Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3821 Sept 27, 2019 | Page 7

Sept 27 - Oct 11, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 21
5
Spotlight On Kayak Fishing...
Sponsered by
Kayak City
in Citrus Heights, CA
Kayak City.Com
916.565.1400
Kayaking For Mr. Carp
By Kevin Hofer
Well, in my goal to land 20 different species out of the kayak I came across
an unlikely candidate for new favorite fish.
Catching my first bluegill and crappie was a lot of fun and the days were
filled with action, but the fights were lacking stamina and brute strength.
When I set the hook on my first carp and the drag started screaming while the
fish took a long run down river, I knew that I was going to like carp fishing.
It took a while to figure things out for my local waters but after a lot of trial
and error I have been able to hook a few fish. There is not a lot of interest in
fishing for these oversized goldfish here in the US compared to Europe where
carp fishing seems to be as popular as bass and trout fishing are here.
With the lack of local
people fishing for them,
information was hard to
come by, but I was able
to pick up some helpful
tips and bait recipes from
fellow Fish Sniffers on
the FishSniffer.Com web
forums.
From all of my research
I came up with two
approaches to targeting
carp. 1. The expensive “all
out” way, special rods,
reels, line, bait
and rigs and
landing matts
2. My favorite way, the cheap way. Use whatever rods, hooks
and a few weights you have and make your own bait.
I use a different rod and reel combo depending on what else I
plan on targeting for the day but most of the time I just go with
my trout spinning rod setup with 6 or 8 lb Maxima Ultra Green.
Another nice aspect of carp fishing is you don’t need a huge
tackle box full of gear, which is always good when kayaking.
I have a small box with swivels, beads, various hooks and
weights in different sizes. My setup from mainline goes, small
sliding sinker, bead, swivel 2-3-foot leader and hook. The hook
will vary depending on what type of bait I am using, I like those
tiny trebles for the dough baits and No. 4 baitholder style hooks
for corn.
When it comes to dough bait recipes I tried 3 or 4 before I
found a bait that works for me, though this does not mean I will
not try others. One common problem I ran into with homemade
baits was keeping them on the hook. I just made slight adjust-
ments to the recipe until it’s the way I liked it.
When fishing in the Delta where it is legal, throw
out a small portion of your bait to get the feeding
frenzy going. Then all you have to do is cast out sit
back and wait. Though many people call them trash or
junk fish they are quite intelligent and hard to catch.
You need to be very quiet and not make a lot of large
movements; think stalking steelhead in low clear
water. When approaching your hole, paddle softly and
try not to hit stuff on the yak.
Ok so now you’re intrigued and are up for a challenge, so where to go? If
there is one species that you can fish for in just about every local water its
carp. The Delta is loaded with them as well as the Mother Lode and valley
lakes. Even your local park pond will most likely have some large carp, and if
you can get access to those ponds in the middle of fancy developments, they
can be gold mines.
When choosing a spot to fish there are a few things that you can look for
to help put the odds in your favor. Water depth does not seem to matter,
anywhere from 2 feet to 20 feet seems to work for me. Working the edges of
weed lines and overhanging trees can also be productive spots.
I have had my best success in the river at the mouth of sloughs. I am by no
means an expert
carp fisherman,
more along the line
of an amateur but
that’s only because
I had always
thought of them as
an inferior fish not
worth targeting.
Boy, was I wrong!
Carp may not
provide the best
table fare but if
you are a catch
and release type of
person and just want
a good fight with
some double-digit
beasts than give
carp fishing a try.
THE TRUSTED NET OF KOKANEE ANGLERS!
EGO S2 SLIDER REACH–LARGE CLEAR RUBBER NET.
5
HANDLE EXTENDS FROM 48” TO A MAX OF 108” 5
SCAN WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE
TO SEE THE S2 SLIDER IN ACTION!
JOIN THE REVOLUTION AT
WWW.EGOS2SLIDER.COM