Is it just us, or did September absolutely fly by? It’s crazy to think that in just over a week many of our members will be coming together with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving. In only a few weeks, many of our members will begin to see those first dreaded snowflakes… but let’s stop speaking of such misery and instead talk about what exciting things are to come this month and beyond!
FALL SSF – A FINAL ASSAULT FOR 2024
For many, this SSF will be their final campaign of the 2024 season. It all kicks off starting October 5th and runs until the 14th. Over those ten days, anything could happen. A change in conditions, which is bound to happen this time of year, could completely shut off one swim and ignite another, propelling one angler or team to victory even in the 11th hour. It’s shaping up to be an exciting one, and we are stoked to see more teams and solo anglers signing up at the last minute for this event. Best of luck to all of the competitors.
MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-IN
From our Mental Health Ambassador, Kevin Girolametto:
October is a crucial time to focus on mental health, with two major events helping to raise awareness and promote well-being.
Mental Illness Awareness Week runs from October 6-12, 2024, organized by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH). This initiative highlights the importance of understanding mental illness and ensuring access to the right services for those in need. During this week, communities across Canada will host events, providing education and support to break down stigma.
On October 10, we mark World Mental Health Day, with the 2024 theme likely focusing on either mental health in the workplace or youth mental health. Events like mental health walks, virtual talks, and social media campaigns will help open up conversations and offer tools to manage mental health challenges.
Remember, activities like fishing can be a great way to improve mental health. Spending time in nature, disconnecting from daily stress, and practicing mindfulness while fishing can have a calming and therapeutic effect. If you know someone struggling, consider bringing them fishing. Sometimes, that simple act can make all the difference.
You heard the man, get out there and take someone with you!
STIRRINGS IN THE WEST
Have you seen what is going down out West? No, we aren’t talking about the impending misery that winter will bring in a few short weeks. Rather, we are speaking of the incredible work being done by our West Manager, Anthony Russell in association with G&S Marina Outfitters. Anthony has been busily running his new guiding outfit and has had some very respected anglers and TV personalities out as of recently. Guests such as Al Linder and Wes David have made recent appearances and have brought along media and videography teams in order to showcase the amazing experiences they had when out fishing on Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. With prestigious names such as these helping to promote carp as a sport fish and shining a more positive light on them as a species, this could help to change attitudes and even help change legislation to allow for more opportunities for our prairie carp angling communities, such as multi-line licensing. Big ups to Anthony and the G&S Marina Outfitters team for making all of this possible and being the amazing ambassadors that they are. Good show, chaps!
CCS STORE – LOADS OF NEW MERCH
As a member did you know you had access to exclusive CCS products? Our main man Wayne Smith has been busy at HQ designing and sourcing new swag and CCS paraphernalia for you to don with pride. New clothing, stickers and mugs are now available in the store awaiting purchase! Happy shopping.
THE SOCIAL – A RECAP
The CCS Social 2024 was a great success. As in previous years our members met up for a few days on the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence River. This year’s location was Hoople Island, a lovely venue that offered varied challenges and opportunities to get the lines out. While some chose to walk out and place their rigs, others took to the boats and some cast to the horizon. With lines set our members joined together and shared stories, ideas and good food. Action started very quickly this year for our newer members Fred and Jonathan only three hours after peg draw and immediately everyone shared a sense of excitement that carried right through to the end. All attending members received grab bags of carpy items including a fantastic new CCS mug, Monster carp hooks, stickers and more. Even more great prizes were handed out during the prize draw on Monday. Amazing tackle and bait packs, giftcards, and even a guided trip for two in Quebec! Everyone gained something new before settling in at our social BBQ. While the burgers flew off the grill, the sausages had a harder time finding mouths to fill despite loud repetitive persuasion. I guess you had to be there to see how funny that was. During the duration of the event we tried something new, a contest. Prizes (yes even more prizes, it’s crazy) were to be given out to anglers that caught First, Biggest, and Most fish. New member and newer to Carping Fred Tyson kicked things off with the first fish of the social. The race for most fish was a battle, at one point even reaching a four way tie. In the end, Jeff Christian was able to secure the most fish title. Tyler Andrews through his efforts in the kayak managed to secure the biggest fish of the event with a respectable 24.8 lb common in the hours of darkness. Congratulations to our contest winners, we hope to run this game again at social 2025!
