Author: Dean Brookes

St Lawrence Revisited

November 19, 2016

The stunning background of the St Lawrence River

It’s often said, ‘you should never go back’ but in the case of the St Lawrence River it had been a long 4 years since I had last walked it’s banks. I first visited this magnificent river system in 2011 and fished several swims over 3 days, searching for fish and all in all having a wonderful experience. If you’ve never fished the St Lawrence let me highlight a few things that make it so special.

First off, it’s around 740 miles long and in several of the sections is around 1-1.5 miles across. It’s referred to as the ‘St Lawrence River Seaway’ because on a daily basis you will see ships and tankers making their way up and down the river. The sheer size of the water may intimidate some, but it’s one of the beautiful aspects of the water. Secondly, along both the American and Canadian sides you have all manner of stretches; fast flowing shallow sections, deep dredged areas, inlets, bays and islands galore. The real challenge is choosing an area to fish. Third, the bank access is very good, if you do some research or even better, talk to the locals who are more than happy to share their river. Last but not least, the carp! Like all fishing, it can be hard at times but with big shoals of carp roaming the river the action can be thick and fast if you manage to locate them. The average size may be 15-25lb’s, but 30lb fish are common and there have been fish caught to over 50lb. Whatever the size, one thing I can guarantee is that they all fight very, very hard and will put your tackle to the test.

A nice ‘muddler’ to start

Back to my story; after my 2011 visit I was eager to get back the following year and when I did I had another great session with plenty of good fish and my first 30lb+ common from America. Again, I vowed to be back, but with work and also a big fish obsession on my local rivers I kept putting it off. Fast forward to this year and with my wife working and knowing that the first weekend of September would be my last one free until the middle of November I decided to hit the road.

Bait was order, particles were prepared, the car was packed and I also loaded my dog Lily to accompany me on the long 350 miles drive up to the Canadian border and the town of Ogdensburg. As alway’s the ride to the start a fishing trip is much easier than the one home, and with only one stop to walk the dog I made it up to the river in only 6 hours. My plan was to pre-bait one area where I thought the fish would be and then go and fish the next 24-36 hours in two other spots. If the first swims were successful I could always stay put, but it never hurts to have a back-up plan or two. I liberally baiting with around 3-4kg of boilies over one spot and around 2 gallons of mixed particles and tiger nuts over another spot and then made the short drive to the first spot I would fish.

This first spot was one that was alive with fish on my first visit but was a challenge to fish as the margins were strewn with the remains of an old dock! Due to this reason, I attached a good 25 feet of 30lb mono leader onto my reels and also upper the strength of all my other tackle. I set-up camp and put out some bait and sat back to wait for some signs of carp. Unfortunately, over the next 5 hours I didn’t see one sign of fish. Due to this I decided to move several hundred yards to the edge of the fishable area to see if the carp were hanging out in the slightly deeper water. Again, nothing occurred, apart from a fat channel cat.

I decided to stay put until the next morning at which point I would move, unless the fish turned up. It was a relatively quite night, until 3am when one of the rods screamed off and I was attached to a carp at last. Knowing the snags were a factor I wanted to let the fish run a bit and then let it tire itself out, before dealing with it in the margins; however the fish had other ideas. It kited to the right and swam straight to shore. It knew exactly where the snags were and even though I kept up with it and moved down the bank it inevitable found sanctuary! I was gutted, but realized this swim would be very hard to fish on my own as a second person with the net is really needed so you can stay high on the bank and keep pressure on the fish. I quickly packed away all of my gear, even though it was 3.15am and made the drive back to my pre-baited area.

Once I arrived I took my time to set-up again and baited one rod at a time. The area in question is fairly uniform in depth with the margins being as deep as the water 100 yards out, due to it being dredged to allow boats to run through. I put out my first rod in a margin spot about 3 rod lengths out from the bank and threw 3 or 4 handfuls of tiger nuts over the top. I would then put my other 2 rods over the area baited with boilies. I was quite surprised when only 10 minutes later the margin rod tore off and after a 5 minute fight I had my first fish on the mat which was joined 5 minutes later by another nice fish from one of the boilie rods.

Long hard fighting commons is what the St Lawrence is known for

It was obvious I had fish in the area and they had been feeding on my bait. Over the next couple of hours until daylight broke I had another 3 fish, all falling to my marginal tiger nut rod. Rather than heavily bait again, I went with a baiting approach I often use; fish for one fish at a time and then re-bait. This consisted of a few handfuls of tigers, 30-40 soluble boilies and 5-6 spods of hemp and cracked corn.

It was interesting to note that out of the first dozen fish only one of them fell to the boilie rods. In fact I may as well have been fishing with one rod! A rethink on how to fish the other two rods was required as I really wanted to have 3 productive spots. I could have been swayed by my results on boilies in the past, but it was obvious that tiger nuts and particles were more effective on this session, most likely due to the water temperatures which were still over 70 degrees. In warm water it really is hard to beat tiger nuts and having retained one decent fish for 30 minutes in the sling it was easy to see that they were loving them too; the sling was covered in crushed tiger nuts that the carp was expelling. I also noticed as the session went on that several of the carp were also excreting zebra muscles which may explain their love of crunchy food.

A chunky early morning common was a welcome visitor

Back to my spots. When I last fished the swim the depths were 17 feet from the margins to over 100 yards but on casting this did not appear to be the case 4 years on. The margins were still 15 feet deep (a lack of rainfall had the river down 2-3 feet) but once you got 30 yards out the depths were only 10 feet or so! What had changed? After speaking to a local angler, I discovered the area had not been dredged for the last 4 years which was creating a build up of silt and sand from the nearby connecting smaller river. I’m not sure if this was the reason the fish were more comfortable in the margins but the activity was definitely greater.

I moved on of my boilie rods off the baited area and placed it in a second margin spot, again only 3-4 rod lengths out. My margin spots were well spread apart so in effect I was fishing two separate areas. Both spots were fed with tiger nuts and particles. I kept my boilie spot going and even though the action was lacking I regularly put 50-100 baits over the spot in the hope that when the carp did feed on this spot I would attract a few bigger specimens.

During my second day the action was steady with runs coming every hour or so. My second margin spot began to produce and by early evening I was up to around 15 carp in total with a few over the 25lb mark. The great thing about the St Lawrence fish is that for the most part they are in immaculate condition. Most likely the vast majority have never seen the bank and they certainly put a fight up to avoid the net. I wasn’t the only one having fun either. My dog, Lily was loving the action and would either howl at me from a distance when I was playing a fish or if able, swim out and try and land the carp herself. I’m not sure she’s the ideal carping dog, but she certainly keeps it interesting.

My dog Lily loves the water and she also loves to bark!

Towards the end of the day one of the local anglers, Tim, came down to chat and as the action continued helped me net a few fish and also landed one himself when I had a double take. The local anglers and the people in general are very friendly and helpful and really embrace visitors to their area. I chatted to time past midnight and as I had slept only 3 hours the previous night I decided to turn in. The carp had other ideas though as the boilie area finally sprang to life, along with the margin rods also steadily producing.

The boilies finally started to produce some better fish

I moved my chair and sleeping bag next to the rods but didn’t really get more than 10 minutes rest at a time as I had around 15 carp before dawn finally came. The best part was the fish weights went up with the last 7 or 8 fish all being between 23-29lb’s. No thirties but I really wasn’t complaining. Finally, as the sun came up I took a few shots of the better fish and started to pack up slowly. I had another 24 hours fishing scheduled but with no sleep and work to do at home I was happy to leave early. No doubt I would have continued to catch and may even have got through to bigger fish, but I was happy with the session and I always like to leave something for next time.

Overall, my results were pretty good considering the water temperatures were still pretty high. I much prefer Fall conditions when the fish really start to feed, but by finding some fish and maximizing the area I had been able to catch fish regularly. I don’t keep meticulous records anymore, as I prefer to enjoy the ride now and not get hung up in numbers, but I would guess I had around 35 carp or so with around half of these being over 20lbs and 6 or 7 over the 25lb mark. All in all, well worth the 700 mile round trip.

A cracking two tone common was the highlight of the trip

If you’ve never been to the St Lawrence, I can’t recommend it enough. If you have visited, you no doubt are keen to get back. For myself, I’ll be hoping to get back in a few months and maybe next year I can get across the border to the Canadian side for a real adventure.

Surface Fishing with Pellets

by Dean Brookes

August 16, 2016

With the summer heat and humidity in full swing at the moment I find myself much preferring short sessions or night fishing. As I’m originally from the North of England I am not a lover of the sun, in fact I prefer the winter, which might sound strange but then again I’ve been called much worse over the years!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to nip out for a few hours in the middle of the day. The weather was 92 degrees and very humid so it was not exactly good conditions to catch carp in. However, I headed for a very shallow section of the Blackstone Canal and the plan was to either walk around and stalk a few fish or drift some small floating pellets across the canal and get the carp feeding on the surface.

Now many of you I am sure have used bread; either floating or sinking to stalk and catch carp. I also utilize this method and have caught carp to over 40lbs doing exactly this as it’s a great technique to catch carp that are cruising or feeding in small groups. I’m sure some of you have even used dog or cat biscuits to catch carp off the surface, but I’d bet very few of you have ever used floating pellets.

A Yellow Koi carp that couldn’t resist floating pellets

Why use pellets? I have to go back to the early 1990’s when I was happily catching carp on bolt rigs and boilies. I was visiting ‘The Anglers Workshop’, which is owned by Kev Baines, who builds rods and generally gives out sage advice. He is also well known for telling you where you are going wrong! In this case, he was asking why myself and my fishing partner were wasting our time sitting behind rods. He then proceeded to show us a large bag of floating trout pellets and over the next few hours described how they were best employed. Fast forward to the following week where I saw first hand exactly how effective they can be in the right situation. Let me explain.

Pellet Choice

Originally I was using floating trout pellets, approximately 4mm in diameter. However, I have used various sizes over the years to see if their effectiveness differs. I have found that if you use solely larger sizes (8mm+) the carp will feed very similar to how they do with mixer biscuits; they will come up for one or two baits and then drop back down to cruise around. With the inclusion of 4mm and smaller pellets the carp eventually come to the surface and then stay on the surface! They basically swim around with their backs and mouths out of the water, sucking in the pellets.

A dog biscuit caught carp, before I discovered floating pellets

I would be quite happy to fish with trout pellets, but I have found a much better and cheaper pellet that is easily ordered from a grain or feed store. There may be other makes but my own personal choice is Purina Aqua Chow Pellets. They are available in sizes from 200 to 800 and I generally order two sizes and then mix them up. Price wise they usually retail for $30-40 for a 25lb bag. In a typical 2-4 hour session I will use around 2-3 gallons of pellets, but they are very versatile and you can add them to method mixes or scald them with hot water and form them into paste; I have also blended them into a powder and used them as a base mix for fishmeal boilies!

Enhancing your Bait

The pellets on their own are excellent but if you want to give them a boost or if you have any duck weed present a simple dousing in oil will really help. Personally I use hemp or sesame oil. I will also add liquid/flavor to the pellets on occasions and a personal favorite is Nutrabaits Blue Oyster booster liquid. With the oil added the duck weed will disperse and if you have any wind on the water you will also be able to create a flat spot where the bait is located.

Feed Them before you Fish

On occasions when a fish is close in I will free-line a bait to them without feeding as you can sometimes get an instant result. However, when using the pellets correctly I am attempting to create competition amongst the carp and more importantly, confidence. If the fish are feeding warily they are much, much harder to fool.

