A Canadian Swim

Gear Report and some helpful links

Rod Bag and Float Box

Open Float Box

Float Box Detail

Here’s some more Asian style fishing gear.

The bag is 46” long and holds all my whips, rod holders and folding net. Its made of heavy nylon with a rubberized backing. I was hoping it would have some padding to protect the contents but it doesn’t. The long pocket on the front holds my float box.

The float box is made of bamboo and lined with some kind of foam rubber that’s cut away in intervals to reveal metal strips.  The floats are secured with the rubber collars you can see in the picture. The collars have magnets to hold to the metal strips. and the box is held shut with magnets as well.

For  anyone wanting to learn more about this style of fishing here are a couple of links.

This is an eight page pdf file from a Japanese bait company that explains the basics in English. There is plenty more information there,  so be sure to check out the rest of the site.

Thanks to a fellow member of the Carp Anglers Group for this link to an hour long video on hera fishing  from Shimano Japan.

Still Skiving off

Three grains of scopex pips and a piece of artificial maize on a simple hair rig.

Today's lonely carp.

I took another day off work again today (I could get used to this!) to do some more fishing. I only caught one carp but it was a nice 28 pound common,  so I can’t complain.

Tackle-wise I used my usual rig today,  a simple hair rig using twelve pound Maxima and a #4 Partridge F5 hook.  I use a Palomar knot to connect the swivel and the no-knot knot to connect the hook and make the hair.  A three ounce inline lead fished semi-fixed for the bolt effect.

More Gear

4.5m whip detail

Whip, 5.4m telescopic handled net and rod holder.

I received another box of goodies today from the mailman…

When I tried out my Asian whip as mentioned in my last post,  I realized that a long handled landing net would be a necessity to land a fish of any size.  As I had to order the net anyway,  I thought I might as well round out my Asian fishing gear with a rod holder and a second whip. I admit that I am powerless over fishing tackle – they say that’s the first step to recovery. 

I should be able to get out this weekend so look for a report that involves actual fishing soon, though it will most likely be about Euro-style carping.

The Loop Tier

I’m pretty sausage fingered when it comes to rig tying  so I’ll take any help I can get.  I got the idea to make this handy tool from fishforcarp.com check out the How to make a hair rig page for instructions on how to use it.  All you need to make my version is a paper clip and a piece of wooden dowel.

Asian Style Whip Fishing

Bag, folded whip and floats.

Detailed view.

Happy dolphin float detail.

Lately I’ve been getting interested in Asian style pole
fishing. It all started with a post on a carp fishing discussion board about the Asian carp threat to the great lakes. Eventually the conversation turned to possible fishing opportunities for these fish. Some claimed they would be uncatchable due to being filter feeders. Others argued that they were catch-able and a link to you-tube showed  a Japanese angler catching silver carp using a long thin float and some kind of paste bait.

Being an amateur float maker I was very interested in this new type of float. Over the winter I obtained some supplies,
including some carbon fibre for the antennas and tried my best to reproduce some of these floats. They turned out not-bad, but I wasn’t quite able to get them  as slim as the real deal. I need a lathe.

A few months later there was another post on the same board. this post highlighted the pole fishing equipment and
techniques used by some Korean anglers in Canada. After reading this I really caught the bug to try some of this type of fishing. A link was posted to an American supplier of this tackle, so after a few days wait I received a package in the mail with a 22′ telescopic whip and a couple of floats.

Unfortunately, I won’t get a chance to try them out ’till next weekend. I have to say, seeing the delicacy of the whip
(less than a millimetre in diameter at the tip), I’m a little leery of getting smashed up by a big carp. I’m going to have to try to think up a bullhead selective bait.

Umco Tackle Box

I don’t do much lure fishing anymore  but when I came across this old aluminum Umco tackle box I had to have it.  You’ve got to love the simple utilitarian styling.