First Carp
In early August I began my journey into carp fishing. My local fishing spot is over fished and I rarely catch anything other than sunnies. However, when I am there I always see a whole bunch of carp lazily swimming around - so it was time to turn my hand to carp.
Over the first couple of weeks I tried different times of day, but always used corn for bait. I was seeing more fish feeding around dusk so mostly fished between 5-8 pm. I hooked one fish, but it snapped the line 2 foot from the bank. The fight for that fish was amazing and made me more determined to catch one of these monsters.
With night time coming earlier and earlier I turned my hand to early morning fishing. On this day I arrived at my usual spot and baited the area with corn. Within minutes of dropping my line in BANG! my reel screamed off. I jumped up and panicked as I've never seen line peel of a reel so quickly. I tightened my drag and started the long process of bringing it in. However, Seeley's pond is only small and the fish found refuge in the weeds. My line broke and I was left excited, but disappointed.
As I sat on the bank thinking how to strengthen my rig my second rod exploded. This time I was more prepared and did what I could to keep the fish from tangling in the margins. Eventually I landed the fish in my inadequate net and got the hook out. I'm guessing the fish weighed around 10 lbs, but I had no way of weighing it.
Overall the few weeks targeting these big fish was fun and exciting, but the experience of feeling the fight of this fresh water fish from a small pond was amazing. Now I will try bigger lakes, but first I will need to buy more equipment to handle these bigger fish.
Thanks for the welcome mab!
I'm really excited about catching more carp and when I do I'll post it on here...
congrats.... as I read your story it brought me back to last year, when I too started my journey to carp fishing... I had been a bass fisherman my entire life, even did a few pro tournys... I learned a lot from online carpers and bought all the carp gear I could afford. Well... my first 6 times out I got skunked... and I kept seeing carp every time out.... then finally I hooked and landed one... What an amazing battle this fish puts up... nothing like it in fresh water that I have experienced. It is one smart fish and tough to catch... but I had some amazing days out that I will never forget. My PB is only 17.5 pounds and my goal is to land one 25 or more. But once you land a few you are hooked for life... a real sportsfiish.. again... congrats and welcome to the world of carping....