The best way I have found to feed the pellets is with either a catapult or a throwing spoon. I will set myself up in an area where I can get the pellets to drift; this usually means you want to be on the back of any wind that is blowing. I will then feed them in regularly, every 2-3 minutes. This may go on for an hour or more until I get the feeding response I am looking for. It’s very tempting to cast in as soon as you see the fish feeding, BUT if you do you will most likely ruin your chances of catching more than one fish.

Once the carp are up on the surface, cruising around and feeding heavily I am then happy to start fishing for them. This does not mean that I will stop baiting. It’s almost impossible to overfeed the carp with these pellets and a bucket of 2-3 gallons usually sees me through a session. I will keep up the baiting every 2-3 minutes and if I see the fish slow down I will increase the feeding! I will even continue feeding as I am playing a fish and it is not uncommon the see fish actively feeding next to a hooked carp as they become preoccupied.

In this shot the fish are taking the pellets but are not pre-occupied

After regular feeding the fish are now up on the surface, feeding very confidently

After you have landed a fish you may notice the feeding will decrease. Be patient and resume the feeding and in most cases the fish will resume their activities each time.

Equipment Needed

You can certainly use whatever carping equipment you currently have, but I would recommend scaling down. Generally you will be fishing lighter lines and using smaller hooks, so a soft through action rod will be ideal. It does not have to be 12 feet in length and in fact a 9-10ft rod is ideal as it can also be used as a stalking rod. You also can scale down your reel size as there is no need for reels that hold 200-500 yards of line.

A balanced set-up makes surface fishing much more fun

My own set-up consists of a couple of different options, based on the size of fish I am targeting. For larger fish I will use a 2.25lb rod, coupled with a 4500 Shimano bait runner whereas for smaller fish (under 20lb) I will use a couple of different rods (8-11 feet) which are very soft and have test curves of between 1-1.5lb. I will also use much smaller reels that hold about 100 yards of line.

Traveling light with only the essentials

Line wise you will want to use mono-filament as the added stretch is a major help when playing fish on lighter set-ups. Again the breaking strain depends on the size of fish you are targeting but most times I will be using 8-10lb main-line and a 6-8lb hook-link. With the hook-link I will be using a fluro carbon for the added invisibility; just make sure you take care over your knots as fluro carbon is not forgiving if you kink or damage it.

With hooks you will really need to scale down, but make sure you still choose a pattern and make that is very strong. I used size 8-10 hooks, usually Fox Arma Point SSBP’s.

You will also need a float of some description, unless you are fishing within 15 yards of the bank. Fox, Korda and Nash all make good models and you can also use bubble floats. I will set these up, inline style with a float stop to keep them in place. They also will aid with hooking the carp if they take the bait positively as they have some resistance to them. With a float I will use a hook-link of 4-8ft, depending on the size of the rod.

Hook-Bait Options

This is where it can get complicated!! My choice and style of hook-bait will be very much dependent on how confident the carp feed and if they are wary of bigger hook-baits. Generally your hook- bait will be bigger than the feed so the carp can be more cautious when taking them.

You can choose to hair rig a plastic imitation bait, a mixer biscuit or even a cut down pop-up. If you do hair rig your bait I would recommend that you mount the bait tight to the hook as in this case you do not want separation between your hook and bait; in fact, you want your bait and hook to go in at the same time. When I am waiting to strike, as soon as I see the hook-bait disappear I know the hook is inside the carp’s mouth and this I will hit into the fish, hopefully hooking it.

Terminal tackle and some hook bait options

In some cases the fish will suck in and blow out your bait before you have chance to strike or they may simply approach your hook-bait and then abort the take or back off the bait. In this case the fish knows something is wrong and most likely sees the hook. My approach now would be to side hook a bait and trim it down to mimic the actual feed. However, remember that you also need to see your hook-bait otherwise you are relying on the fish to hook itself!

This fish took a cut down boilie

Other Necessities

Without a doubt make sure you have a decent pair of polaroid glasses, which will help you both see the carp and also see your hook-bait. A peaked hat or baseball cap will also help you vision. Stay off the skyline where possible, but more importantly be stealthy. Do not stamp around the bank and make slow deliberate movements. I have been within a foot or so of feeding carp and not spooked them, even when moving but sudden noises or movement will see them disappear.

A baseball cap, a decent pair of polaroid glasses and a catapult are all essential tools for the surface fisherman

Another little trick you can use is to grease your line with a small dab of vaseline which will help it float and thus make controlling the float and hook-bait much easier.

Dean Brookes – Year in Review (Video)

by Dean Brookes

March 19, 2016

After a challenging year in 2014 where my fishing time was severely shortened due to a new job, I found myself in the same position entering 2015 as once again work meant fishing had to take a backseat. I did manage to get out for an early session in January for a short session on one of my favorite winter locations, the Blackstone River. These are always fun sessions with plenty of small carp to go after which are usually willing to bite, even on the coldest of days.

As the winter bought a record amount of snowfall (nearly 100 inches in my county) I really felt the need to get away to warmer climes and a trip to Austin, Texas certainly fit the bill. I flew in on a Saturday expecting t-shirt weather, only to find a cool system moving through although I certainly wasn’t complaining as there was definitely no snow. I checked out a few places the first day before heading to Emma Long, a dammed section of the Colorado River. My first 36 hours were spent socializing and fishing a swim at the end of a productive area, due to half a dozen anglers also having the same idea. However, I managed several commons and my first Buffalo, a 35lb specimen.

As the other anglers were leaving to fish a Tournament I wasted no time in moving into what I felt was the best swim and spent the afternoon spombing plenty of bait out and getting ready for some hectic fishing! I was not disappointed as over the course of the next 36 hours I caught lots of commons, buffalo’s to 45lb and several grass carp to 43lb.

