and blanking is better?

yes, blanking is far better then catching a bunch of sub 15lb fish...if I go to a new lake and I catch small fish right off the bat I consider it a failure and waste of time and would never fish the lake again.

I look at it this way, if I am going to load my gear and drive over 100 miles and catch only 1 sub 15 lb fish at least I caught something and the trip was not a complete loss, I am new at carping so I am a bit narrow minded when it comes down to what a productive day is and a non productive day.

If I drove 100 miles and caught 20 fish under 15lbs I would never fish that lake again...if I drove 100 miles and blanked I would be planning my next trip before I even got home.

Im with you, id rather catch something on the end of the line then just sit and catch nothing. I have been out with jesse twice and once by myself and have yet to even get a run yet. Im used to fishing in iowa in the cedar river catching carp after carp no matter what you throw out to them. Catching one every 10 minutes is better then catching one every 20 hours lol. We caught a lot of sub 15s but on ocassion catch one bigger. But with the current and fighting the fish they all seemed bigger then 15lb lol. Going out again today and test out the new pod and alarms at w/r and see what happens
Mark

Lonestarcarper
Im that way with catfish, Im always wanting the huge catfish then a bunch of little ones. Dont know why but with carp im just out for fun, If i want to get serious then i go after bass/crappie and catfish.
Mark

hey mark, it is very tough at WR lately, water is just too cold right now, I was there yesterday and did not get a single beep, but good luck out there anyway and tight lines.

I showed up around 230 and fished with jesse till about 5 and we both left. Not a beep for us either but gonna try another spot today jesse had some luck at last week while it was cold. getting ready to head out that way now
mark

It all depends what you're looking for. If you have your gear and bait in order and you're fishing a good spot (i.e. you're not the direct cause of your blank ) , blanking can be a great sign. It might mean there are few fish in your location and because of that very same reason the carp could be of better size.

I'm going back to Lioness in two weeks risking a blank as I'll be fishing the coldest month of the year, but the chance of hooking into a fatty on top weight makes it worth it for me.

If I'd be a starting carper however I'd focus on lakes with smaller but more fish in order to be able to learn as much as possible. After a considerable number of smaller fish I'd move on to more difficult waters. Blanking in the beginning can be rather demotivating.

Chit!!..some guys actualy agree with me on something!!
How did that happen lol

So your saying is that catching crappy and big kitty are more diificult than carp
Yes bc your catching small carp..big carp is much more difficult...but THATS THE FUN!!

Nope not saying that at all. Crappie are for the table as well as catfish to a certain size. To me carp fishing is for the fun of the fight and also tyrying to learn a new way of catching them besides just using sweet corn or worms.

I think some guys are getting a little confused here, if your going to make a trip out of it, why target small fish? You might as well plan on going for a pb or larger fish than what you normally catch. Most of us can drive 5-10 minutes away and catch 100 small carp, who wants to drive 100 miles to do the same? I sure as hell don't. Unfortunately most of us can't target larger fish outside the metroplex as often as we would like bc of work schedules and family ties, but when given the chance it's all about going after the big ones like on Travis and LBL. Most of the fishing around here is for comradery rather than big fish, I couldn't imagine 10 guys lined up at reading or secret lol... Just keep in mind what zach and everyone else says abou blanking, it's not always a bad thing, and right now pretty much everyone is blanking even in the metroplex.

another thing to remember is the spawn is gonna happen soon, and on a few lakes it happens faster than others, so when that occurs the fish arnt intrested in ur bait. but after it they will be looking for food.

Come on chris the spawn is many months away..what youve seen with those carp from jesse is just winterfat