No, this is not another get fit promotion. Our topic certainly involves lifting weights, but it might take awhile to tone your biceps, because we’re talking lifting barbels, not barbells. That’s right, barbels–as in the rubbery “whiskers” you’ll find extending outside the mouth of the common carp. You may find it odd we’re bringing up carp when discussing ice fishing, because outside Europe or Asia, few winter anglers are aware you can catch carp through the ice; fewer still actually bother to pursue them.
But yes, you can catch carp through the ice, and yes, some ice anglers specifically target them.
I first became aware of this while visiting China back in February of 2012. We were taping a Season One episode of Tom Gruenwald Outdoors to simply show what it was like to ice fish a truly unique, exotic location for some unusual species. We caught mostly small, shinier-type minnows and sculpin–like fish—along with one of China’s most prolific, popular and incredibly light-biting crucian fish.
While fishing crucian fish, I also witnessed one Chinese angler land a carp, which really intrigued me. Visiting with this gentleman, I learned there were many lakes where Chinese anglers deliberately targeted carp, using techniques remarkably similar to the ones we were using to catch crucian fish. Although the area we were fishing didn’t hold a strong population of carp and our trip was timed too short to allow additional travel or fish waters with a viable carp population, I couldn’t stop wondering what kind of an opportunity this might hold—especially back home in North America.
And this past winter, I had the opportunity to find out!
I contacted Jeff Kelm, an HT pro staffer who is also a member of the U.S. Ice Fishing Team—a group that has competed in overseas ice fishing tournaments where carp are often caught—and we began discussing the possibility of attempting to fish carp here in North America. While neither of us knew we would be successful, as we were entering completely unexplored territory, we were curious and began open conversations about ice fishing carp.
We agreed the best local opportunity would be to try a Wisconsin River Flowage known to have been largely overrun with carp. We also decided fishing the Big Eau Pleine Flowage immediately following the February, 2013 World Ice Fishing Championship might provide a great running start. After all, between Jeff’s pre-fishing, time spent during the competition and subsequent knowledge he could gather after networking with a large group of high powered ice anglers from all over the world, how could we go wrong?
Game On
On the day I was to leave to meet Jeff, my cell phone rings. “Tom, this is Jeff.” His tone is stoic, not at all reassuring, and his report is even less enthusiastic. “There were a couple carp caught during the tournament,” he stated, “but not many. Most people focused on crappies. I know there are carp around, and I have some coordinates for those locations, but…” he stops momentarily to sigh… “Maybe,” he strongly suggests, “we should just change our plans and fish crappies.”
He pauses cautiously, awaiting my thoughts. My mind is reeling, as this was not the news I was hoping for. With the sheer number of quality anglers fishing a body of water known to support a large carp population, his news should be much more encouraging.
Jeff has always been straight with me, just as he is now. He’s telling me there are no guarantees and he’s recommending we back off. This deserves careful thought.
On the other hand, I also know Jeff is a good angler and he’s found an area known to hold carp—a place where some were caught over the weekend. I take a deep breath.
“Not looking good at all, huh?”
“Right,” he responds. “But I’m not going to tell you what to do. That’s entirely up to you.”
I decide to be bold and take a chance.
“Tell you what, Jeff, we set out to try something new here and our efforts may fail, but I’d like to stick with our plans to fish carp. You in?”
Still somewhat reluctant, Jeff hesitates but agrees, then adds fellow HT pro staffer Aaron “Ice” Berg will be there too.
There’s an annoying question as I begin driving down an icy highway through increasingly deteriorating road conditions. After all, the weather isn’t good and the clock is ticking. Winter doesn’t last forever, time is limited and I’m risking precious hours heading out to pursue a species I’ve never fished before. Using a modified version of an unorthodox Chinese method I learned from someone that didn’t speak any English and one I’d only used for a few days on limited waters while fishing Crucian fish in Northern China. I ask myself, “Did I make the right decision?”
But I’m excited about the opportunity to try something different, and I’m up to the challenge.
Game on!
