I have been through Carp and Sheridan many times. Carp has the best smallmouth fishing I have ever found for 4#+ smallies, and I have caught 20 1-2# smallmouth on 20 casts on Sheridan. These are great lakes for taking kids, because of the fast action and because a lot of the best fishing can be done from shore. Each of the last 5 trips I have taken have started with the first night at the same campsite. You can stand on the shoreline and catch 3-6+# smallies one after the other just a few yards from your tent. No bulls**t. The key is that the best fishing is from dusk to midnight or 1 A.M., so you can see the benefit of being on shore and near the tents when dealing with kids. If you (or anyone else) would like specifics on where/how to fish these areas, e-mail me at c_nylund@msn.com
A few tips: Take a few pokes above and below the portages in and out of Carp. Use a small, natural colored (black, brown, or green) jig. You will catch some smallmouth. Just be sure to stay out of the way of people using the portages, as they will get P.O.'d , and rightfully so. There is plenty of room to the sides, so either fish from your canoe or wade in up to your waist. Or better yet, go back to these places after 5:00 or so, after everyone has gone through.(Or at dusk, when the big fellas come in.) Just please release the big ones, as they take 10+ years to get that big. Take a picture, it'll last longer.

Posted by Pondo on May 07, 2002 at 12:56
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