Big Carp News

On a recent trip to England we had the chance to meet our old friends at Dynamite Baits and take a Dynamite Bait Factory Tour of their facility. One of the most impressive places I’ve ever seen. Every bait they produce is made in house including bottling liquids and popups… Read more

The St. Lawrence Carp Marathon: On Monday July 19th 2021 some of the most highly skilled anglers from all over the country gathered in Waddington, NY to draw pegs for what would be the longest and one of most challenging carp fishing tournaments ever held on the mighty St. Lawrence… Read more

OVERVIEW These 10ft versions are perfect for use in a multitude of angling situations – from boats where a longer rod can be cumbersome and awkward to use when lowering rigs onto spots, to fishing in close quarters where casting space is limited, or if you’re simply fishing on a… Read more

Welcome to the Big Carp News Pod Cast! We are delighted to share this content with you! Bringing you a number of podcasts over the coming months, connecting you with guests from all over the USA. Talking on everything from the History of carp angling here in the USA right… Read more

With another great event in the record books and a sliver of free time, it’s time to put together my (Zach) 2017 Austin Team Championship experience. This year I was teamed up with fellow Big Carp News contributor Evan Cartabiano. Having never fished with him before is a little nerve… Read more

Parco Del Brenta Sept 2016 The carp mecca of Parco Del Brenta can be found an hour’s drive to the North West of Venice not far from the famed walled city of Citadella in the Padua region of Italy. This 35 acre gravel pit is fed by the cool waters… Read more

Well I’m retiring my Berkley hook sharpener. After seeing Zach retouch his hook points on the bank I decided to get a JAG hook sharpening kit. It comes in a small pouch. The kit includes a vice , jeweler file ,2 polishing stones , jeweler’s eye / magnifying glass and… Read more

Long and painful hours of planning, anticipation, overthinking melt away when your alarm cries out of the silence for the first time. Around the end of February, we started to plan an epic adventure. Erick, Joseph, and myself were looking to get away for a week in a remote corner… Read more

When I returned to the sport of carp fishing I knew nothing of the modern accepted standards of carp care. Back when I first started fishing, in the late 70s, early 80s, weigh and retainer slings, cradles and mats, dedicated nets for carp, medicated kits to treat wounds and sores,… Read more

  Living in California is not only about fun and games it’s about chasing huge carp. After several years of progressing my carp tactics, catching hundreds of fish , fishing countless body’s of water I now hold my PB common. Fishing a SoCal desert lake doing some work to the… Read more

It’s difficult for me to pinpoint when a year begins and ends with my angling, and to be honest I wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good year for me; however within a few moments it became apparent it was a remarkable year that would take a lot for… Read more

We are just about to start the 2016 season and last year was all over the place for me. The year started off rough with an abscess in my back that extended from my spine around my side. Taking over a month to heal the wound had finally closed a… Read more

After a challenging year in 2014 where my fishing time was severely shortened due to a new job, I found myself in the same position entering 2015 as once again work meant fishing had to take a backseat. I did manage to get out for an early session in January… Read more

It is time to show off more of the stunning captures from each Big Carp News Contributor over the past year. This weeks focus is on John Finney of CarpQuest. Throughout the year, in his quest for a rare Colorado twenty plus mirror carp and in taking out many new anglers to introduce… Read more

      After  pictures of some enormous carp from a lake not too far from home peeked my interest I was soon  loading my truck  with all the essentials, X3 Predator Rods paired with Baitrunner Aero GT’s packed into a military barracks bag, purchased  from a local surplus store.… Read more

The Seeker Marker Float from Gardner is one of the many choices available, but it is not just any old float – it offers excellent cast-ability, visibility, and a price tag under $10. Read more

It is with great pride that I can announce that I am now part of the Gardner Team. Gardner Tackle kit is top quality and I can really get behind it and feel good showing it to other anglers as I have been using it for years and know it to be… Read more

It’s been a funny year, weather wise. After a brutal winter with over 100 inches of snow in the Northeast it’s an understatement to say I was not looking forward to the coming winter season. The Farmers’ Almanac prediction didn’t help but as November came to an end the weather… Read more

Carp Safety – going beyond the mat! You only have to see a photo like this posted on Facebook with a carp lying on bare ground or being held up by its gills to see the passion that is generated toward better handling and fish care. The problem, as I’ve… Read more

