The Ugly Sisters — Carp, Catfish & Gar

R. J. Doyle (left) with a channel catfish & Lea Lawrence with carp
photos courtesy Dave Richey

“The ugly sisters” is a derogatory term often used to describe three of Michigan’s homelier rough fish, but it isn’t exactly an accurate description of the carp, catfish and long-nose gar. These fish are found in many state waters, and although they may be uglier than a junkyard dog, they offer great possibilities for summer anglers.

Of the three, only the catfish has a strong following, small as it may be. The catfish, especially channel cats, are fun to catch and provide tasty eating when served up with side dishes of French fries and cole slaw, and perhaps some baked beans as another side dish. The others offer less than tasty table fare during summer months, although the carp can be good, when smoked over hardwood coals.

Channel cats favor clean water, and many inland lakes and the Great Lakes offer an untapped potential for rod-bending excitement. I’ve had countless fun days catching those be-whiskered fish off Oscoda’s piers on Lake Huron, and in scattered inland lakes.

Channel cats can be caught by still-fishing or trolling

June and July are the best months for channel catfish, and the ones I’ve taken inhaled night crawlers rolled along the river bottom in the same manner that steelhead anglers use. The strike is light, but steady and the resulting fight will elevate an angler’s opinion of catfish. These catfish often hit lures trolled for walleyes.

Carp – now there’s a fish anglers can have fun with. They grow to huge sizes, are found in most shallow Great Lakes bays and inland lakes, and they bite readily if you fish with light tackle. They are sensitive to any resistance from a heavy sinker dragging along bottom, and the folks that consistently score use four- or six- pound mono, little or no weight and a small baited hook.

Every carp fisherman has his favorite bait, but mine include immature ovaries from tiny bluegills; night crawlers, or a dough ball made of oatmeal, molasses and one egg. Enough dough balls can be made from six ounces each of flour and molasses to last a fisherman all summer.

The bait must be fished right on bottom, and be sure the drag is loose until after the carp swims 20 or 30 feet with the bait.

Set the hook after this short run, and be prepared for a lengthy battle with plenty of splashing water. My brother once hooked a 25-pound carp on six-pound line, and he fought the fish for 75 minutes before it was landed.

Run the line through a one-eighth-ounce egg sinker, and tie in a small barrel swivel. Tie on a No, 8 or 10 bronze hook. Loosen the drag, cast the bait out and run a loop of line partway under a rubber-band on the rod handle.  Keep the reel bait open so the fish can take out line without resistance.

A big carp on light line can wear out a fisherman

Keep the line tight, and if a carp picks up the bait, the lightest tug on the line will pull the line out from under the rubber band. Let the fish take 20-30 feet of line, turn the spinning reel handle to allow the pick-up bait to close and the fish to swim off without tension on the line.

Set the hook by taking up slack line, but keep the drag fairly loose.

Some anglers wade the rocky shoals of Grand Traverse Bay with a fly rod, and cast small dark nymph patterns just ahead and to one side of cruising carp. If the fish takes the fly, be prepared for 40-60 minutes of chasing a big fish through shallow water before it can be landed on an 9-foot tapered leader with a four-pound tippet.

These fish aren’t hooked often but can  produce a good fight

Long-nose gar, or garpike as they are often called are present in many inland lakes. I used to catch them on small shiners while fishing for crappies and perch in small lakes, and I’ve taken a number while trolling cowbells and minnows for trout in inland lakes.

Casting and retrieving a 9-inch plastic worm also works at times. These fish are hard to hook, and anglers should be careful with the saw-tooth teeth when trying to unhook them. Long-nose pliers work best.

The carp, catfish and gar-pike are disgustingly sorry looking, but they are plentiful in state waters and can add spice to a weekend fishing trip.

Good looking they aren’t but good fishing they offer, and any angler that scraps with one of these ugly beauties can count on a memorable fight.

Firearms and common sense go together

Chuck Lunn with two snowies taken on a hunt. He didn’t shoot me.

Outdoor writing has been my personal livelihood  for 44 years. One would think over that period of time that I’d seen everything in the outdoors.

Today’s newspaper carried a short blurb. A deer hunter did something foolish, and managed to shoot and kill himself. It makes me wonder what’s wrong with people.

I have probably written at least 100 stories, and perhaps more, about the many ways in which Michigan hunters have managed to kill or wound themselves or others over the years. You’d think after awhile people would quit taking idiotic chances. Quit thinking that hunting accidents only happen to other people, but I learned differently about 20 years ago.

Accidents can and do happen, but are usually the result of poor judgment.

Today’s account of yesterday’s fatality detailed how the unlucky hunter had climbed into his tree stand, and was in the process of pulling his loaded rifle into the tree. No one knows for sure  exactly what caused this tragedy, but the barrel was pointing up when it went off. The bullet from his rifle killed him, and the police are supposedly investigating the accident.

If anyone out there is hunting from a tree stand or any other elevated platform, for God’s sake, don’t load the firearm ahead of time. Even an unloaded rifle, muzzleloader or shotgun should be raised into the stand butt-first. Use a stout rope, tied a firm knot around the firearm, and don’t load the silly thing until you have it in the blind.

A loaded firearm can catch the trigger on a twig on the way up, and boom, it blows off half your face. Or the shot goes off, and hits you in various parts of your body. I used to investigate such stories for The Detroit News as part of my job, and some of the ways people injure or kill themselves would amaze most sportsmen who have more than a little bit of common sense.

Here are a few examples, including one that happened to me.

One guy stopped to fire up a smoke while hunting. He stopped walking, rested the muzzle of his shotgun on one foot while lighting up, and the shotgun went off, blew away his toes and part of his foot. Now there is another reason to stop smoking. Now the guy hobbles around.

Two guys hunting together paused to have lunch. They met, leaned their loaded deer rifles against a tree, and started going through their brown-bag lunch. One guy accidentally bumped a rifle, it fell to the frozen ground, went off, and the survivor had to break the bad news to the other man’s wife about how an accident killed his best friend.

Another nimrod was duck hunting from a boat. He and his friend built a framework of wood and chicken wire around around the boat. They cut cattails, wove them into the wire, and went hunting. They saw some ducks coming, one man stuck the muzzle of his 3-inch 12 gauge through the wire to shoot. The ducks swerved, he pulled back on the shotgun stock, but the front bead was caught on the wire. So he reaches through the wire with a couple of fingers, and pushed the barrel backwards while pulling the stock back with the safety off and his finger on the trigger. They now call him Stubby after shooting off two fingers.

I was shot in the hand and wrist by a snowshoe hare hunter in my party who had become lost, and was firing three-shot bursts from his 12 gauge, as I went back to get him. He was firing wildly in a panic, and just as I found him, he shot in my direction. Many pellets him me but didn’t penetrate my Hunter Orange shooting coat, but some pellets did go into one gloved hand.

Take no chances, think before shooting, identify your target, and use caution.

These accidents occur because some people don’t pay attention, use very poor judgment, have little or no common sense, and seem willing to take chances while hunting. There were no firearm fatalities last year, but we’ve already had our first in 2010. One death is one too many.

Engage brain before picking up and using any firearm. The life you save could be your own.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors