Crappie on a fly

Had some time to go fish near the boathouse in Prospect Park.  I fished a 2 weight , eleven-foot

custom built rod with the Ghost semi automatic fly reel from Spain.  The reel is very much like the Vivarelli fly reels except the drag is located beneath the spool.  I have never been able to adjust the drag on this reel and there is not one bit of instruction on the internet either.  I have been unable to get a response from the dealer, in spite of the letters I have sent.  Carumba!

However I was able to catch a young crappie on an old streamer I bought years ago from a mail order shop in England

Making carp pellets

I used to use corn pellets made by a company called RoyalCarp.  They made some of the best chumming products ever.  They, the pellets, would stimulate carp to eat almost every time they
were used.

Since the company closed, I have searched high and low for a replacement product to use.  Unfortunately, many similar carp products are not available here in America.

Luckily there are many,many youtube videos about making carp chum and baits.  I watched as many as I could.  Some videos were very informative and some were a waste of time.  Some of the recipes are complicated.  But as long as you understand the concept you can do this too.  I didn't go down the long road that carpers follow.  No sausage gun no boilee rolling table.  I made my pellets with a few bread punches.  I'm anxious to see if mine attracts carp.

Check YouTube for a recipe.

Catch Big Carp on 4wt Fly Rod Flyfishing Day 11 of trip Andy's Fish Vide...

Pike Fishing! Watch Ken Beam catch his 1st Northern Pike of 2016. NJ Pik...

Carp fishing in Prospect Park Lake

Yes, it is spring time in Brooklyn.  Cherry blossoms have already bloomed and carp are
actively spawning in the lake.  I have even seen a few bass beds along the lake's shoreline.
This season I plan to fish here in Brooklyn until the end of the month.  I hope to be able to finally catch a carp in the lake of Prospect Park.

I chummed the area where the carp gather each spring to spawn.   I got hold of some bird feed
 from a supply store, about twenty pounds was mixed with cream corn, and or bread crumbs.
 Each evening carp and the koi cruise their swim lanes as the sun sets.  For the past week, after
 6:00 PM  I used ground bait to get carp to actively feed.

After the fourth day, Brian caught his first carp on his ultra light spin rod, using corn.  This carp was about average for here.  It was a robust carp that weighed more than ten pounds. Judging by the white area on it's belly, this fish was closer to fifteen.  It made several runs across the lake before I was able to get my net under it.

I was hoping that I could fool a carp or two with the same rig I used last December in Central Park.
A sort of "pop up" rig using artificial corn.   But for two days they only took real corn.  So Brian caught his second carp the next time we fish the area .  Turtles s were becoming more aggressive and seem to have pushed the carp and koi out.

Bass Fly Fishing

Early Spring Flyfishing for Panfish