect repellent have always been mixed, (like those for fabric softener sheets). If you have faith in it maybe that helps. https://www.consumerreports.org/insect-repellents/avon-skin-so-soft-review-bug-spray/ Borrowing a trick from natives on our northern First Nations reserves I've used 3 parts white vinegar mixed with 1 part lemon dish soap with pretty good results.

Well done again. 👍

Welcome to the forum.

Well done the catcher!

I remember this day, it was cold and windy and we only got the one bite, but worth it in the end. Good grief the hair!

After working in a bar for nearly 40 years I have a lifetime supply of sunglasses of varying value and quality. Last year, however, I used part of the company health and wellness benefit to get prescription bifocal shades, and I just love them.

The Bwana (Eric Balson) wasn't what I'd call competitive, but he was all business when it came to putting them on the bank. Ha ha, I had to erase a 1,000 word biography. He was a heck of a man.

That's the spirit! I won't bother trying to clean this up on my phone (it's just after midnight here). When the Bwana was still alive and coming out from Alberta to fish for a month each summer he tied big paternoster rigs with huge razor-sharp shark hooks, and they were cruel looking things. I tried to steer him toward more conventional methods but no go. He rarely lost a fish and caught a lot of big ones, so I think I was just a bit jealous.

Adolph Hitler, My Part in His Downfall; Gunner Milligan, Rommel Who? Beautiful stuff.

Your video is private. Other than being a pop-up it sounds a bit like the 'clumper' which I believe was a short link bolt rig on an odd lead (big disc with the eye in the middle so it wouldn't drag). Old enough no trace remains on the internet now. 😀

Nice one Nick!