Successful Test of the Hair Rig for Carp

As you're well aware, I like to keep things simple.  When I got into carp fishing, I soon discovered many rigs that seemed anything but simple.  Most of these rigs came from anglers in Britain, France and other parts of Europe.  Carp fishing over there is as popular as bass fishing here.

Without fail, the basis of nearly every one of these carp rigs was something called the hair rig.  Hair rigs are occasionally used in the U.S. for catfishing, but they're rare.  The concept is straightforward. Tie a piece of braid or monofilament around a hook, and put the bait on the braid/monofilament rather than the hook.

This piece of braid/monofilament is the hair.  It hangs directly behind the hook.  The hook itself hangs freely.  The concept being that when the carp sucks in the corn, the hook will follow shortly after and get lodged in the lower lip when the carp tries to eject it (spit it out).  Here's what mine looked like with corn.

Crazy, right?  At least that's what I thought.  Notice that there is a loop at the bottom of the hair.  I have a small twig in the loop to keep the corn from slipping off.

So there's only one thing to do when you think something's crazy.  Test it!  I fished all weekend with this rig, and it hooked carp in the bottom lip, just as it's designed to do.  Check this out!

Some were small, like this one.

Then, there were the big boys!

The object beside the fish is the handle of my net.  As you can see, he was long.  However, the prize for this weekend's big fish goes to my daughter!  Look below!

On a side note, carp bite on worms too!  That's what my daughter caught the little carp below with.

Apparently fish aren't the only aquatic creatures that appreciate a good worm!

By now, you may think I'm stuck on corn and worms.  Not so.  In Britain and Europe, boilies are frequently used with hair rigs.

They're basically balls of dough that are hardened by baking.  Boilies come in many sweet flavors, including the ones I ordered below.  They're strawberry.

I haven't had any luck with the boilies.  I think the carp in our lakes are conditioned for good old-fashioned corn, worms, and bread.

There are a million how-to's online that will show you how to tie a hair rig and how to bait it.  I'll probably post my own in the coming weeks.

For now, I ordered my hair rigs online.  They're already tied to the hook and ready to snap onto your swivel!  All you have to do is put the bait on.  I recommend threading it on with the smallest crochet needle you can buy at Walmart.  

The bait stop that goes in the loop can be almost anything.  I recommend using a small piece of twig.  It will feel more natural to the fish.  It just has to be strong enough to hold the bait on the hair.

As usual, all fish (and the turtle) were released.  Tight lines!

2.5 ft, 4 lbs Carp!

Here in West Texas, it takes a well-trained eye to find the beauty.  Don't get me wrong, the beauty is definitely there.  For me, our playa lakes are truly gorgeous.

The reason is simple.  When you combine dozens of playa lakes with no commute, you can get some serious fishing done in a small period of time.

In between getting off of work and heading to a PTA meeting, I had just over an hour today.  It turns out that an hour is all I needed.  Check it out!

That, my friends, is an awesome common carp.  I couldn't find my scale, but I'd estimate the weight at 4 lbs.  

With this fish, I'd say the length is even more impressive than the weight.  No tape measure, but I estimate the length at 2.5 feet.  Now that fishing season's heating up, I'll make sure to have a scale and a tape measure on me next time!

So here's the thing.  I had two poles.  One had a hair rig, which is specifically designed for carp.  It was baited with strawberry boilies.

The other pole had nothing more than one split shot weight and a #4 baitholder hook.  It was baited with a live nightcrawler.  That, my friends, is the rig that caught this awesome carp.

This incident underscores something I've preached all along.  Simple is good.  Simple is powerful.  Simple works.

Having said that, I did put the worm on the hook in such a way as to optimize the chances of the hook lodging in the fish's lower lip.  I have a whole post dedicated to that.  Go check it out.  

More importantly, go fishing.  Carp like this are lots of fun to catch.  This one actually jerked my pole a couple feet in the air.  The only thing that kept the pole from going in the lake was the chair I had it propped against.

It was exhilarating!  Tight lines!

Let 2015's Catfishing Begin!

There are many things with which we're blessed in Texas.  One of those blessings is a short winter.  There are states in the North that still have ice on the lakes and snow on the grass.

When I hit the playa lake today with my daughter, I saw this.

Here's a closer look.

Still not a great photo, I know.  It's a tiny catfish.  It was all of an inch or maybe an inch and a half.  When you see these little guys  swimming, it's a sure sign that the lake is coming back to life.

It's also a sure sign that there are bigger fish swimming, like the one below that my daughter caught.

There were two more bullhead catfish where that one came from.

On a playa lake, three catfish equal a slow day.  However, it's a lot better than catching one or none.  That happened a LOT this winter.  Here in West Texas, we just don't have the deeper bodies of water that are conducive to steady winter bites.

As you can tell from the photo, today's bait was a live nightcrawler.  I had a carp hair rig set up with corn, but no luck there.

The good news is that Spring has arrived, so let's get fishing.  As usual, it was catch and release.  Tight lines!

March Fishing Report

Hello, my friends.  I know it's been almost a month since my last post.  It hasn't been for lack of fishing.  It's been for lack of catching!

Playa lakes are relatively shallow.  As such, their ecosystems are significantly affected by our West Texas weather extremes.  Look at the picture below.  It was taken last month.

That's not fog.  It's steam.  Prior to the day this picture was taken, we enjoyed a few days in the 60's and 70's.  Then an arctic cold front dropped the temp into the 20's.  That steam is the heat escaping from the water after a 50 degree temperature swing.

When you see that happening in a playa lake, you can bank on fish lock-jaw.  Don't get me wrong, there have been some small victories.

