The winter has been particularly long and hard this year, you will agree. Spring was longer than usual, and as was the case two years ago, Quebec is still experiencing the worst flooding in its history, especially in the Montreal area, a sad reality of climate change.
My favourite playground, the St. Lawrence River, is warming up very slowly this year. Around Montreal, its temperature is 6°C on May 5, 2019. So we have to look for calm, shallow areas, such as bays, channels between islands, small rivers that flow into the river and land flooded by the spring freshet.
Despite the water temperature, my first two sessions this spring 2019 (May 4 and 5) were exceptional! I had the chance to catch 33 carp of all imaginable sizes in 14 hours of fishing in total! The carps were not the most vigorous considering the temperature of the water, but they were definitely feeding with appetite.
On the technical side, I used my favorite rig, the Trigger rig, with a Gardner Mugga #4 hook and a small diameter yellow pop-up Pineapple (a year-round classic), an 80 g lead feeder and my favorite method mix (packbait) made of oats and corn, with a fruity aroma.
In the spring, even if you don’t fish as much, take the time to scout. Use Google Maps, Navionics, and monitor stream temperatures. For the St. Lawrence River, the site below can be very useful. Observe the jumps, eddies and movement through the reeds. Use polarized lenses to spot carp basking in the sun.
No matter the size, they’re all fun to take!
Have a nice spring!
Steve