As the weather turned to high winds and a drop in temperatures I spent a night in a hotel before hitting Town Lake for a day session where I managed a few cracking commons in one of it’s iconic bridge swims.

Returning home to the snow and a busy job, meant I had little opportunity to get back out until June. I picked a day where the air pressure was dropping and went out for my first overnight session. The stars aligned and a had a great night catching several big fish, topped by my fifth capture of ‘The Pet’ and a common only a few ounces under the 40lb mark.

A change of jobs in early July, meant greater flexibility and a few summer day sessions kept me ticking over, with some nice tidal river fish and a low thirty to keep me happy.

I also got up to the Seneca River for two 24 hour sessions. Despite a 450 mile round trip my efforts were rewarded with over 60 carp, topped by a 30lb common.

What I was really waiting for was the start of the Fall. I managed to get to my venue a few times to pre-bait prior to fishing, which is a rarity for me and it certainly paid off. Over the course of six, one night sessions I managed several nice thirties and two more 40lb commons.

Moving into December I typically try and fit a session in on the Seneca River and this year it so happened that the weather stayed mild and my wife was working on Christmas Day. We decided to cook Christmas dinner a day early and open the presents. I left early morning for a traffic free drive of 5 hours and hoped that the carp would be where I thought they would be!! It only took a few hours before I was catching and I packed away by 10am the next morning having caught several nice twenties and another 30lb common.

Overall, despite not actually fishing that many sessions in 2015 I had some excellent results. This I put down to knowing my waters, being in the correct areas during good weather patterns and using tried and trusted tackle and bait. Looking back I caught over twenty 30lb fish and 5 forties with a few PB’s thrown into the mix.

I also managed to win the CAG Big 4 Fall Contest and also claim the Gold Pin for catch and release carp in Massachusetts as well as writing many articles, featuring on the Cover of North American Carp Angler and finally being interviewed as a guest on ‘The Carp Cast’.

I’m hoping 2016 can be just as productive.

Check out my Year in Review Video:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03ELsdXZnJg[/youtube]

Christmas in New York

by Dean Brookes

January 1, 2016

It’s been a funny year, weather wise. After a brutal winter with over 100 inches of snow in the Northeast it’s an understatement to say I was not looking forward to the coming winter season. The Farmers’ Almanac prediction didn’t help but as November came to an end the weather stayed stable and mild. By the middle of December I found myself looking at the long term forecast to see if I could squeeze in a session in Upstate New York over the Christmas Break. As luck would have it, after consulting with my wife and finding out she was working we decided to hold the family Christmas on December 24th and I made plans for a 48 hour session on the Seneca River.

Catching a Christmas Day carp is something I had already ticked off the list so I set myself a target of catching a 20lb+ fish which I felt very confident of achieving even though the locals had informed me the area was not fishing particularly well.

A Christmas Day carp from 2012

After enjoying festivities on Christmas Eve I set the alarm for 5am but have to admit I turned it off and got up at 8am. After a coffee I set out on the 290 mile journey and after only a brief bathroom stop I arrived just after 1pm and began slowly setting up. A little background information on the swim I had chosen as I have fished it a few times in prior years. It is a well known area and the carp are generally fished for regularly by a mixture of both serious carpers and the more casual anglers. As such the carp know they are being fished for and in my experience do not usually feed hard during the daylight hours unless you can get them into a competitive feeding mode.

A fish caught by creating competition

Rather than rushing to set-up and get the rods cast out I first set about baiting up my swim. My approach was two fold. Firstly I made up a ground bait mix consisting of liquidized bread, beet deer feed, canned sweetcorn and creamed corn as a binder. I initially baited a spot in 9 feet of water with a dozen ground bait balls with my intention to see if this would attract the smaller fish. On this spot I fished one rod with a 10mm white chocolate pop-up.

Ground bait mix to attract active carp

My second spot would be a boilie only approach with an initial 100 baits spread out in a line between my remaining two rods. With this approach the key to getting a good hit of carp is to bait consistently and regularly after every take or capture. In this case my plan was to re-bait with 10-20 baits after every fish (if I was lucky enough to capture any carp). I was hoping to pick out the bigger fish by using only 20mm+ boilies with the only extra attraction being a high attract stick mix.

An attractive stick mix and boosted hook baits

After baiting up my areas I slowly set-up my rods and tied up some new hook-links. I also set-up all of my carp safety and camera equipment as if I did catch I wanted to make sure that the carp had a short stay on the bank. All of the rods were cast out and after eating a nice chicken stew I retired to my car just before dark to try and grab a short nap which may seem strange but I was confident that once darkness had descended the carp would feed and sleep may be hard to come by. I only had to wait an hour or so before one of my boilie rods absolutely ripped off. After a decent scrap the first Christmas carp was in the net and at just over 23lb’s my goal was achieved with the first capture.

Christmas Day Twenty

After sharpening the hook to a sticky point I recast the rod and deposited another 20 boilies over the top of the area. Another 30 minutes or so passed before the same rod signaled another carp and another nice low twenty. Using 20mm+ boilies and big hook baits seemed to be attracting the larger carp and as the ground bait rod was quiet I was hopeful the smaller, more numerous carp would not make an appearance.

Second fish…..second twenty

Over the next few hours this process was repeated with several more solid twenties and a few doubles making an appearance. After each capture I would rebait with 15-20 boilies over each spot and would also make sure to check my leader and hook-link as usually the area had weed and zebra muscles which can easily damage your end tackle and result in lost fish. I would also check the hook point of the rigs and in most cases would spend a minute or two sharpening them to a fine point. It’s easy to miss out some of these steps when you are tired or catching lots of fish but it definitely results in more fish on the bank. In this session I had a total of 19 takes and due to the durability and quality of my tackle, combined with being meticulous with the hook points I landed every one of them.

