First Carp of 2023

 

My first carp of 2023!

I went out carp fishing today in this mild January weather.  It felt like fishing in late March or early April. In the past I have scored some nice carp in January during these mild spells and today was no exception. I landed this 13 lb. common on a combo bait of maize and a white artificial corn.  I was also using a small method ball packed around my sinker.

If you are trying for a carp in the middle of winter, you might try looking in "small places".  I'm talking ice free small shallow ponds, small rivers and canals. The carp have no place to hide in these smaller spots, and these bodies of water tend to heat faster making the carp more active.

With mild weather forecasted for later in the week, I expect the winter action to continue.

SHOWTIME!

 In a couple of weeks I begin doing my winter seminars at many of the big outdoor shows in New England.

My first show will be the New England Fishing and Outdoor Expo in Boxboro, MA at the Boxboro Regency.  This show runs three days on Jan. 27, 28 and 29.   This is a big fishing and outdoor show that covers freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing with a lot of exhibitors, displays, dealers and seminars. 

On Saturday, Jan. 28 at 11:00 AM, I will be running my all new saltwater seminar for 2023.  It is titled "Stripers from Shore and Kayak". This seminar will take show goers on a year long journey of catching stripers from both shore and kayak here in southern New England. It will outline some of the best lures, techniques and places to catch stripers from both shore and kayak.  The emphasis will be on catching after large stripers, slots and overslots.

I will change hats on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 11:00 AM as I do my freshwater carp fishing seminar.  My new carp fishing show for 2023 is titled "Understanding Carp- Choosing the Best Baits".  This show will feature rigging as well as baits to catch trophy size carp in southern New England.  It will be an eye opener and a wealth of information for those who are beginners as well as experienced carpers.

Making Boilies

 

Here's a bunch of strawberry flavored
boilies that I made this morning.

Happy New Year to all my loyal readers!

On this crappy morning I decided to make some boilies.  Remember last year I started making my own and had the best success with a strawberry flavored boilie. I caught a good number of carp while using them.

Here are the ingredients to make about 100 15mm boilies:

* Half box (8 oz.) plain bread crumbs

*1/2 cup corn starch

* 2 tablespoons of sugar

* 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

* 2 eggs

*half a box of strawberry jello

Mix all these ingredients in a big bowl and then knead the mix.  It should be the consistency of a snowball.  If too dry, add more egg.  If too wet, add more bread crumb.

At this point, you need to roll the mix into small ball shapes the size of a marble. I use a sausage gun from Big Carp Tackle and push a sausage onto a small rollaball table which will make 20 boilies at once.  You can also roll these by hand but it takes a long time. These tables can also be purchased at Big Carp Tackle.

Next, drop all the rolled balls into a pan of boiling water.  They will sink at first but after a minute or so, you will see them floating on the top.  They are now ready to be taken out and placed on a tray to dry.

I let mine dry overnight. I then package them in a zip lock bag and place them in the freezer until I am ready to use them.

Making your own boilies is time consuming, but far more inexpensive than buying them.