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Use caution when dealing with snapping turtles.
Ever hear of finger foods...for this beast, it could be YOUR finger! |
I am a big fan of prebaiting an area most of the time before I fish it. However, in the dead of summer, sometimes it is not a good thing. It seems that in the summertime, prebaiting can actually be an invitation to every pest around a spot to come on in and feast. Take yesterday, for instance. I had prebaited a good spot in early afternoon and went back in the evening to fish for carp. Almost immediately, I hooked into a turtle the size of a manhole cover. A half hour later, I landed another beast about the same size I was also getting tapped constantly by dace as I caught some of them also. No doubt these warm water pests were attracted to the easy pickings and took up residence in the spot. There may have been some carp around but the more aggressive dace and turtles seemed get to my bait first. Last week we had a fish-in and the same thing happened. I prebaited the area. It was an invitation to horned pout to come in and feast. Once again, we landed horned pout but no carp.
So, I have come to believe that prebaiting seems to lose a lot of its advantages in the dead of summer, especially in the daytime hours. However, in areas where there are few pests (can't think of too many), prebating still offers a good shot at luring carp to your fishing spot. In areas where lots of pests exist, plan on catching a lot of things you don't want if you prebait.
Dave, I'm a new member to this blog and an avid carp fisherman, I mainly fish spots like spec pond, mashpaug, and blackamore, all three are right in my backyard, but for some reason this year I CANT CATCH ANY CARP ... I don't get it, I've had great results in years past, but this year has been terrible for me, I have tried everything from doughballs to sweet corn to chic peas (scented and unscented), with no luck, I've tried using a 1 ounce egg sinker, I have tried freelining and I cant get anything but pests! When you cant catch a carp at blackamore pond something is wrong. Any advice? I want to try to have a good outing before summer is over!
ReplyDeleteRyan, thanks for following the blog.
ReplyDeleteI will tell you that summer fishing for carp in ponds is tough, especially this year with the very warm weather of July. The carp just seem to get in a funk at this time. IN addtion, the pests have been worse than normal. Things tend to perk up with the first signs of cool weather in the fall and September is a far better month than August.
I have been fishing some of the spots you mention and I have been getting a couple every outing. My best bait has been unflavored maize fished on the hair rig ahead of a method ball. Morning has been the best time.
Moving water is a better bet at this time. I find that deep, slow moving spots in a river will produce better than ponds.
I've found that carp fishing is very much an up and down game and can be frustrating at times.
Good luck and keep trying.