The emotional roller coaster continues the next morning. We awake to a bitter cold front with bright, clear skies and wickedly cold winds. “Well, no one ever said this would be easy,” I tell Sean Casper, the man behind the TGO camera, over a quick breakfast. “But I’m still really intrigued with this.”
Stepping outside, I brush snow off the truck, start the beast and turn the heat, fan and defrost to max. Tough conditions or not, I’m here to fish.
A half hour later I meet Jeff and Aaron. Jeff plugs in the coordinates for the area carp had been located over the weekend—a location where a broad, shallow mud flat stretches out and breaks into a relatively abrupt drop to about 8 feet before gradually sloping off into 15. After a brief drive to the site and quick discussion, we agree to each move around along different segments of this break searching for fish. Without wasting a moment, the three of us go right to work drilling staggered holes over a broad expanse of ice measuring approximately 150’ long by 30’ wide.
My Polar Fire auger spins through layer upon layer of thick ice, and then plunges through. Getting warm, I open my jacket, cut another hole about 20’ away and continue repeating the performance a dozen more times before shutting down and heading back to gather my gear. It’s time to fish.
Jeff and Aaron both plan to fish with their European palm rods—short, foot long rods with small built-in reels and sensitive spring bobbers at the tips. I’m familiar with this gear, as I used it while fishing international competition in northern Sweden back in the early ‘90’s. I know how sensitive—and effective—this tackle is, and in the hands of Jeff and Aaron, will be put to good use. They’ll go with tiny micro tungsten jigs tipped with grubs. I choose a system similar to the one I used in China—a large guided, medium action spinning combo spooled with 6# test clear mono and rigged similarly to what I used when fishing crucian fish—a bottom feeding species with habits similar to common carp—a system I witnessed one Chinese angler successfully use to catch one.
The system involves a super-sensitive balsa slip float, secured in place between two nylon slip bobber stops. Below this I’ve positioned a tiny slip sinker, also secured in place by sandwiching it between two nylon slip bobber stops, followed by a tiny barrel swivel and two clear mono leaders, one about 7” long and the other about 9” long, staggered to minimize the potential for tangling. Each leader is tipped with small, super-sharp, small-barbed carbide hooks I obtained from a Chinese friend.
The plan is to bait each hook with a couple lively, writhing spikes, and adjusting the presentation so the slip weight and hooks settle to bottom as the slip bobber floats above but well beneath the surface of the water where nothing but a biting fish can move it. If these carp bite anything like Crucian fish, I’ll need to be quick and set the hook immediately upon the first sign of movement–and that won’t be much. I’m well aware I’ll need to be focused.
THE ON-ICE CARP RIG
The basic carp rigs I used effectively were set up using a slip bobber stop and a thin balsa float featuring a long, hi-vis stem, secured in place by a second stop. This was followed by a tiny slip sinker sandwiched between a second set of bobber stop and a tiny barrel swivel with two mono leaders, each of varying length to avoid tangling and tipped with a fine, approximately number 12 thin wire carbide hooks baited with spikes.To fish, the bobber stops are adjusted so your bait is allowed to lie directly on bottom and the neutrally buoyant float is suspended above in the water column, but 3-4” below the water line. This ensures the float remains completely undisturbed as the maggots are tight-lined from the bottom up to the float.
Try occasionally lifting the rig to attract attention, otherwise simply allow the presentation to remain still while intently watching the float. When a fish picks your bait off bottom, the otherwise motionless float will twitch or rise ever so slightly, indicating the take. Be quick and you’ll be rewarded!
Experimenting
I drop the transducer into hole one. Two feet, no fish. Hole two: Five feet. Again, no fish.
Hole three, however; proves different. The Vexilar screen reads 8 feet and there’s a solid bunch of fish from the bottom up about three feet. Holes four and five are also set directly on top this 8-9’ contour and reveal more of the same.
Jeff and Aaron have underwater cameras and are long gone, so much as I’d love to confirm what species these fish are quickly and easily with a camera, I’m going a bit old school: I’ll jig and see what happens. I adjust my float to the appropriate depth; lower the presentation into position and sit back, waiting.
