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Carp Fishing Basics

5th Annual Carp Fishing Holiday 2007 – Manicure Lake – Day 5


www.thecarpcatcher.co.uk Up comes the last session of the first week. I (only just) manage a (very) late start as the beer intake, pizza’s and methi chicken’s begin to take their toll. I retrive the weeks experience’s stored under ‘fishing’ and let my mind switch to ‘auto-pilot’.

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Fishing Tips

Fishing at Lake Bungsamran for the Giant Siamese Carp, Bangkok, Thailand

 

I arrived at Bungsamran Lake at 6am on the dot, just as the daylight was beginning to appear. It was a beautiful morning with very little breeze, the surface of the Lake was like a mirror only being disturbed by the appearance of some of the huge fish that lurk in this world class fishing water.

 

Khun Boonsong mixed the bait while he waited for me to set my rods up, the apprehension of the first cast still makes my heart beat that much faster here. Khun Boomsong is one of the leading carp specialist guides working here and what he does not know about Siamese Carp is not worth knowing.

 

The bait that he had mixed was a combination of baby milk powder, custard cream flavour, sweet corn with a few other secret ingredients (he calls it his mega mix carp bait); all this was added into the base mix of rice bran. This blend is a much wetter combination than the one we use to catch the Mekong Catfish.

 

Nothing had happened for the first half hour, so Boonsong had gone to buy breakfast; he had not been gone thirty seconds, when bingo, I had a bite, the fish ran and the line was screaming off the reel, then it just stopped (probably sensing the hook). I wound the reel to take up the slack line, I thought, maybe it had shed the hook, suddenly the line tightened as the fish moved, I immediately struck and set the hook firmly in its mouth; the fight was on!

 

After the initial excitement of hooking into the fish, I had started to look for hints as to what kind of fish it was. From my previous experiences, the Striped Catfish and the Mekong Catfish are similar; they tend to run with the bait stripping line off the reel at a fantastic rate. The Mekong and the smaller striped Catfish give long hard runs, which slowly curve in a “C” or a wide “S” shaped course.

 

The Siamese Giant Carp tend to run deep and turn suddenly in an almost zig zag path. It is hard to believe that these fish when in the water are completely weightless and you are just fighting its sheer power.

 

My line carved a classic letter “Z” and I was fairly certain that I had a carp on the end of the line.  I knew I had to take my time and play the fish, unlike the Giant Mekong Catfish the Carp has a very soft mouth and too much drag will pull the hook out. I decided to back off the drag slightly; I used an Accurate Boss Magnum 870 with Lever Drag, very fine consistent adjustments to the drag are easily achieved without moving your hands from the rod and reel. They are much easier to use than a fixed spool reel especially when fishing for the larger specimens.

 

My aim at this point was to tire the fish as quickly as possible and keep it out as far as I could; the Siamese Giant Carp are renowned for appearing to give up and roll over, then at the last minute making a dash for freedom (there are many bungalows surrounding the lake and a pier splitting it in half, many fish have been lost in between the supports and stanchions).

 

The fight was ten minutes in and I had made progress, the fish was tiring -it was not the only one, my arms were beginning to ache. After another five minutes of struggle, it made a determined sharp turn, which actually brought its side out of the water, it was a Siamese Carp.

 

The Carp made several more sharp turns and then typical to these creatures, it feigned submission, which I had been ready for. I shifted to one side and instead of letting the fish run underneath the bungalow we were in, I moved it towards the left, increasing the drag slightly and with some fancy footwork (I new those ballet lessons would come in handy one day) the last ditched run for the snags was foiled.

 

The carp made its last attempt to go deep, kicking up the silt -causing lots of bubbles of natural gas, which is trapped in the bottom of the lake- but by this time it was exhausted so was I, but the fish did not know that, Boomsong appeared, with the landing net in hand I was never more pleased to see him, he quickly prepared the deck to receive the fish.

 

We unhooked the line from its mouth and we also removed another snapped line from a previous battle which it had obviously won.

 

The Siamese Giant Carp weighed in at 25.3Kg 56lbs which was quickly returned to the lake after a couple of photographs for the album.