A teaser of an upcoming video by Brian Wingard . I wanted to show the common carp release using my gopro and the underwater footage with it. Thanks for watching. Read more

The classic idea of carp fishing is a long drawn-out event with long periods of inactivity – basically the opposite of what is recommended for fishing with kids. While in some ways this is true, with some planing and a change in mindset, taking your child carping can be really… Read more

This narrative will be as detailed as possible as I do not feel that hiding my tactics or locations will be of any great benefit to me and I hope that others will be able to fish in a wiser fashion as a result of these articles. Read more

It seems like social media in the 21st century has led to an influx of carp anglers who like to spend their days ramming product placement down people’s throats, irrespective of whether the product and/or bait has been utilized by them personally. It also seems apparent that many anglers are… Read more

Brian Wingard Carp Angler Shares his year in review with us. All of our team has had a great year and Brian is no exception. He had a lot of stunning fish this year including his PB of 38lb 6oz. He is currently working with CC Moore & Co Ltd… Read more

Craig Parkes Shares his 2014 Year in Review with us. With work, studying for a PhD and preparing for the arrival of my first child fishing time this year has been limited. However, I wanted to get out and try some of the new instant action range Ronny DeGroote had… Read more

Austin Pass shares his 2014 year in review with us. Austin said his favorite fish out of all of these would be the Orange mirror koi as it was my first fish out of a totally new water after a bit of scouting and led to us eventually capturing 7 of… Read more

For PC Click the Image and for IPhone click the second image to download and open with Ibooks. For Iphone Click below and open in Ibooks Read more

Iain Sorrell shares his 2014 year in review with us. Since moving to the USA Iain Sorrell (owner of Saxon Tackle) has proven himself as one of the outstanding short session carp anglers. Fishing mostly 4-8 hour sessions he’s taken a string of big fish with well over 100 thirties… Read more

Benefits of a longer carp session by Jozsef   Have you ever wondered about what would have happened if you had stayed for two more days instead of fishing for just one day? I often think about this especially if I am out there somewhere exploring new swims. The general… Read more

David Moore , owner of www.bigcarptackle.com shares his 2014 year in review. He has had some stunning fish this year and also some great tournament results to show for. Even though he is extremely busy running Big Carp Tackle he still manages to get out and enjoy what he loves… Read more

    It is with great pleasure that we can share the most recent news in the United States. It has been announced on the Team Korda USA page that Brian Wingard is now on Team Korda!  All of us at the Big Carp News Team congratulates him on not only this… Read more

The key to catching carp in the winter is finding them. During warmer months carp are actively searching for food and hence while finding the perfect spot is important it might not be as hard as during the cooler part of the season when they are not actively searching for… Read more

Best 5 Carp Competition, May 5-10 2014 Lake Raduta, Sarulesti Romania   It was late November of last year when I got a call from Bogdan the co-owner of K-1 baits. “Hey Iain do you want some boilies for Romania?” He had seen my name listed as a team member… Read more

June 18, 2014. Entry in my fishing blog: I was on the phone with one of my long time carp friends Mr. Vanja. He gave me a ring and we chatted. It Just so happened that i was out scouting and exploring a new place in the afternoon hours before… Read more

For my brother Austin and I, this was our second ATC (Austin Team Championship) which was held in Austin Texas, we placed at a respectable 4th, among 24 other teams. We worked hard both days to get to that position and we were happy with what we had done. But… Read more

Frank Warwick Interview Dec 2013 Iain Sorrell talks to Frank Warwick for Big Carp News.   IS : Hi Frank thanks for joining us on the BCN Interview. I know you’ve fished over here in the USA once before. What were your impressions? FW: Well it was a little bit… Read more

Very pleased to introduce Brian Wingard to the Big Carp News team. He is a powerhouse in USA carp fishing, with a huge following on his blogs and you tube pages. He is a representative for TOKS Big 4, a CC Moore consultant, and also has done an awful lot… Read more

As we approached the 2013 Wooden Shoe Carp Classic I can only remember thinking how this event could not come fast enough! Last year’s Wooden Shoe Carp Classic had incredible results, with many personal bests for anglers including myself and a couple 30lb+ beasts being landed. This sparked interest from… Read more