A solid fish with lamprey damage

A fat boilie eating machine

The action continued through the night and only slowed down when the temperatures dropped into the 20’s resulting in frozen nets, mats and slings. During this time I unhooked many of the fish in the net and released them without pictures or weighing them, in an attempt to get back into my sleeping bag ASAP. Any pictures were taken with a self timer and only resulted in the fish being out of the water for a minute or two which is very important as the temperatures drop as the carp’s gills can freeze once the temperatures are below zero.

A picture before everything froze!!

During all of the action there were times when I had double takes and in once case all three rods went in succession! It was during one of these occasions while I was netting a nice upper double fish when one of my other rods signaled a take. I quickly secured the net and picked up the other rod to connect with a fish that did not want to cooperate. After several minutes I finally got it into the net and it was a very long and lean common that looked around the thirty pound mark. I quickly released the other fish and weighed the bigger carp which pleasingly went 30lb 6oz. Happy days, a Christmas Day thirty.

Big carp equals happy angler

Once the sunlight appeared the action stopped which is not uncommon during the winter on this particular section of the river. This gave me a chance to grab a few hours sleep and gather my thoughts. Originally I had planned to fish two nights but with the hectic action of the first night and rain scheduled for the second night I decided to pack up and head home to watch some Boxing Day Soccer. It might seem strange to drive nearly 600 miles to fish for only 20 hours but the Seneca River really is worth the travel, especially when you get it right.

Signs of Carnage

Texas Gold (Video)

by Dean Brookes

April 5, 2015

After a truly brutal winter last year it wasn’t until May that my local spots were fishable with many areas covered by a layer of ice well into April and most of the rivers in flood. With this in mind I decided to make plans to beat some of the upcoming winter doldrums by planning a trip to Texas in late February and boy was I happy I did. This winter has been one of unrelenting snow and cold weather, with records set in many categories, so when February rolled around I was chomping at the bit to get the rods out, only having fished 2 day sessions the whole of the winter so far.

My plan was simple. I would book a week off work and fly into Austin, Texas; home to not only big carp, but big grass carp and buffalo’s. Having fished the Austin Team Championships two years before I was keen to fish the area on my own terms and not be reliant on a decent peg draw. Rather than fishing one area or lake I would try to fit a few sessions on three different waters in the hope of catching some decent fish while Boston was stuck in the depths of winter.

I always like to set myself goals and knowing I would be fishing several areas with different species I set myself a target of a 35lb+ grass carp and a 35lb+ buffalo. Both were species I was yet to catch and I was looking forward to the challenge.

I organised my tackle and packed only the essentials, shipping my rods down to Texas and begging and borrowing some of the bigger items from one very kind local. I arrived Saturday night and after picking up a rental car headed over to the ATC social to meet up with anglers who had been fishing the Carp Anglers Group competition the previous 2 days.

After a few beers and some food I headed back to the hotel and got a good nights sleep, only to be greeted by temperatures that were not much warmer than the ones I left in Boston. I had originally planned to fish a few days on Town Lake, but after looking at a few of the better areas and sitting in the biting wind for a few hours I was sorely lacking motivation.

The Gazebo swim on Town Lake

A quick change of plans was devised and I plugged in the directions to Emma Long Park into my phone and headed over , hoping that one of the hot swims would still be available. I arrived just before dusk to be greeted by several anglers already in situ, as they were fishing a few days prior to heading to the Lake Fork Tournament. Instead of rushing to set up I decided to socialize for a few hours. Nothing much had been caught apart from the end peg, which seemed to have lots of fish in front of it. Unfortunately, I would be several hundred yards away with 18 rods between myself and the swim!! Instead of getting pissed at the situation I decided to make the most of it and just enjoy the fishing. After a few hours chatting to the anglers already fishing I made my way back to my swim and started setting up in the dark.

Rather than baiting heavily without knowing what was in front of me, I cast out 3 PVA bags and retreated to the warmth of the sleeping bag in the car. I had a great nights sleep, undisturbed by carp. Fortunately, Paul Hunt in the next swim had had seven fish with a couple of 40lb+ Buffalo’s which was very encouraging as at least the fish were moving. I had a chat over coffee and saw that most of the fish were coming at range and so I got back to my swim and made plans for the next 24 hours.

My first swim at Emma Long

Getting the spomb out I clipped it up at just over 100 yards, using a couple of marker sticks for accuracy. This was a good distance and right where most of the fish were moving so over the next hour I spombed around 20 balls of particle laced ground bait and another 12-15 spombs of boilies and tiger nuts. My area was about the size of a tennis court and using method feeder rigs I put all three rods out at the same distance. Hook baits were either tigers and fake corn or a boilie and fake corn. I had heard lots about rigs and baits for buffalo’s but I decided to use 7-8 inch hooklinks, strong Fox Arma Point SSSP hooks in size 5 and a bolt rig consisting of a 60 gram method feeder. Throughout the session I did not lose one fish and all were nailed in the bottom lip, proof that the method and rigs worked for all species.

Method Feeder and simple blow back rigs

I only had to wait a few hours before I had a slow rise on the bobbin and I bent into a solid resistance. Unlike a regular carp run the fish gave no head shaking and instead plowed around. I was pretty sure I had a buffalo on the end and so I played it a little easier than I usually would. Paul kindly helped with the net and in she went. My first fish of the trip and my first from Emma Long, being a 35lb+ buffalo. Exactly the reason I had traveled 1900 miles.

My first buffalo…at 35lbs+ my first goal was achieved

The rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully, although the odd fish was being caught but in the middle of the night my area kicked into life with several common carp, typical to Emma Long. They were hard fighting teens up to low twenties and I was happy that my rigs and bait were working. However, the rest of the anglers were leaving at mid day and I knew I would now be able to fish the area that most of the fish were occupying.

