Today, it was my turn. It was too cold to take the kids, so I flew solo. I used the same hair rig that my daughter used last week, and the results were ... well ... BIG!
That, my friends is a 5 lbs carp.
Sorry if its head's a bit dirty in the photo above. It's not easy to keep a slimey fish that size from slipping off the scale. Equally impressive was the length, at 2 feet.
I was blessed to catch one more carp before the day was over, on the same hair rig. It was smaller at just over 2.5lbs.
What it lacked in weight, it made up for in length at 22 inches.
It turns out that carp are not the only fish who like the hair rig. Check out this little blue gill that took the bait.
There were also a few small catfish that bit on nightcrawlers.
This was a very successful trip, even though the temperature was in the 40's when I started. I think there were several factors that came together for success.
Chief among these factors was using the right bait. Today's baits were whole kernel sweet corn and worms. If fish don't hit these, then they're not biting.
Of course, I poured the juice from the can of corn into the water directly in front of me. I call this ringing the dinner bell. I followed it up by chumming generous amounts of corn as well.
Last but not least, I scoped out an area that seemed fish friendly. Even in smaller bodies of water like playas, structure matters. Look for points like this one.
Also look for areas where deeper water cuts under the bank.
Big fish often hold up in these. Just be sure to test the bank for stability. This is best done with a large walking stick or something of the sort.
You need to make sure that the water beneath hasn't softened the bank to the point that it will collapse under your weight! You'll notice in the picture that my chair is NOT sitting directly atop this hollowed out area. It's a bit further back.
Tight lines!
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