Our monthly contest, ‘Carp of the Month’ has been gathering steam and we have been getting an increase in entrants as the weather warms up. This is a FREE contest to enter and has some great prizes, just for posting a picture of a recent capture. April’s winner was out… Read more

I am pleased to announce the Evan Cartabiano has been added to the select team of Big Carp News Contributors. Evan brings something very very rare in the carp world. He is a fisheries scientist, with a huge interest in carp. This is something I have not witnessed much of anywhere… Read more

We are pleased to announce February’s ‘Carp of the Month’ winner as:  Brendan Pass We had some fantastic offerings this month with many coming from CAG’s Austin Team Championships. This made the judging hard but Brendan’s 34lb 2oz common caught on Day One of the ATC stood out in terms… Read more

The first Carp of the Month competition only attracted a small number of competitor’s but we were very impressed with the standard of the carp and conditions they were caught in. The winner was unanimous and would have been hard to beat at any time of year! Willy Gordon of… Read more

I am pleased to announce that Iain Sorrell has joined the Big Carp News contribution team. Iain runs Saxon tackle, importing Delkim, SPOMB & PB products in addition to developing the amazing Hexalite carp rods. His North American captures include 40lb+ commons, a 46lb Mirror and grass carp to 60+.… Read more

August had come to a close and hopefully the hot an humid weather would also end soon. I had managed a couple more nice scaley mirrors right at the end of August and one of them had really made me work, as access to the swim was now much different. Instead of a short walk to the area, I had to spend 90 minutes walking my gear down over a quarter of a mile of margins, with  deep drop off perilously close! My hard work was rewarded though as the fish were well worth the effort.

25lbs+ of Fully Scaled Mirror Carp

23lbs+ Hard work to get to the area, but well worth the effort!

 

With the start of September my hope for cooler weather systems and low pressure fronts were starting to materialize. We could definitely use some rain after a relatively dry summer and over the first week, the temperature cooperated and started to drop a few degrees. I was planning one more overnight on the 800 acre Lake before heading to Upstate New York for a three day fishing trip. Having spoken to other anglers fishing the lake, it was obvious that the bullheads (small catfish) were starting to become very active and with the full moon  cycle and the changing weather I knew it was going to be a task to keep baits in the water long enough for the carp to find!

To combat the catfish, I planned to bait lightly and use bigger hook-baits in the hope that they would not be able to pick them up. On one rod I employed monster tiger nuts and on the second rod I rigged up with a snowman combination of a 20mm bottom bait and a 10mm pop-up (both from Dynamite Baits). Over the first few hours and into darkness it was  not looking good! I had landed two bullheads and had numerous pick-ups. I persisted and around 10pm the activity died off and I was able to recast and settle in for the night.

I was a somewhat surprised and a little disappointed that when I got up at first light I had not had any more activity. A few fish had rolled over my areas and I was sure I would get at least one chance. One thing I do make a habit of doing when night fishing is to get up at first light or just before and watch the water. If there are active fish in the area or elsewhere, this is a great time to see them and to make a move if required. It was while watching the water that the particle rod roared off just after 7am and a welcome visitor hit the net. I recognized the fish straight away as one I had caught earlier in the year that weighted around 18lbs and so I unhooked it in the net and slipped it back without weighing or photographing it as I was just happy to avoid a blank.

Around an hour later my second rod was away and a much stronger fish gave a very good account of itself. I was convinced I was attached to a much bigger fish, but after 10 minutes or so I had a very healthy and very angry male carp in the net. At first I was sure it was one I had caught at the start of the summer, but on checking pictures I was very happy it was a new fish of over 25lb’s and an absolute minter. I packed up very happy, knowing I would not be back on the lake for at least two weeks.

The next week was spent making bait and sorting out my tackle for a three day trip to the St. Lawrence River on the New York and Canadian border. I picked up another angler (Erik) and we made the 7 hour drive, very early in the morning. My first plan was to fish at  least two different areas, but on checking them out I was disappointed to learn my number one choice was no longer an option as the land had been purchased and access was no longer available. This meant we would fish the same area for the whole session, which would certainly give us a chance to catch some of the bigger fish (30lbs+).