Typical Emma Long common

I packed up early and secured my spot before talking to the very kind Polish anglers who were leaving. They gave me a good idea of where they were catching and I slowly set up my area so that I could get a feel for the swim. I knew the margin areas were prime for grass carp but I also wanted to establish a baited area well away from the grass carp in hopes that the buffalo’s would come into feed.

My second swim, nice a comfy

After a few casts with a lead I decided to concentrate two rods on the marginal spot, where the grass carp seemed to be feeding and then heavily bait the spot further out. The Polish anglers had been catching from around 50 yards, but having seen a lot of fish feeding at 100 yards I made the choice to fish at longer range. I just had a feeling that I could create a competitive feeding environment as I was the only angler fishing. I spombed quite heavily at the 100 yard mark and on my margin spot I used the catapult to put out some ground bait, tiger nuts and boilies. At this point I was quitely confident, which was quickly replaced with annoyance as firstly another angler turned up and only 20 yards away proceeded to thrash the water to a foam over my margin spot, before a speed boat entered the fray and started doing donuts in front of me!!

Oh well, at least the water was 20 feet deep. After a few hours the other angler left and peace returned, at which point the area in front of me came alive with fish activity. I was expecting my alarms to sound at any time but they remained silent. At this point it is very easy to question tactics, when you know the fish are active but you are not getting bites. This is where experience is invaluable. Having gone through this pattern many, many times I knew it was just a case of sitting on my hands! My rigs were good and my bait was working and in many cases the fish activity can be prior to the fish actually feeding. Don’t panic, trust in your methods and be ready for action once it comes. Shortly after 3am I got my first bite, a common carp.

First fish from my second swim

This was followed by four more, with the biggest around 24lbs.

A nice 24lb+ common

All of these fish were taken during the dark, and once it became light my margin spot really kicked off with a savage bite! I was surprised when I picked the rod up as I preceded to wind back what I thought to be a very small common, before a big grass carp popped up in the margins. In the net she went and another goal was achieved with the fish going 37lb+. I quickly took some pictures and rebaited the rod with a few catapults of ground bait.

First grass carp, mission accomplished

At this point the margin spot went into over drive. Another savage take signaled a grass carp was on the end. This grass carp fought very differently than the previous one as it jumped around like a salmon and made several electric runs. While not lasting long it certainly put up a good account for itself and I had a big smile on my face as it was engulfed in the net. I didn’t have anytime to rest though as my alarms sounded and another fish was on. This one turned out to be a double figure common carp and while playing it the last rod also took off!! I was already knee deep in water with a fish in the net and another on the end of my second rod and could do nothing but hope the fish on my third rod stayed attached. I played the common in and unhooked it in the water before securing the fish in the net into a retaining sling. At this point I have found it is better to sort out what you already have rather than rush around and risk damaging fish.

A mental grass carp

Fortunately, the fish on the last rod was still on and I slowly played it back in from over 100 yards out. It didn’t put up a massive fight but had some weight to it and once it surfaced I knew I had a 40lb+ fish on the end. After a few more minutes the fish was beaten and I had a brace of grass carp weighing over 80lb. I don’t like brace shots at the best of times and as grass carp are notorious for their unruly behavior on the mat, I took a few shots of the 37lb+ fish first before getting some video footage of the bigger fish, which went over 43lb.

Another goal smashed

After returning all of the fish I surveyed the scene in my swim and only one word came to mind…..CARNAGE. All of my rods were wiped out but I quickly put on new hook baits, recast and lightly rebaited the margin area as I was sure I could pick up one or two more bites before the feeding spell was over. It only took a half hour or so and another common carp was quickly followed by a cracking upper thirty pound grass carp. I only had one rod left in the water and shortly this one went too with another common carp joining the party! Instead of recasting I left the rods out of the water for a while and made myself some fresh coffee and a couple of bacon sandwiches, a true carpers breakfast. I’ve found over the years that fishing is much better when you eat and drink properly and the breakfast and coffee revitalized me for another spombing session.

Proper food is a must

Having caught several decent grass carp I now decided to move one of my margin rods and rebait the distance spot, that had also produced several common carp. The buffalo’s had not showed up yet, but I was confident that with regular baiting they would eventually start to feed. Prior to the trip I had read a lot about the buffalo species and it seemed evident that most anglers used a particle and method mix approach. I didn’t want to completely go against the grain but I also felt that the inclusion of a good boilie would only add to my baiting mix. I spombed another 20 balls of method mix (laced with hemp, corn and boilie crumb) and I also spombed the same amount of boilies, mixed with tiger nuts and corn.

I then tidied up my fishing area and recast the rods. I was expecting a lull in the action as the previous day of spombing had seen several hours of inactivity after, but I didn’t have to wait longer than an hour before the action started again. In quick succession I landed a couple of commons before getting into the biggest of the trip at just over 24lbs.

A bigger common from Emma Long

Another blistering take shortly after resulted in an upper twenty pound grass carp, before my first buffalo in the new swim made an appearance.

A solid 36lb+ Buffalo

A few more commons followed before I was into another buffalo that gave a fight that had me thinking it was much, much bigger. I was not complaining though as it was over 45lbs and was a cracking fish. The fact that I had managed a 40lb+ grass carp and buffalo was more than I could have hoped for and I was grinning for the next few hours.

45lb+ of American Buffalo

At this point I knew that I still had a few more days left to go and plenty of bait. If I kept the bait going into the swim and fished well I was sure the fish would keep coming and I would have the chance at a 50lb+ fish. Texas had different plans!! The weather had been unsettled at best, and over the next 2 hours the temperature dropped by over 30 degrees. This in itself wouldn’t have been that bad as I was fishing deep water and had plenty of warm clothing. What was a problem though was the 30 mph wind that started to blow down the lake, which resembling a canal in structure was now more akin to a wind tunnel. With tree branches snapping and the bivvy about to take off I decided to pack everything away and fish from the car.

