Ordering from the UK

Did you know you can order stuff from places in the UK. Lately, I have been dealing with Specialist Tackle, a reputable company that has just about everything you need for carp fishing. I find their prices to be cheaper than the US online companies for the same products but shipping for large (rods) or heavy items seems to be very high. Nevertheless, I ordered several "small' things from them recently and was very pleased with their prices and service. Note that their prices are in British currency. They will quote a US dollar price if you e-mail them. You simply pay with your credit card, the credit card company takes care of the currency exchange. Shipping seemed faster than some of the US stores.
Here is the link to Specialist Tackle:
http://www.specialist-tackle.co.uk/

Easy Access to Videos

I know many of you often refer to the hair rig video that appeared last year on the blog. Instead of going searching for it, I set up an easy link to it on You Tube. The link to the hair rig videos as well as all my other videos can be found on the left information column or the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pickerd5&search_type=&aq=f

Rucksack or Fishing Bag?

How do you carry your gear to the bank? Most fishermen these days are either using some type of bag or a rucksack. Up until this past year, I was a "bag" type of guy. But, this year I switched to a rucksack and I like it.

Rucksacks are the UK's version of a US knapsack. I purchased a Nash Hooligan 45 rucksack last year. I was looking to make it to the bank in one trip with all my gear and figured the rucksack was the way to go. The rucksack has the added bonus of allowing a fishermen to walk a long distance while comfortably carrying all the gear that is supported on two shoulders. My sack has a bunch of pockets (as they all do) on the sides and front for storing boxes of gear like hooks, leads, scales, rig pouch, stops, scissors, hooklink, baiting needles, etc. I like to keep my jars of maize and other bait in the main compartment. I is roomy enough to also fit a small method bowl and my lunch and maybe even extra clothing. When walking to far away spots, I also stick in a couple of banksticks with alarms in the main compartment. I also have set up hiker's hooks in the sack's rings to clip on my unhooking mat and weigh sling. You could never fit all that gear into a bag.

If you are thinking about purchasing some tackle storage before the start of the next season, consider a rucksack.

Non-Carpin' Ice Fishin'

There is about 6-8 inches of ice all over the state right now and it seems to be thickening by the day. By now, carp seem to be a distant memory. While a few have been caught around the US though the ice, I have tried and have not been successful at that game.
So, at this time of the year I turn to other fish to keep the rods active and the fishing going. I love to jig through the ice. I'll sometimes go to several ponds in an afternoon cutting holes and jigging for species like largemouth bass, yellow perch, big bluegills, pickerel, white perch, etc. My kids, their friends, the girlfriends, etc. sometimes all come along as I have a bucket with about 8 jigging outfits ready to go. The trick is to use a small lure (I prefer small gold Kastmasters), and thread a meal worm (can be purchased at Petco) onto the lure's treble. Just lower it to the bottom, move it upwards about 6-10 inches off the bottom and jig the offering up and down.
In the last week, I have done exceptionally well with largemouths in a local pond and have caught big numbers of large perch from Stump Pond in Smithfield. This isn't carp, but it does keep the fishing alive and well until the carp fishing comes to life in March. What else are you going to do in the dead of winter?

Looking Back on 20009....Video

Ah, 2009 was a great year of carp fishing for most of us RI CAG fishermen. I put together a U Tube video (the file was too big for this site) that highlights our year. Sit back, turn up the music and enjoy!