 

Guided by Khun (Mr.) Boonsong

 

Jason Butler is a free lance writer. He is currently residing in Thailand and enjoying life. Writing articles on Fishing and Steam engine models is a passion of his. He is also a scuba Diving Instructor with over ten years experience.

contact Jason…divebutler@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.john-tom.com/

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Fishing Strategies

Lake Fishing Adventure – How To Make It A Fun Experience

Lake fish have categories that are divided into three general groups: food fish, game fish and bait or forage fish. These classifications of lake fish have already been used for a long time. The kinds of fish that belong to food fish are suckers, carps, yellow perch, some species of catfish and more. In the game fish group, the species included were trout, pickerel, pike perch, pickerel, pike, bass, etc. They were characterized as such because of their sporting value. Bair or forage fish do not offer the same application as game fish; they also have their own recreational and economic value.

The description of proper technique for casting in lake fishing is hard to express by merely using words alone. In order to learn well, one should go to the lakeshore or beach and observe a skilled fisher and try to emulate him or her. Though the techniques of casting are hard to describe, the amateur fishers will still have a delightful experience. Here are some techniques that anglers could take note.

a. Research or study on the habitats of fish and the fish species living in lakes such as mouth black bass and sunfish. These fish species go into hiding in stumps logs, or in water plants.
b. It is necessary for anglers to know how to execute an even, snappy stroke similar to other kinds of fishing. Yet, it should not be as brusque as snapping a whip. This kind of stroke can lead to loss of several flies.
c. In executing both forward cast and backcast, right timing should be taken into consideration.
d. In casting, the anglers should remember that it is not the fly which is cast but the line. The fly is connected to the leader, more like a passenger.
e. In fishing, it is better to use huge, strong rods, especially when the angler had caught a big fish. An example of a big fish that dwells in lakes is the bass which can weigh up to 12 pounds. Bass grow well in ponds or in lakes since they can get abundant food from lakes and ponds.

In order to handle big sizes of fishes, it is ideal to choose a rod with a length of 8.5 feet and a weight of 4 to 4.75 of an ounce.

With these tips and techniques on lake fishing, amateurs will not have a difficult time in learning how to be a skilled angler. Also, he or she has to put patience and effort in order to become a successful angler.

Abhishek is an avid Fishing enthusiast and he has got some great Fishing Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 116 Pages Ebook, “Fishing Mastery!” from his website http://www.Fishing-Masters.com/772/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Fishing Strategies

Tips on Lake Fishing for a Great Outdoor Experience

For many years, lake fish have been classified under three general heads: game fish, food fish, and forage or bait fish.

The bass, trout, pike, pickerel, muskellunge, pike perch, etc., have been generally known as game fish because of their sporting value.

On the other hand, carp, suckers, some of the catfish, yellow perch, etc., have been considered as food fish. While this latter group has not been considered as furnishing the sport that the so-called game fish do, nevertheless, it has a real economic and recreational value.

Generally speaking, in lake fishing, words are really inadequate when it comes to describing the correct procedure in casting. The best way to learn how to cast is to go down to the beach, watch an expert at work, and try to do likewise.

Nevertheless, lake fishing can really be fun and the novice will quickly master the correct form in lake fishing. Therefore, to further harness their craft, here are some tips that could help the anglers on their lake fishing activity.

1. In lake fishing, as with other forms of fishing, a smooth, snappy stroke is required but not as snappy as when snapping a whip. This type of stroke will cause the loss of many flies.

2. Anglers should remember that it is the line that is cast, not the fly. The fly is but a passenger, which is attached to the leader.

3. Proper timing is an important factor on both the backcast and forward cast.

4. Know the fish habitat and the kinds of fish that inhabit the lakes. Some of them are the sunfish, and the small mouth black bass.

These kinds of fish can usually be found hiding near some submerged log or stump, or among the plants.

5. When catching big fish in the lake, it is best to use big, sturdy rods. Big fish like the bass usually attain a weight of 12 pounds, which usually inhabits the lake or pond. The reason why they grow really big is that in lakes or ponds, the food is both abundant and very rich.

Hence, to handles these sizes, the ideal length and weight of the rod is 8 ½ feet in length and from 4 to four and three quarters of an ounce in weight.

Indeed, the fundamental principles in lake fishing are not difficult to master and with little patience and practice, the novice can become a successful angler in the lake.

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