The fish seemed nonplussed by the change in weather though as the distance spot was still producing as I continued to pack away. I played another cracking buffalo through the white caps and posed with it just as the light was fading which made for a nice shot.

A Buffalo that took little notice to the weather change.

As I was now unable to rebait with the spomb, due to a massive cross wind and with the rain increasing I made the choice to retreat to the safety of a hotel for the night. As much as I wanted to stay and keep fishing I also knew the smart option was to wind in and call it a day. With age comes experience and although I knew I was leaving feeding fish, I also knew I could benefit from a shower and a good nights sleep without the risk of a falling tree! With everything packed away I was winding the rods in, when the only rod left signaled my last buffalo of the trip which was also the only one under 30lb’s, all be it by only a few ounces.

Last Buffalo in vile conditions!

Once safe and dry in the hotel, I relaxed with a shower and some beer and pizza while deciding what to do next. I still had two days to go and was unsure as to where to fish next. I had loved Emma Long, but felt like I had achieved what I set out to do and did not want to set up camp again. I did have unfinished business with Town Lake though as my previous trip had been hard fishing with only one carp caught, saving me from a blank. It was decided then, I would return all of the camping equipment I had loaned in the morning and then fish the iconic 1st Street swim at Town Lake for an afternoon session.

The next day saw me having a leisurely morning and I did not get to Town Lake until around 1pm or so. I’d fished a few other areas at the ATC and I have to say that the 1st Street swim was pleasantly surprising in it’s looks. It was landscaped with several trees and was next to a gazebo with the parking lot only a couple of hundred yards away. Before getting my gear out to the swim I surveyed the areas to fish. Being a bridge swim it was obvious that the main feature would be the bridge stanchions. I counted out the light poles on the bridge so that I could match up where I was fishing and then took a walk up onto the bridge itself to bait. I chose a stanchion that was around 80 yards from the swim and baited with a couple of kilo’s of ground bait, tigers, corn and boilies.

Back at the swim, it was just a matter of getting the distance correct as falling short would result in no bites and over casting would result in being stuck on the bridge! I only smashed one feeder before I got the distance correct but I made a point to wait until the bridge was clear before each recast.

A classic bridge swim

After an hour I decided to recast both of the rods and I had one positioned to the left of the stanchion while I was casting the second to the right side. As the second feeder was in flight the first rod absolutely melted off as the fish was intent on reaching the sanctuary of the bridge. I dropped the second rod onto the ground and loosened off the clutch. I then walked backwards with the first rod to move the fish away from the bridge. The fish fought very hard and had me fooled it was much bigger as it stayed deep and made several strong runs. Eventually, I coaxed it into the net. Just in time as the second rod started to move, with another strong Town Lake common attached. This one fought just as hard and after another 10 minute fight I had a brace of mid twenties in the net. I felt elated and also like I had gotten the monkey off my back after my last experience of Town Lake. Pictures were taken and the rods recast in hopes of a few more fish before dark.

First of a double of nice twenties

Over the next couple of hours I landed two more twenties and packed up just after dark so that I could take a few shots of the bridge.

1st Street swim, Austin on dusk

Back at the hotel I decided that my last goal was to fish Decker Lake, although I was sure I would have caught a few more fish from Town Lake if I had baited and returned. I got up relatively early and headed for one last day session at Decker. I decided to fish near the parking lot as the buoys in the water were surely fish attracting features, even though my water craft told me to fish further down in the teeth of the wind as it looked to be hammering into the corner. At this point though, it was more about packing up and organizing my gear and the further away from the car, the harder this would be.

Close to the car, meant fresh coffee! Easy choice.

I was also tired and spent the day relaxing and just enjoying the surroundings. Safe to say….I BLANKED!! Packing up on dark I drove back to Austin to ship my rods back with Fedex and then made my way to the airport, returned the rental car and went to the terminal to catch a few hours sleep before jumping onto a 6am flight back to the artic tundra of Boston.

All in all a great trip, where I put faces to names and made new friends, fished three cracking Lakes and surpassed all of my initial goals. I kicked off the 2015 season with seven 30’s and two 40’s, more than I had hoped for. I’m also keen to return in the winter of 2016 to get back among the Texas giants. If you’ve not been fishing in Texas…….what’s keeping you????

For a look at the video footage from the trip just click the following link:

A Common Obsession

by Dean Brookes

December 12, 2014

OBSESSION??

Carp fishing is often referred to as an ‘obsession’, generally by non carpers, friends, family and spouses! It can bring out the worst traits in human nature, with the obsession leading to shattered friendships, relationship breakdowns and tattered reputations. Even in the USA where carp fishing is still relatively unpopular, I see some of the same behaviors that are all too common in the UK and Europe. Like life, fishing also needs to be balanced. Fish too much and you risk the alienating the people you love.

Looking back at my fishing career, I can honestly say fishing has been a ‘passion’ rather than an obsession. Even when I was single, working a job that allowed me to fish a few days at a time I can not recall many sessions where I fished beyond 48 hours. In fact my longest session was 6 days at my Syndicate water and I realized early on that I much prefer to fish than ‘camp’. At times I do become very focused on certain elements, whether it be targeting a certain fish, breaking a PB or conquering a new water. However, as much as I love fishing I also love life. Having a great group of friends, a loving family and a rewarding job are all part of the puzzle for me and I would never sacrifice one of these just to fish more. For me, short sessions are my bread and butter. I generally get 12-24 hours every few weeks, and I try to make the most of these by taking weather, locations and the water conditions into consideration before making my decision of when and where to fish.

