Blind Fishing Boat

In May 2007 I was fortunate to have been invited to participate in my first St. Lawrence Carp fishing outing.  Alain Danis, an Ottawa native and  dedicated Carp fisher, took me along for a day of Carping, but before we wet our lines, a visit was in order to the Carp tackle shop at the Canadian Carp Club, (owned and operated by Jeff and Marian Vaughan — www.canadiancarpclub.on.ca). 

Jeff and Marian, new owners of the Long Sault Motel, which came with the purchase of  the Canadian Carp Club, seasoned Carp fishers themselves, put us up in the motel and ensured I was properly set up.  This meant a purchase of a 12-foot Fox Warrior XT 3lb rod to go with my Okuma Coronado reel, purchased earlier that year from Ed Puddephatt, owner and operator of Paddletales, (www.paddletales.com), spooled by ed with 40lb Power Pro braded line.  Some 2.5 to 4.5 ounce sinkers, hair rigs, jumbo corn bait, stoppers and a tiny darning needle for use in threading the corn on to my hair rigs, all tucked nicely into a soft-sided bag straight from London England, and I was set to go. 

Alain and I made it to bed at midnight, and were promptly up the next morning at 4:.  The phrase, “Carp adium” was the first thing that popped into my head, which is Latin for, “seas the day”.  We were at the shore by 4:30 and facing straight into a stiff Westerly that carried with it drops of rain and promises of more. 

Once unloaded and set up, which included a folding table and Bivi, (aBivi is  sort of a large umbrella with no handle that is pegged to the ground on its side and is capable of sheltering three), we set to work on baiting the rods and making our first casts.  It was about this time that one of alain’s co-Carp enthusiast rolled in to join in the fun. 

We casted out our lines and then immediately set to baiting the water by Alain’s slingshotting a corn concoction over the water where we had cast our baits, and alain’s friend placing some more precise chum around the baits with his “Spod Rod”.   The Spodding technique involves the casting of a hollow missile-shaped container affixed with a flotation cell at one end which causes the Spod to spill it’s load upon entry in the water.  The Spod is launched using a very stiff 12-foot rod and heavy reel.  The pod was filled with a concoction of chum containing boiled corn mix and split hemp seeds.  Baiting the field is crucial if you are going to attract the Carp into the area for a feeding frenzy. 

The rods were set on their individual bank sticks and the lines were slipped through electronic motion detectors.  The reels all possessed “bait runner” switches which when activated reduced the drag on the reel to about 10%.  The light drag setting allowed for the carp to scoop the hair rig, react to the feel of the metal hook in their mouth, at which time the heavy sinker serves to set the hook, and then begin their run.  This then trips the motion detector which alerts the fisher to the presents of a fish on the line.  Upon hearing the alarm, one switches the reel off of bait runner mode increasing the drag ten-fold, causing the hook point to properly set – no reefing back on the rod is required as the Carp have relatively soft mouths.  What follows next can only be described as amazing. 

These Carp sure can fight.  While they may not be acrobatic in terms of arial stunts, they more than make up for their fear of the fresh air by doing everything in their power to put as much distance as possible between themselves and you.  Three-four consecutive runs are not unheard of.  Add their fighting prowess to the fact that these fish often reach 30lb-pluss and I wouldn’t be stretching the truth when I say that pound-for-pound, Carp are one of the hardest fighting fresh water fish in North America.  Earlier in the season Alain had his reel emptied of 350 yards of 50lb PowerPro braided line by a Carp that must have tipped the scales at over 50lb.  The other thing Carp have going for them is their sheer numbers.  While our day was relatively slow (10 fish landed), it’s not unusual for a party of 2-3 to land upwards of 75 Carp in a day.  Well developed conservation methods developed in the U.K. have also assisted to ensure a strong Carp fishery in Canada as the custom exported to Canada along with their techniques is to return each fish to the water in as humanely a manner as possible. 

That day in May with Alain and his buds was an experience I was to repeat several more times that summer.  I have to say, that I’m honestly a Carp fishing enthusiast.  It’s also a method of fishing that folks with sight have little to know advantage over those with out, other than deciding where to cast their bait.  Since casting only takes place after landing each fish or when checking one’s bait, and since you’re limited to casting into the field of chum laid down with the sling shot and spod rod, casting accuracy isn’t really an issue either. 

Further additions to a Carp fisher’s list of essential gear include a bank chair with individually adjustable legs for leveling, a soft landing net, various scented Boilies, a round pre-made bait soaked in different flavours of fish attractants, a padded nylon mat to rest the fish on when extracting the hook, and that’s about it.  Hopefully next year the gear list will be further added to with the addition of a second rod and reel, should the Ministry of Natural Resources allow Carp fishers on the St. Lawrence to use two rods instead of one, which is the custom in the U.S. just across the river. 

You don’t need a lot to catch Carp, just good strong but sensitive gear and a bit of decent weather.  A boat is certainly of no value as the trick is to bring the fish to you, as opposed to you going to them.  Carp are far too spooky to ever take one with a bait that’s moving.  They are also bottom feeders and, contrary to popular belief, are quite finicky in what they put in their mouths. 

A big thanks to Alain Danis for getting me started on this very enjoyable and rewarding method of fishing.  And another hardy thanks to Jeff and Marian of the Canadian Carp club for their hospitality and generous advice in selecting just the right gear.