A ‘small boat’ going by on the St. Lawrence

I had fished the river the previous year and was captivated by it’s beauty. It is a fantastic river system, massive in size but has everything you could possibly want. Bays, inlets, weedy swims, snaggy swims, areas you can fish from your car etc. I was also determined to land my first 30lb+ Common Carp from a US water as the previous year I had lost one at the net and also had a friend land one on my rods while I was occupied on a bathroom break!

On arrival we spent the day pre-baiting and setting up. I decided to use a boilie approach on two rods and then fish the other rod in the margins. The area was the same depth from the margins to around 100 yards (17 feet) as it had been dredged so that boat traffic could navigate it. There were no features to speak of, so it was a matter of getting some bait in the area and hoping the fish came in at some point. The first night produces six fish for Erik and just a couple for me, however, throughout the night I had watched and heard fish roll only 30 yards from the bank, which was a problem as I was fishing at 60 yards. With this in mind I fished at only 30 yards for the remainder of the session and also put in a few more kilo’s of bait into the swim during the second day.

Sundown on the first day

It was during the second day when I was helping Erik land carp after carp, with no real action myself that I finally had a run. It is easy to get frustrated and chop and change things when you are not catching and the person next to you is hauling, but I was confident in my methods and as I struck into the fish, I knew my patience had paid off. It put up a very good account of itself and spent around 15 minutes plodding around and staying deep. As it rose in the water I could see it was clearly a good fish, but didn’t want to jinx it. After a couple of attempts the fish went into the net and on carrying it up the rocks I knew for sure I had my long awaited 30lb common.

On the scales the fish took the dials around to 32lb 10oz and was a new Personal Best. Shots were done and the fish was released and although I wanted to catch a few more fish, I was very happy with the session as I had achieved the main goal of the trip. I could now concentrate on getting my baited area going and taking advantage of any fish that came into the area.

Over the next two nights my baiting strategy paid off and I had a further twenty fish or so, with some very nice back-up fish included. I was fortunate that the fish moved onto the bait, but I was able to keep them in the area due to my application of the bait. I had put in around 3 kilos of boilies before my first bite off the area but I had really scattered these around with the catapult, rather than baiting tightly. This forced the fish to keep searching the area and to aid with this I also put in an additional 100 or so baits after each fish. Secondly, I used the daytime (when the action was slow) to trickle another kilo or so into the area, knowing that any action I was to receive would most likely be at night. On a final not I also decided to use double 20mm hook-baits as I wanted to see if this method would pick up the bigger fish.  At the conclusion of the session, we had landed over 40 fish between us which wasn’t a bad result for the swim in question. I had also managed ten 20lb+ fish, with three upper 20’s topped by the 32. I don’t put this down solely to the bigger hook-bait’s but I am sure it was a big factor along with the boilie approach. In contrast, my particle rod had produce several fish, but non of these topped the twenty pound mark!

A solid upper twenty, with some unique scaling

Another solid mid twenty. The St. Lawrence is a fantastic river!

I returned from the trip refreshed and keen to resume the hunt for big mirrors. Over the last two weeks of September the temperatures continued to drop and the fall was definitely upon us. I managed a couple of sessions on one of my target waters which resulted in a couple of nice fish, but nothing big. I also received a surprise when fishing a new area! I’ll leave the details of this until next months blog.

Not exactly the size of mirror I was looking for, but a stunner non the less!

Until next time, Happy Hunting.

Dean Brookes

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Here’s a very interesting interview that should provide insight to anglers new and old.   Billy and Jamie are two very successful carp match anglers who also catch plenty of big carp when they are just fishing for fun.   KJ – Can you give me an insight into your… Read more

Here’s another article from the boys at Nash Tackle. Enjoy! JAMIE CLOSSICK             THE BIG CARP CONUNDRUM   I’ve started fishing a lake that’s new to me this year and despite my initial optimism, at the time of writing this article, it feels as if the venue has well and truly… Read more

Last month, we announced James Lancaster as the winner of our June Drawing for the JRC Framed Carryall. James was gracious enough to share a couple of pictures of his new Carryall in action. He also had this to share with us: Hey chaps Here are some pics of me… Read more

There are rarely any short cuts to consistently catching big carp… even here in the USA. However there are some basic rules that when followed will certainly increase your chances of success….   Rule #1 Fish where the fish are… An obvious statement perhaps but it’s one that is too… Read more