Ontario Fishing Network E-Magazine

Ontario Fishing Network
E-Magazine

www.ontariofishing.net
Volume 10,  Issue 6 - June 2010

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Blind Fishing Boat . com 




Ontario Angler

Ontario Carp Fishing
By Lawrence Euteneier, Captain, Blind Fishing Boat .Com

I first learned of Carp fishing as a boy when reading “The Art of Angling”, written by Tiny Benet. Tiny was the outdoor columnist for the Toronto Sun and had a passion for fishing Carp from the Humbor River in central Toronto. Tiny stated then that Carp represented the greatest and most under-valued fishing resource Ontario had to offer.

There’s no doubt the sport of Carp fishing is growing in Ontario. The number of Carp that inhabit Ontario waters is significant and offers promise of a great future. What other fish exists in Ontario that school in
numbers upwards of 1,000 and more, with each weighing from 10lb to 40lb and beyond.




For years it seemed catching a Carp was an elusive goal in spite of their omni-presence . I have since learned that I wasn’t the only fisher out there being frustrated by their bold attitude and crafty nature. It wasn’t until Alain Danis, a Carp fishing convert himself, introduced me to Jeff Vaughan, proprietor of both the Long Sault Motel and Canadian Carp Club, (situated on the St. Lawrence), and owner of Robertson’s Fishing Tackle, one of the top-five carp tackle shops in the U.K., that I began to catch Carp consistently.

While exhibiting at sportsman shows around the province I always have a photo of a Carp on my table which inevitably has visitors confessing their hidden passion for Carp fishing. Whether it was the incidental catch of a monster Carp on a Rapala crankbait, or someone’s personal strategy for catching Carp from an inner-city pond, the results are uniformly the same, fun.

For decades Carp fishers used small hooks imbedded in balls of pre-soaked white bread with the crust removed. It was a real lesson in sight fishing as you only had a hairs breath to set the hook before the Carp would spit the bait after sensing the line or resistance. This method is still preferred in certain situations, such as capturing Carp that have adopted the habit of surface feeding; however, the invention of the bolt rig altered the way people Carp fish. Bolt rigs have made catching Carp almost effortless. Fishing floats is also an option worth trying as their advantage is a vertical presentation that eliminates line from sloping in on an angle which can spook Carp from the area as they circle below searching for food. And let’s not forget fly fishing.

One of the reasons people blank when fishing for Carp is there reluctance to deploy a sufficient quantity and quality of bait to feed the area they plan to fish. Using a quality bait or method mix is the second. People often spend hundreds, if not thousands, on their gear, and then go cheep when it comes to laying out $10-$20 for bait.

Carp fishing equipment can be as much or as little as you choose. There are plenty of Carp fishers out there catching good sized Carp on medium/heavy spinning gear, and there are others who have adopted many of the innovations coming out of Europe and Japan. As with any sport fish, one need only match the gear to the quarry being pursued. Its one thing to pull 10-15lb Carp from a local pond, but quite another to successfully land 30+lb Carp on a river. And then there are those 50+ Monsters that will pull out 300 yards of 65lb braid without seemingly even knowing they were hooked.

Whether to use a spod rod to place feed on a specific section of a swim, or a marker rod to explore the water’s depths from shore, is a choice dependent on just how far you’re fishing from shore. Large landing nets, weigh scales and un-hooking mats become necessities for those considering entering a derby, and if your thinking of fishing straight through any manner of weather, some sort of shelter such as a light-weight broli and a chair to rest in after those epic battles can come in handy.

If you’re going to fish a bolt rig or float, you’ll want a baitrunner spinning reel that has both a regular drag system and a second lighter drag that can be set to work with a bite alarm. Lines, hooks and weights are generally fairly straight forward, with the emphasis on avoiding creating rigs that can potentially harness a Carp to a rock or some other under-water obstruction should your line part. And then there’s a rod rest, either a set of bank sticks or a more versatile rod stand or pod. Top it off with an electronic bite alarm, and your ready to tackle anything Ontario has to offer.

Carp have figured in developed society for thousands of years and represent the largest commercial aqua-food species being farmed in the world. Whether Carp belong or not as a species in our province has been a heated topic for some time now. Issues of evasive species are certainly important, but at the same time, the Common Carp has been present in southern Ontario for over a century. It makes sense therefore, that rather than ignore this amazing species, why not embrace the Carp as the incredible fishing resource it represents?

Those who love fishing Carp are well aware that there needs to be a stronger understanding of the sport of Carp fishing in Ontario. To this end, TJ Quesnel, Jeff Vaughn and myself have pulled together a website with information and stories that will hopefully convey our excitement for the sport and give you the needed resources and motivation to become a devoted Carp fisher www.ontariocarpfishing.com

Ontario carp FishingAnchors Up,
Captain Lawrence Euteneier
www.BlindFishingBoat.Com


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