My 2019 In A Nutshell

by Christopher Kosel

Although, it’ll probably be early Summer 2020 when you get to read this, I'm sat here writing the blog during a really cold February in Iowa. For those of you who aren't in the mid-west, this means I haven't seen an unfrozen lake in three months and anything in double digits feels balmy, so I am a bit nostalgic for 2019’s best captures….

A little background, I have fished for carp with varying degrees of dedication since 2008. I was introduced to stalking for wild carp and occasional match fishing along with more traditional coarse fishing while I was in England for a few years. I had a fishing hiatus for several years due to work commitments overseas, but I re-engaged with it in 2010. I gradually honed my techniques and fished several times a week while living in the Tidewater Virginia region until 2016. This gave me some experience with the mechanics of rig tying and proper pre-baiting wild swims. For the last few years I have had to primarily squeeze in brief sessions between work and family commitments.

2019 was very different, both in opportunities and in the approach I took to my sessions. I had several work trips that took me to Tennessee and Wisconsin over the early spring, so I was able to get some quick sessions in, but missed time in my home waters. I had a semi productive spring exploring when I got back home, but my usual carp haunts were un-fishable due to the high water. Through searching maps and scouring message boards I found a small lake, part of an urban nature reserve, that had several large old fish. By the time I had scouted it out, the fish were in spawning mode, so it was a great time to observe the stock but fishing was not going to be productive. The lake held some of the largest carp I have seen in the area, but I only ever saw about 12 individuals, so compared to most swims I have fished, it had pretty low numbers. Also like many urban lakes, it held a few large Grass Carp as well. I decided that this season I was going to focus on catching one of these larger fish, instead of settling for the normal 15-20 fish days full of small Common Carp and Buffalo.

Once the spawn was over and the fish settled into a predictable feeding pattern I came up with several methods of attack. Instead of settling for quick sessions for small fish, I decided to have a sustained campaign until I landed one of my target fish. I assumed that it would be a fairly simple matter to start catching once I got bait in front of the fish. In my experience, the toughest part of fishing wild carp is introducing a bait in quantities that will convince them that you’re presenting a food item. My preference in the past was to use a particle mix of boiled bird seed and sweet corn with just enough panko binder to make method balls.
The first weekend of fishing, I pre-baited two days ahead with this mix and fished hair rigged sweet corn on one rod and Tutti-Frutti boilies on the other. Both rods had method leads to hold packbait, which has been a producer for me in the past.

When I arrived there was no sign of fish in the location I had pre-baited, but I figured they would be back once I got the swim started. To my surprise not a single bump the whole first day, but I did see several fish actively feeding in the shallows away from my swim.

I decided that the fish just hadn’t become acclimated to my bait yet, so I pre-baited several days a week over the next few weeks. Sometimes I would just put in a can of sweetcorn if I was pressed for time, others putting in a few gallons of particle. When I was finally able to get another weekend free I ran into the same issue, fish seemed to be actively avoiding my swim, while feeding in several specific areas. So I moved locations and baited up with a few cans of corn and got my rigs in their preferred area.
This new swim was great because the water proved more shallow. I could see fish feeding and moving in and out of the swim. I knew I was in trouble when I saw a large carp slow down, look at my main line in the water, and zoom away like a torpedo! Later I saw another one come across my baited area, and spook out when he saw the corn kernels. This clearly was not going to be as easy as I initially thought!
That session ended with me catching two catfish and one bluegill, but no interest by the carp. The next few sessions were all identical, and at this point I had spent over a month with nothing to show for my efforts. I knew I had to change something about my approach, so I ditched the pre-baiting campaign and again adjusted locations.

I found a channel between two islands that I regularly saw feeding activity near and targeted that. It required a longer, more accurate cast, but also put my bait out of the range reached by casual fishermen. I also switched to a standard pear lead instead of the method and simplified my rig to several pieces of hair rigged sweetcorn.
This change got me several beeps on the alarm during the first few hours, and as I was getting ready to leave it produced a massive run. The fish was fast and fairly powerful but didn't have the long runs I associate with carp, so I assumed it was a large catfish.
Once I got it in close, I realized it was actually one of the massive Grass Carp. It ended up weighing 39 pounds, which still stands as my largest freshwater fish. I was very impressed, but the rest of that session only produced a pair of confused Largemouth Bass who hit my corn as I retrieved my rigs.

On my follow up session, I used the same tactic, again targeting a channel about 3 feet wide between two islands. After losing two rigs casting into an underwater tree, I realized that any fish I did catch, I would have to be able to stop and turn it in a very short distance.
I moved my rigs closer to the margin to allow more room to fight a fish and waited. This time the wait wasn't nearly as long, and the run was even stronger. I tightened my drag down as firm as I dared and just hoped I had a solid hook hold. Luck was on my side, and I was able to turn the fish before the snag and move the fight to open water. I had finally hooked my target, a beautifully conditioned 25 pound common carp! Unfortunately there was no way to safely take photos this time, but the fish was every bit as memorable.

It's funny how the highlights of an entire season come down to two hard fought captures. If your sessions are starting to all feel similar or your skills are starting to plateau, consider focusing on a campaign one year. There are lessons to be learned that short sessions just can’t offer, and the satisfaction of a capture after days or weeks of targeting is immense.

For me, 2020 has its own challenges in store, I have a target Koi that I’d like to capture and a limited time to do it between spring thaw and a cross-country move. If any one has a secret bait that can be avoided by thousands of catfish and still catch Koi, let me know!

Thanks for taking the time to read my experiences here, I hope they have helped you in some small way and wish you the best of luck throughout your 2020 season…
Christopher Kosel