streamerguy wrote:
FarmerDave wrote:
I told this story a few times on here, but it's been awhile. I once hooked into what I though would have been an Ohio state record largemouth bass on a fly. It sipped the cicada pattern on the surface. I landed what would have been state record grass carp had I kept it and entered it. It was a lot of fun. I rod, reel, and even the fly were all antique.
I checked the record books, and found at the time there was no entry for white amur, therefore, it was a state record.;-) But it was huge. I'd estimate about 40 lbs, and on 4X tippet, too. It measured about 5 inches longer than the 37" butt section of that old cane rod.
I was targeting large-mouth bass under the trees, but we all have targeted carp before. Admit it.
That sounds like a hoot.....and on 4x tippet!!! Neat story. Just goes to show that you can have fun catching big fish(regardless of species) without needing the latest Sage 22ZX7 Turbo Charge Graphite Switch.
Carp are definitely a fun fish on the fly. Got my first(and only) grass carp over the summer during the cicada hatch. Though I was actually targeting them :lol: Well, the regular carp.....the grass was a surprise. Wasn't quite as big as yours
What stinks is when I'm probing the runs for tailing carp on the local river and I spot a really good one, then I make the long cast, my fly drifts down, see some movement and feel some tension, set the hook.......and one of those rubber rainbows comes leaping out of the water :roll:
It was a hoot. I was all by myself, and nobody to hear me yell "FISH ON!" ;-)
To top that off, I had no backing on the reel.
Rod was a Shakespeare Spring Brook Bass weight. It's like casting with a 9 foot broom stick. 8 weight.
Reel was a Shakespeare automatic. Those must have been made before modern lines because it had no room for backing.
Fortunately the lake was shallow and I am tall, so I was able to follow the fish around. At times I was probably close to 100 yards from shore.
I probably fought it longer than I should have, but I really wanted that fly back.
I tried to tail it like a steelhead, but tail was so fat I couldn't get a good grip. I still was mostly dry from about the waste up to that point.
Landed it on a stump about a hundred feet from shore and removed the fly. Then I measured it against the rod and then sent it on it's way.
Lots of regular carp in that lake too. I've caught regular carp with that same rod and reel too, but not in open water like that.
Speaking of targeting carp.
A neighbor was fishing off of his dock with dough balls, and caught a large red belly paranha. That's no lie. I saw it my self and it was still alive in a bucket. I think it measured 14 inches.
Someone probably let it go from their aquarium, but how long does it take to get that big?
Did I mention I wet waded in that lake?
