The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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July 17, 2011

Carp fishing can be a battle

BY SAM VAN CAMP Commercial-News

DANVILLE — Most anglers would agree that pound for pound it is hard to beat a bluegill for shear fight, the smallmouth bass for shear acrobatics but it is hard to beat a big carp for plain downright power.

What is even better is that carp bite great during the summer and this week, I will guarantee you, it will be summer.

Warm water and carp fishing seem to go together and, if you want to have some fun, make up a dough ball and head out to a lake or river and spend an evening or early morning wrestling this monsters on a rod and reel. If you want to have some real sport, try them on an ultra-light outfit and see just how good you really are at landing a big fish.

You can brew up a nice yellow corn meal dough ball as I do or you can buy a dough ball already made up at many local vendors.

You can also make a dough ball by just taking a handful of Wheaties, get them wet in the water, and squeeze out the water. This makes a nice dough ball.

You can then add a flavoring such as vanilla to half your dough bass to see what the carp are wanting.

Carp around here can range anywhere from 10 to 30 pounds but if you get in to a big grass carp, 60 pounds is not out of the question. Carp can get larger than that but 5 to 20 pounds is average.

During this hot spell, take some time out and try to catch a big carp. The sport of fishing has a place for carp and this is a great time of the year to go after them.

Minnesota DNR was shut down

Have you ever wondered what would happen if our Department of Natural Resources shut down?

If you have been following the state of Minnesota like I have, you would know that this did happen and the situation was solved just a few days ago.

If you go to this Web site http://www.mndnr.gov/

shutdown.html you can see what happens when a DNR shuts down.

Heat warning

Be careful this week in the heat. I will be in a Louisville, Ky. in an air-conditioned hotel for the week so enjoy the heat.

I’ll be at the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club National Meet, and the more of these I attend, the more I realize that passing what a person like to do, down to their children and grandchildren, is an absolute must in this country to preserve tradition.

Most of the people who will attend this gathering will be between 50-70 years old; a gathering of older people no matter how you look at it. Many other clubs and organizations are going the same way with very little “new blood” being added.

If you love doing what ever you do; deer hunting, bass fishing, lure collecting, wood carving; whatever it is, take the time to share it with someone younger or the tradition may well die out.

With all the technology of today, will any of our children follow in our footsteps?

They might but you have to let them walk where you have walked; take them with you but let them decide if they like it.

Sam Van Camp writes about the outdoors on Fridays and Sundays. Call him at 662-6559. Fax: 446-6648. E-mail: pamnsam@

avenuebroadband.com

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