Stalking winter carp

When fishing for carp, especially during cold weather it is important to bring carp into the area you
intend to fish.  I do this by pre feeding carp for several days.  Yes, I feed carp for several days
in late fall or winter when I fish in ponds and lakes.

I like to use simple foods that carp have been attracted to historically.  Corn, oatmeal, and bread
are the least expensive when bought  in large amounts.  A mix made of one can of corn and one
container of oatmeal or bread crumbs, mixed with some water, is a feed that will draw carp into the area
you want to fish.  Add just enough water so that the mixture clumps together when squeezed and forms
 a ball.  Let the feed balls air dry for about five minutes before throwing into the lake.  It is important
 to select places that have a history of carp activity.

After three or four days of feeding the carp you should have a loyal following swimming in your spot.
Now there may be a few of you who are reading this and think this is cheating.  But remember, this
process does not and will not  create a "slam dunk" for catching carp.

It is not unusual to find that for whatever reason carp will still not be in a feeding mode even after
you've dumped corn and bread all over the lake.   Late fall and winter fishing for carp is different and
can be difficult.  Stealth, accuracy and patience are still part of the carp fishing equation.

Wagner's Cove is being restored.  The restored version will permit fishing and seating.

Conventional carp fishers\have a wide assortment of artificial baits  that are used to catch carp.
I've been experimenting with some of these tools.

Some of these artificial baits can be used when fishing with fly rods or ultra light spinning gear.
I recommend these baits when it is not possible to fish for carp due to off colored or brown
water.

Chum mix

First winter carp.  Air temp was 70F.

Merry Christmas

I was able to get out this afternoon and fish for "winter carp".  Air temp was above 60F all day!
Using artificial corn, I hooked 4 but only landed one.  Hooks may be too small.

Crappie fly fishing

It rained all day but the air temperature stayed above 55F.  I used an old Fenwick 6 wt, fiberglass
and the JMC Ozone semi automatic fly reel.  Outside it wasn't that bad.  The rain was neither
steady nor heavy but enough to make you wet if you didn't wear some Gore Tex.

The last time I fished this rod I had it set up for fall fishing.  In the fall I like to fish two flies.
each fly is about eighteen inches apart on a fluorocarbon tippet.  I have found this to be a good way
to catch panfish.  My buddy Dennis ties these little silver things.  I think it is a size #14.

Here is an epoxy fly I picked up on e Bay.  I fish it when I think minnows are the food of choice.
Crappie have been active lately and they like minnows.

This a photo I took from the boat deck in front of the boat house while it rained.

Loeb Lake fishing 3

I'm in the process of trying to wrap up this fishing season by catching fish until it is too cold for
me to catch fish.  My hands are especially sensitive to cooler weather.

Jay and I met at the 72nd street to fish Loeb Lake.  Air temperature was about 50F.  The sky was cloudy
and water was cool.  No turtles were seen which is good when fishing for carp.

Jay caught two carp and I caught two carp.  My two almost weighed the same.  One was
thirteen pounds and the last fish I caught was fourteen pounds.  There are really big carp in New York
City.

Jay with one of the two carp he caught.

As the afternoon passed the temperature began to drop and my fingers became numb.
I could bearly move my fingers by  the time I landed my second carp.  I had difficulty playing
the fish.  Muscle memory took over and Jay's net saved the day.  I hope to keep fishing until
winter but I must be able to keep my hands warm.

Jay unnetting  a carp

I think this is a photo of Jay's second fish in the net.

We had a good day of late fall carp fishing.

Loeb Lake fishing 2

Another warm day in New York City.  I arrived early, 8:00 am, because I couldn't sleep.  It was windy at times and I saw no activity.  Fish are active in the afternoon.  It started slow.

I chummed several of the places I normally fish.  While I waited, two big carp surfaced to eat
from the surface.  I was startled to see two double digit carp surface like two submarines within
a foot of where I was sitting.  I sat motionless  If they had seen me move I would have spooked them.
They nibbled on a piece of my chum and then disappeared into the depths of Loeb Lake.

One of the things I enjoy is being able to observe carp while the do what carp do.  In order
to catch carp you must try to understand carp and how they survive.

Carp were jumping out of the water near the rock in the picture but I could not get them to
move within casting range.

Where the two carp rose to periscope depth

Fall fly fishing in Prospect Park

We are in the middle of Indian summer and the temperature is 65 F!  The algae has died and
fish are active.  It is one of the two best times to fish.  The other is springtime.

I put on my lumbar pack and walked to Prospect Park Lake.  My plan was to fish different
parts of the Lullwater and work my way to the main part of the lake.  A small bluegill taken from the Lullwater section of the lake.

Duck Island on the south shore of Prospect Park Lake.  My friends Anthony and Dennis
were fishing for crappie and perch using ultra light spinning gear.  I watch them fish for awhile.
They had zeroed in on where the fish were holding.  It appeared that fish were drifting to the
right of Duck Island.

I began fishing south of where they were standing because there was no room to cast next to them.
Years ago this spot held many big bluegill.  In fact , I once caught a ten inch bluegill south of the island!
But the  area has been poached so often the number of fish here is much lower now.

I tied on a streamer from England.  This fly catches crappie and other fish when they are feeding on minnows.  As I cast, I noticed that Dennis was catching fish in an area I planed to fish.  He moved north and
I begin to work that area with long casts.  After about a dozen casts I felt a tug on my line.  The fish was a long way from shore but I kept my rod tip low and he didn't get off my hook.  I caught a yellow perch.

The early sunset proving that each day the sun will move west earlier until the winter solstice.  Spring
is on the way.

Fly Fishing here and there , October 2015

This month things have slowed down and carp are not feeding at the same time I'm fishing for them.

 I went to The Bronx River to fish. I saw more large mouth bass than usual, which is good.

Looking west on the river.  Carp that were feeding were sucking things off the river bed

The river looked great you can sight fish for carp here.  They will take egg patterns too.

A lone carp suspending in the river. Bass and panfish could be seen suspending in bunches
up and down the river.

This lake has carp but was covered in algae during a hot sunny day at Crystal Lake in New Jersey.

Looking east

another view from the west side of the lake, messy!

I went to Dahnerts Lake for bass and carp.  Things were slow until  I saw a carp jump out of the water at the north end of the lake.  After I walked to that part of the lake; I was really surprised to see  more than a dozen carp, of varying sizes, feeding.  I ran back to my spot to get my gear and my fly rod.  When I returned to where I saw carp they were still there.  But slowly one by one, the pod moved and swam away.  They never returned.

 A young Bronx River large mouth bass on a green weenie

The eastern end of the Bronx River

A few Canada geese doing nothing but standing around on the river.

Perch are in the Bronx River too.  This one took a small white woolie bugger.

Me and "Two Rods" went to Clove Lake .  We saw signs of carp but only caught catfish.

"Two Rods" catching two catfish at a time with bread.