For the first five minutes, the float suspends in the cold water below, motionless. I lift the rig once or twice to attract attention; otherwise, I’m just sitting there, bent over the hole, every ounce of my attention focused on the thin, bright orange stem extending from the bulb of the float. Then, unexpectedly, the float ever so subtly twitches. Still, not fully prepared, perhaps even somewhat unconfident, I hesitate, just a fraction of a second.
I miss!
Reeling up, I find my hook bare. I re-bait, but vow this won’t be repeated.
Again I lower the rig and sit. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the float twitches; I react, and momentarily feel weight, then nothing. Reeling up, I discover a rather large, thin opaque scale on the tip of my hook: There’s no question, it’s that of a carp.
Now I’m encouraged—and focused. I re-rig and again lower the bait. I notice fish are still moving through, pretty continually, and can’t help but wonder what percentage of them might be carp.
Another five minutes or ten minutes goes by, and again the float moves ever so slightly. Repeat performance: I’ve managed to snag another scale. Undaunted, I re-rig and start the process over.
Ten minutes later, the float moves, but my reflexes prove sharpened. This time I feel weight, and it doesn’t fade away, instead the rod bends deeply. I’ve hooked a solid fish. Shaking, I work to move a powerful fighter, but the rod tires the fish enough for me to lead its head to the hole, where my theory proves correct. It’s a carp!
The fish thrashes at the hole, but with the long leader I have my rod raised high, and being so heavy, muscular and slippery with an odd shaped rubber mouth, there’s no way of grasping the fish with one-hand. I have difficulty pulling the fish from the hole. At last, the tiny, small barbed hook, barely stuck within the flesh at the corner of the fish’s mouth slips free, and with a splash, my first chance at icing a carp fails as I watch the fish swim back down the hole.
I’m disappointed, but not discouraged. This experiment looks like it just may be successful.
Success!
I look up, but Jeff and Aaron are long gone, working well over 100 yards away, so I decide to re-rig and continue fishing. Moments later, I hook another carp, and while I find icing it without assistance a challenge, I manage to slip my first carp onto the ice.
This gets the attention of Jeff, who comes over to see what I’m doing. So far, the palm rod systems have worked for crappie and perch, but not carp. Jeff sits back to watch. I soon hook another carp, and with Jeff’s help, easily land it.
At this point we lower his underwater camera and my suspicion is immediately confirmed: The fish moving through are all carp, consistent in size. Whether I discovered one large pod continually circling through or an enormous, migrating concentration of fish is something we can’t confirm, but either way, the carp have been holding on this break the entire time I’ve been fishing, and they don’t appear to be going away.
At Jeff’s request, I stop to rig a second rod, showing him the system I’m using and how it works. He drills a hole beside me, sits down and sets up. Like me, after a couple misses, he grasps the concept and hooks a carp. This draws Aaron’s attention, and he takes over Jeff’s position–and again, after an empty hook set or three, Aaron gets into the swing of things and soon hooks his first carp–as does a local friend of Jeff’s whose now joined us and follows Aaron in our odd quest.
I’m finding this fun, and now getting comfortable with catching carp fairly consistently. In fact, during the next few hours, I improvise my presentation by shortening my leaders to reduce line twist and tangling, packing the hooks with multiple, wiggling spikes of varying color, adjustments which seem to help increase bites. I also begin dropping my used or dead spikes down the hole, and notice the volume of fish moving through—as well as my catch rate—steadily increasing.
Summary
I must admit I found ice fishing carp to be one of the more fun adventures I’ve had in awhile. The chance to try something new, take a calculated risk and successfully meeting the challenge has been truly rewarding, and I know this is a new frontier offering alot more opportunity!
I would have truly loved to stay longer and keep fishing that day, but with the challenge met, the show successfully taped and the rather brutal winds causing painful fingertips from repeated handling of wet, cold 3-4 pound carp finally taking its toll, I reluctantly decide to call it a day.
And all I can say is wow, what a day it was!
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