This weekend I used corn and worms.  I also tried my hand at some bass fishing with a shad crankbait.  For all of the hours invested, there wasn't much return.  I have only one small carp to show you.

I caught this one in a playa lake on whole kernel sweet corn.  That was after a LOT of chumming with the same corn.  The good news is that I saw a lot of carp jumping.  While activity didn't equal lots of bites, it is good to see them moving!

I also tried Buffalo Springs Lake, but came up with nothing there.  The good news, my friends, is that it's warming up. That means the fish will warm up, and so will the bites!  Just take a look at this forecast.

As usual, the fish pictured were released.  Tight lines!

Don't Break Wind

I've written before about weather's affect on fishing, and there's no denying that it has an effect.  However, I honestly don't think there's any weather situation that completely kills your fishing chances, except severe weather.  I think it's more a matter of using the weather to your advantage.

If you look at today's forecast for my area, which element is most important?

I'll give you a clue.  It's not the temperature.  It's winter.  It's cool if you're lucky and cold if you're not.

I think the single most important element is wind.  I'm not talking about wind speed either.  If you waited for a low wind day in West Texas, you might only fish a couple of days a year.

What's important is wind *direction.*  It's especially important on playa lakes to set up on the side that will put the wind to your back.  It should be blowing in the same direction you cast.  So in the example above, I would set up on the southwest side of the playa lake.

This does a few things for you.  First, you're able to cast much, much further than you would even on a calm day.  The wind carries the line and literally does some of the work for you.  

Casting distance on playas is critical in the winter, because the deepest part is usually toward the middle.  That's also where the water is warmest.  Thus it's where you'll find the fish.

Setting up with your back to the wind does another critical thing for you.  It keeps you warm.  Wind blowing over land is always warmer than wind coming off ice cold water.  This is true even of a north wind.

Last but not least, setting up with the wind to your back maximizes the effect of your chumming.  Especially on smaller bodies of water like playa lakes, the wind moves the water a lot. Observe the top of the lake and watch the ripples.  If you're set up at the right place, they should be moving away from you.  Thus when you "ring the dinner bell" by pouring that sweetcorn juice into the water, it is almost immediately dispersed out toward the center of the lake, and that's what you want.

Today's catch was a small carp.  It probably weighed in at a couple pounds, but I didn't check.  I caught it on corn just thirty or so feet off shore.

Here's a shot of it on my tackle box to give you an idea of length.

As usual, the fish was released unharmed.  Check your rules and regs to make sure sweetcorn's legal in your area.  Remember to cast with the wind instead of trying to slice through or "break" it.  What did you think I was referring to??

Tight lines!

Carry a Big Stick

It was Theodore Roosevelt in 1900 that wrote, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."  That phrase applies to many things in life, and winter fishing might just be one of them.

Playa lakes or other large ponds, particularly when man-made, don't offer a lot of surprises.  Sure there may be a couple of small holes or depressions here and there on the bottom.  For the most part, the depth gradually increases as you approach the middle.

In the winter, most catfish in a playa or a pond are going to be in the center area.  That's where the water is deepest and therefore warmest.  If you have a boat, accessing this area is straightforward.

However, I don't have a boat.  Many playas and ponds aren't even large enough to accommodate them.  During the winter, you need a rod and reel that will allow you to cast as far toward the center as possible.

I recommend using a thicker, longer rod for this endeavor.  There are various brands, including Ugly Stik and Cat Stik.  They vary in heights from 6'6" to 7'7".  If you frequent smaller bodies of water, I think the shorter rod is perfect.  See below.

It's a heavier pole, so you need a larger reel with sturdier line.  I like the Zebco 733.  See below.

It comes pre-spooled with 20 lbs test line, which is perfect.  Just remember to increase your weight and use a slip sinker rig to achieve maximum casting distance. 

Allbeit a small success, I still caught a catfish.

On a side note, I also landed a 2.89 lbs carp with corn about 20 feet from the bank.  Hopefully that's a sign of more active carp feeding in the days and weeks to come!

Tight lines!

Fishing and the Farmer's Almanac

You may notice that it's been a while since my last post.  Rest assured that there have been trips, just not a lot of success.  As I've mentioned before, bites in the winter tend to slow way down.

In this part of Texas, winter weather is a roller coaster.  It might be in the 30's for a high and the 70's for a high in the same week.  The bizarre thing is that I've hit the lake on some of those 70 degree days with an arsenal of baits ... and nothing.

By contrast, the 3.5 lbs bass I caught last month was on a 46 degree day.  I was discussing some of this with a fellow fisherman at work.  He mentioned that he was going to try it this weekend.

That surprised me because our forecast was cold and rainy.  At that point, my friend mentioned the Farmer's Almanac.  The almanac forecasts good fishing days for 2015, and he said this weekend's fishing forecast was good.

I was intrigued.  Like most everything else, the Farmer's Almanac is online.  I took a look, and I learned a lot.  The almanac's forecast takes into account moon phases and tides, both of which affect fish feeding activity.  That's even true inland, away from the sea.

So my daughter and I gave it a shot.  It was in the 40's and sunny, but the windchill was in the 30's.  Once the bait was set, we stayed in the car and watched the poles.  I cracked a window so that she could blow bubbles.

The baits were worms and chicken livers, both of which I was able to get at Walmart.

What happened next surprised me.  The fish started biting almost immediately.  They were all bullhead catfish, and most were small.  Here are the two larger ones.

I can now say that I'm a believer in the Farmer's Almanac.  I think it's especially helpful in winter when fishing becomes more difficult and you need every advantage.

On a warm day during any part of the year OTHER than winter, would I do something else because the almanac says it's a bad fishing day?  Not a chance!

Tight lines!