Rainbow Trout Fishing 2-8-14 Tom Bass I Park

Hello readers. I'm working on catching up on my blog and I thought I'd start with this post. You'll start to see some that are out of order in terms of dates, but hopefully you'll enjoy reading the content.

You may or may not know that each year the Texas Parks and Wildlife stock rainbow trout in several park ponds across the state. You can find a list of the locations they're being stocked here. These fish don't last long in the ponds due to fishing pressure from people, other fish, and cormorants but are relatively easy. They also represent a new species to catch for me!

My buddy Greg and I decided to head to Tom Bass I Park to fish.  He'd been heading out there and having good luck the past week and offered to show me the ropes.  We decided to head out early, at get there at dusk.  Here's some of the specs on the weather that day:

Fishing Time: 7AM - 9AM
Temp: 41 degrees
Barometer: 30.22 rising
Wind: None
Bait: Berkeley Floating Trout Worm 3" Orange Peel 
Rod/Reel: Browning Superlite 4lb test Stren Mono
Presentation Method: Drop Shot

Greg was using a fly rod but rigged the trout worm to fish on the fly rod wacky style.  He recommended I work the trout worm slowly on a drop shot rig.  I started following his instructions while he started slaying them on the fly rod.  Meanwhile, I wasn't having much luck with the drop shot presentation.  After a few fish, Greg asked if I wanted to try the fly rod.  Having never fly fished, I thought why not.  He gave me a few tips and before I knew it I had my first trout, and it was on the fly!  I was pumped!

Combined we ended up catching 5 or 6.  Being stocked fish, they were pretty small.  But I had a lot of fun and accomplished something new in catching my first rainbow and my first fish on the fly.  I'm hooked!

First Rainbow and First Fish on the Fly!

2014 Wild Carp Club of Houston Introduction

 Introduction

OK people, so here is a secondary place to put information about the Wild Carp Club of Houston's 2014 season. The Wild Carp Club is a core group of dedicated carp anglers who practice the sport of catch and release carp fishing in Houston. First formed in 2012, we're heading into our third season with the mission to increase the popularity of carp fishing as a sport.

Schedule

We will hold several free fish-ins this year in two different formats. The first format is a learn and catch format, where we'll be fishing lakes that are known to be good producers of large quantities of fish. I will be prebaiting ahead of time for these sessions to increase our catch rate.  The focus of these sessions is to introduce new anglers to different methods of catching carp as well as some of the carp specific gear that is available today. 

The second format will be two overnight "sessions" from Friday evening to Sunday morning. These will be at locations further away from Houston where larger fish roam.  These camping/fishing sessions really allow the angler to test their skills of setting up a swim and attracting and keeping schools of feeding fish in front of them.  Not to mention the camaraderie and camping that goes along with it!

Lastly, the season will be broken up into two separate parts.  The first part from March to May and the second from August to October.  There will be one event each month on a Sunday with the exception of the over night events.  March, April, August, and September will be day sessions while May and October will be overnight sessions with hopefully cooler weather.

View the Wild Carp Club of Houston 2014 Schedule Here (click)

If you're interested in fishing a session, please confirm your attendance with me in advance so I can ensure adequate bank space by emailing me at nick@wildcarpcompanies.com.

Prizes

 There will be prizes to the anglers who catch the most weight each session, all season, and to those who break any of our club records.

View the 2014 Prize Schedule (click)

View our Club Records (click)

Rules

All anglers who come to fish with us are expected to follow the club rules.

View the Club Rules (click)

Pictures

Here's a slide show of some of our past catches, because who doesn't like pictures?

New Year's Resolution 2014

Hello everybody. Just a quick post after a few month break. I apologize I haven't provided anything interesting to read lately. I thought I'd share a few New Years Resolutions to kick things off in 2014. First of all, I'm going to do a better job of writing up my trips and posting other interesting things to this blog. I recently bought some new memory cards so my goal is to post more pictures and videos. Secondly, another fishing resolution is to fish more overnight trips this year. That may mean less day/short trips, which dominated my 2013. I find these trips to be hit or miss mainly. I usually catch, but not necessarily what I would consider "a lot." So those are my New Years Resolutions for 2014. Get ready to read more interesting reports and product reviews this year!

