On the Board for 2022

This is one of two commons that I
landed on this beautiful January day.

 I got out fishing on this beautiful January afternoon. With all the still water (ponds and lakes) in the state locked in a thin covering of ice, I fished moving water which was ice-free. I landed my first two carp of the year, a couple of 6 lb. commons. They hit a combo bait of sweet corn and a white artificial pop-up.

Realize catching carp in the middle of January is no easy task.  I remember many years ago when I first began fishing for carp in the dead of winter.  I was fishing a small, shallow river that had clear water.  In front of me was a "deep spot" of several feet. I could clearly see the bottom.  I baited up some maize and sweet corn and then tossed my bait right in the middle of the freebies.  Within a short period of time, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of five carp moving up the river and right toward my bait and chum. The group hovered right over the bait and simply kept on moving, completely ignoring the food. It was a lesson that taught me that at times carp are just not feeding in very cold water.

So, this winter fishing is often a crap shoot.  Sometimes they hit, sometimes they don't.  Today, at least two carp hit my bait. It's unknown whether these were the only two fish in the area. Were there others there but not interested in hitting?