03-31-2011, 06:23 AM
Hello Fishnovice,
I was reading your posts and thought I may be able to help a bit, especially if you don't mind carp.
Fly fishing is my true love, but I don't get much of an opportunity here in Vegas, or at least within my limited experiences I don't find lake mead to be that fly fishing friendly. So in between my monthly trout trip, I spend days fly fishing for carp at Floyd Lamb. I've been known to catch sunfish and bass there too, but I love catching up their monster carp.
Also I like to bring my boy and his friends there, cuz it's easy fishing and I can help them build confidence. A few years back I used the same tactics to catch up nice carp at mead as well... so here it is.
Simple... buy a couple of large cans of whole kernel corn from the grocery store. Find a likely looking spot close to one of the marinas and throw out a couple of handfuls of corn. Not too much and make sure you know exactly where they landed so you can later place a bait in that exact spot. I usually make a rock pile to mark the spot. Try to keep your chum pattern tight and not too broad. Also for carp don't throw too far out... I usually target the line you can see where the deep water meets the shallow.. usually 'bout 8 feet from the shore but it varies. Do at least 3 spots, more if you plan on fishing a while.
Wait a while, an hour should be good but sometimes it takes longer.
Then carolina rig a pole. I have always used 1/8 oz bullet sinkers. For bait string like 3 or 4 kernels of corn on a baitkeeper hook. Then cast it out right in the middle of your chum. If you don't get it right on then recast until you do. I typically put the rod in a rodholder, let the bait hit bottom, then tighten it a bit. After that I open the bail of the reel. Keep as good an eye on your line as you can. When a carp takes the bait it will swim out in a slow steady motion. Let it take some line, then close the bail and set the hook. Then hold onto you pants as carp fight hard.
After you hook/catch a fish in one spot, move to your next chum spot, and repeat. Once you have exhausted all your chum spots, start over. The reason is carp are a really spooky fish. Letting the chum spots rest between fish helps ensure a better hookup ratio.
I think if you do this you will catch at least one fish. Probably more.
A couple of variations... you don't have to open the bail... you can leave the bail closed on a semi-taut line and the fish will more often than not hook itself(I actually recommend this for beginners). You can also loosen your drag until it's almost nothing so that your reel acts like a baitrunner reel, but then you have to tighten the drag in the middle of a fight and I don't recommend this for a noob, no offense. You can also buy a baitrunner reel that has a switch to go between really loose and normal drag... but these are usually pricey and I don't own one myself.
This is the only fish I would ever claim to know anything about when it comes to Mead. I am as much a noob to other species on Mead as you my friend.
Also, my work has finally picked up so I won't have as much fishing time as I have had recently, but next time I go out without the kids I will send you a pm and you can go with me. There are many others with more knowledge of Lake Mead here than I, but I will gladly share what little knowledge I have.
Later,
Mark
ps. Make sure you drain your cans of corn in the water... you don't want all that nicely scented corn juice to waste away on the desert floor.
[signature]
I was reading your posts and thought I may be able to help a bit, especially if you don't mind carp.
Fly fishing is my true love, but I don't get much of an opportunity here in Vegas, or at least within my limited experiences I don't find lake mead to be that fly fishing friendly. So in between my monthly trout trip, I spend days fly fishing for carp at Floyd Lamb. I've been known to catch sunfish and bass there too, but I love catching up their monster carp.
Also I like to bring my boy and his friends there, cuz it's easy fishing and I can help them build confidence. A few years back I used the same tactics to catch up nice carp at mead as well... so here it is.
Simple... buy a couple of large cans of whole kernel corn from the grocery store. Find a likely looking spot close to one of the marinas and throw out a couple of handfuls of corn. Not too much and make sure you know exactly where they landed so you can later place a bait in that exact spot. I usually make a rock pile to mark the spot. Try to keep your chum pattern tight and not too broad. Also for carp don't throw too far out... I usually target the line you can see where the deep water meets the shallow.. usually 'bout 8 feet from the shore but it varies. Do at least 3 spots, more if you plan on fishing a while.
Wait a while, an hour should be good but sometimes it takes longer.
Then carolina rig a pole. I have always used 1/8 oz bullet sinkers. For bait string like 3 or 4 kernels of corn on a baitkeeper hook. Then cast it out right in the middle of your chum. If you don't get it right on then recast until you do. I typically put the rod in a rodholder, let the bait hit bottom, then tighten it a bit. After that I open the bail of the reel. Keep as good an eye on your line as you can. When a carp takes the bait it will swim out in a slow steady motion. Let it take some line, then close the bail and set the hook. Then hold onto you pants as carp fight hard.
After you hook/catch a fish in one spot, move to your next chum spot, and repeat. Once you have exhausted all your chum spots, start over. The reason is carp are a really spooky fish. Letting the chum spots rest between fish helps ensure a better hookup ratio.
I think if you do this you will catch at least one fish. Probably more.
A couple of variations... you don't have to open the bail... you can leave the bail closed on a semi-taut line and the fish will more often than not hook itself(I actually recommend this for beginners). You can also loosen your drag until it's almost nothing so that your reel acts like a baitrunner reel, but then you have to tighten the drag in the middle of a fight and I don't recommend this for a noob, no offense. You can also buy a baitrunner reel that has a switch to go between really loose and normal drag... but these are usually pricey and I don't own one myself.
This is the only fish I would ever claim to know anything about when it comes to Mead. I am as much a noob to other species on Mead as you my friend.
Also, my work has finally picked up so I won't have as much fishing time as I have had recently, but next time I go out without the kids I will send you a pm and you can go with me. There are many others with more knowledge of Lake Mead here than I, but I will gladly share what little knowledge I have.
Later,
Mark
ps. Make sure you drain your cans of corn in the water... you don't want all that nicely scented corn juice to waste away on the desert floor.
[signature]