Petition Against Bowfishing Lake Fork: Bowfishing Rant!

If you've found this page, I'd like you all to visit and sign this petition to establish slot limits on the size of fish that a bowfisherman can take from Lake Fork. Lake Fork is the home of the Wild Carp Companies Texas 44, an endurance fishing tournament that promotes carp and smallmouth buffalo as sport fish. Entry fees this past year were $600 per team and the tournament sold out. Additionally, almost all anglers came in ahead of time and rented cabins, hotels, ate at restaurants, bought ice and snacks at gas stations, etc.

Not to mention I am staunchly against bowfishing as a sport except where true population control is deemed necessary by the state. The only species I can think of in this case would be the invasive Asian silver carp. To me, the senseless killing of any species of fish, whether it is classified as a "game" fish or a "rough" fish is inhumane and cruel. Texas law states you may not leave fish that can be used for bait or eaten on the bank, but does not provide a provision that these fish must be used for these purposes. In addition to being dumped at boat ramps, hundreds of fish are simply brought home and thrown in the woods, etc. It's a complete waste of our natural resources, and a waste of life. The argument is population control, but without scientific study this argument does not have any merit.

Again, if you feel the same way I do and want to start helping carp and buffalo gain the reputation they deserve as sport fish, please sign this petition

 

Fishing Log Template

I want to share a fishing log template I designed. A fishing log is a great way to track what works and what doesn't. As I play around with more and more rigs and baits, I can't remember what works and what doesn't. All I can say is lately I've been having a lot more of not working than working, and I'm determined to fix that trend. It could be worse, I'm getting the bites but not always catching the fish as I'm tinkering around with the rigs. It's time to document some of this so I can get it right and keep improving. So here's a log I developed, specifically for my needs. I make several notes on the page and print out a copy of the map where I'm fishing to mark specific locations. I had trouble finding a suitable template online, so I customized this one and hope it helps.

Blogger does not let you share files, so I had to post this file on Mediashare. CLICK THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE A screen shot hits the highlights.

The Ultimate Rig Guide for Carp Fishing

Recently I stumbled across this page while surfing the internet.  I think this is one of the most comprehensive rig guides I've seen yet and wanted to share.  I hope you agree.

How to Change the Hooks on a 5" Russelure

Russelure hooks were rusty after sitting in the off season

In getting ready for this year's offshore season, I was checking through my trolling lures and noticed some of the hooks were a little worse for wear with corrosion. I decided to change them out for some fresh new hooks. The front hook on the Russelure did not have a split ring and that threw me for a loop. Surely you can change out the hooks on this lure and it's not useless once the first hook corrodes! I sent an email to customer service at Russelure and Mike responded quickly to use a split ring. I went and bought some and got straight to work. Here's the steps I followed:

1. Clean up your Russelure and assemble all the tools you'll need. 

• 5" Russelure
• Mini Bolt Cutters
• Split Ring Pliers
• 3/0 4x Strong Short Shank O'Shaughnessy Trebles
• #6 Size Split Rings (50 lb rating) 

The tools you'll need to get started

. 

 

3/0 Short Shank O'Shaughnessy Trebles match the originals.  You can go bigger if you need to.

 2. Remove the old rusty hooks

Use split ring pliers to remove the rear hook.  Change the split ring also if its rusty!

 

Use the mini bolt cutters to remove the front hook

3. Install the new split rings and the new hooks

Use your split ring pliers to install the new split rings.  You'll add one to the front part of the lure where the old hook was and you may or may not replace the rear one based on its original condition.

The finished product ready to catch fish!

4. Get out and catch some fish! 

.

My first Jack Crevalle from the jet ski on a 5" silver Russelure!