A big shout to all attendees for several key points. The level of teamwork and camaraderie were absolutely brilliant ,thank you. Our Leave no trace initiative was well practiced, thank you. The positivity and encouragement towards our fellow members was truly inspiring, thank you.
A big thanks to our Director/founder Wayne Smith for his organization of the event yet again and to all others that aided in setup and keeping things running smoothly.
With Social 2024 now in the books we look forward to planning for 2025. We welcome ideas and suggestions to help make these events the best they can be, please reach out and let us know what ideas you may want to share. If you have not been to one of our socials, please have a look at the Canadian Carp Society YouTube channel and look back on our social films. We are sure they will help you make the decision to grab up a ticket for the next one.
FALL CARPING IN COMFORT TIPS
This time of year can provide some of the most fruitful and memorable sessions you will ever partake in. However, it can also be incredibly trying at times and leave one feeling incredibly frustrated when that wind shifts and the fish seem to vanish. At this time of year, conditions can really make a world of difference as to whether or not a session will yield fish or leave you skunked for hours on end. Keep an eye on the conditions and consider fishing banks that face a warm south/west wind and have shelter from the bitter cold north/east winds. This coupled with being attentive of the solunar calendar can most certainly help you dial in those bite windows. Prefeeding swims for multiple days ahead of time (as per usual) will also help keep the fish visiting/remaining in said swim in search of food for extended periods of time. As natural food is now beginning to dwindle, there is a better chance that they are going to become more interested in your free offerings. Stay confident with rigs that have caught you fish in sessions past and do NOT neglect the margins, as the cooler nights and mornings are most certainly going to make these shallower areas points of interest for hungry fall carp.
Additionally, be sure to pack those additional layers for the cooler nights and mornings ahead. Although we can still reach some relatively pleasant daytime highs, those evenings can definitely get brisk and with a wind suddenly rolling in, you might find the temperature swings very challenging to endure. Warm sweaters coupled with a good fall/winter waterproof jacket though bulky, can definitely help you stay comfortable when sitting dormant awaiting that bite.
BENEFITS: RECAST FISHING LURES
We have touted these products previously, but with many of our members purchasing and offering their feedback, it’s clear that for multispecies anglers in our community, these are not products you should pass up! ReCast Fishing have cast their aspirations far beyond the shores. Their mission is to revolutionize the fishing industry by crafting high-quality fishing lures made exclusively from 100% recycled ocean plastics. ReCast believes in creating a positive impact on the environment while delivering top-notch fishing gear to enthusiasts worldwide. You can’t go wrong with a firetiger or perch pattern jerk bait for cold water pike… just saying! Twitch, pause, twitch, twitch… BANG! Check them out, and while you’re at it, enjoy 10% off for being a CCS member!
ANGLER OF THE YEAR – COMING TO A CLOSE
For many of us, these next couple of weeks will spell the end of our season. What a year it has been as well. Some incredible fish have come out this year and one look at the URC is all that is needed to confirm that statement! With that being said, there is still time to leave a lasting impression on the community with stories of grandeur, mind boggling captures, and tales of helping introduce others to this incredible sport. Be sure to post those victories, big or small and keep your eyes out on the newsfeed on the site. Soon, we will be casting our votes for the Beastmaster, The Most Improved, The Hardcore Angler, The Mentor and of course our Angler of the Year award. Perhaps a consideration for Hardcore Angler could go to those who travel insane distances in search of glory. Perhaps some of our Albertan members, who unfortunately find themselves in a province devoid of our beloved common carp? Anglers like our friend John O’Connor, who drives several hours to do twelve days on the bank in another province… that’s dedication and worthy of its flowers. Get posting and get talking about who deserves to be recognized for their fantastic feats and achievements.
AND FINALLY
The farmers almanac is predicting a colder winter this year than we had last year… which sucks, but hey that’s Canada for you! We hope that this newsletter has found you all well, and that with the time you have remaining in this season that you are able to get out there and put together some incredible final campaigns. Go out with a bang friends, what do you have to lose?
#theccs