Over 20 years ago, when I dreamed of a 20lb+ common

For the last few years I have sacrificed one element of my fishing to focus on another area. About 5 years ago I picked up my carp rods again, for the first time in the USA and was only interested in catching fish, no matter their sizes. I spent the first two years fishing a number of different waters and catch carp I did, with over 1000 carp hitting my landing net. As I continued to move forward the passion for larger fish returned and I gradually widened my horizons first fishing rivers with 20-30lb fish and then moving onto what I will describe as ‘Specimen’ Waters. I realized early on that while I could catch large numbers of 20lb fish, they were generally not going to be in the same locations as the much larger specimens.

My first American Twenty

Fishing for larger fish is not always easy and sometimes you will spend several sessions with the odd fish before you start to work out what you need to do in order to achieve success. Let me ask you a question; if you had to catch 80-90% less fish in order to catch the fish of a lifetime would you do it?? It’s a hard choice to make and certainly, when you see other people hammering fish of decent sizes the urge to abandon your own convictions is sometimes strong.

Fishing for big fish of any species is mind set. You have to accept that you WILL blank, you WILL leave your rigs out for over 24 hours at a time, you WILL question whether you are in the right spot and you WILL question your tactics. However, the work you do from session to session will all add up in the big picture. Sometimes you will be lucky and catch ‘specimen’ fish right from the off, other times you will really work for it.

My first 30lb+ common that took me over 2 years to break

So back to my ‘Common Obsession’. After a few years fishing in America I really wanted a 20lb common. I was primarily fishing a river with lots of small mirror carp and having never caught a 20lb common in the UK (19lb+ being my best) I decided to move onto the tidal Merrimack River. I achieved the 20lb mark relatively quickly and enjoyed several sessions fishing for these amazing carp, which fought like they were on steroids. As my PB got up to the mid twenties I moved back onto my mirror waters and put the common fascination aside. I realize for most American carpers this is back to front as the majority of you fish for common carp, with mirrors being very rare. I’m lucky as the North East of the country has many waters with mirror carp. I fished the next year or so on these mirror waters catching some cracking fish with the occasional trip to the St. Lawrence River to try and tempt a 30lb common, which I eventually achieved.

Fast forward to a year or so ago and although my common PB was now up to a respectable 36lb+ I very rarely fished waters where they grew to this size with any regularity. On one particular session in the early spring I was fishing with friends and had to return to work after 24 hours, only to receive a text in the middle of the night that one of the boys had just caught a massive common well over 45lb’s. After I saw the pictures I knew that I just had to have this fish in my own photo album.

I can’t be disappointed with the lack of big commons when I can catch fish of this stamp!

I fished the water regularly through the spring, summer and fall and although I caught some absolute belting carp I did not see the common and the season ended as the snow fell on the North East again. Fast forward to this year and again, this was going to be my target fish. Why? Well, the first reason is because I wanted to catch it, but the second reason is because I always fish better when I have a target. Any other fish I catch along the way are appreciated but I would be focused on tempting this fish and using tactics that I knew would give me the best chance, usually at the expense of catching other fish.

Unfortunately for my fishing, my job became really busy but as I stated at the beginning this is part of the balance of life. Yes, I was envious of some of the fish caught in the spring, but I was also happy with what fishing I could manage and knew that once the fall arrived I would have a little more time. My first trip to the area had to be aborted due to a few different reasons but a week or so later I was able to get in a night session.

I arrived well after dark, not getting my rods and rigs sorted until around 11pm. Knowing the area helped and I got the rods out with no problems, fishing one rod over a tight pile of bait and the other over 200-250 boilies scattered over a large area. At 4am the rod fished over the boilies melted off and on picking up the rod I was amazed at the first few runs the fish made. Fishing with braid, everything is amplified and this fish was trying it’s best to get rid of the hook, shaking it’s head non stop for at least 2-3 minutes. After 5 minutes the fish stopped charging around and kited into the bank making me think the battle would be soon over. Think again!! Another 10 tense minutes under the rod tip and I could see it was a very long common. Was it my ‘target’?? It was hard to say but I knew it was a very big fish and I knew I wanted it in the net. Eventually, I did scoop it up and after transferring the net into the retaining sling I made my way to the unhooking mat. Lifting the sling up it was obvious that the fish was 40lb+ and once I saw the width of the fish I was now thinking it was the target.

On the mat it was obvious it was a new PB

I unhooked the fish, gave it a quick weigh and then slipped it into the margins to wait the 1 hour or so before first light. During this time I arranged the unhooking mat, set up my camera and weigh sling and generally paced around, buzzing as I knew I had shattered by common PB. On the scales the common went over 43lb’s and she behaved very well for the few pictures and quick video I took of her.

A glorious big common in the Fall

Returning her I then checked out the pictures and after matching them up with my target I knew that it was not the fish I was after. Disappointed? Hell no. It was a new 40lb fish for the water, a new PB common and even better my target was still out there. Hopefully, we’ll meet in the spring but until then I will be more than happy with this fish being my PB and my ‘obsession’ can continue.

Hard to be upset even if it was not the one I was after!

Chasing the Fall

by Dean Brookes

November 16, 2014

After a particularly busy summer coaching soccer camps I was rather hoping for a few more opportunities to fish in the Fall. However, with work not slowing down and wanting to spend what free time I had with my family my fishing ground to a halt. Desperate remedies were required and in early September I decided that although I did not have any days at my disposal I would have to be creative in order to get some much needed carp therapy.

My plan was to fish after work, typically leaving for the lake at 7.30pm. Problem was that the areas I wanted to fish were around 2 hours away from me! Deciding to suck it up I packed the car before coaching and then headed out to fish, usually arriving between 9.30 and 10pm at night. This usually gave me around 10 to 12 hours to fish, before I had to return home to shower and then work again. I chose to do this mid week and again on Sunday’s to try and maximize my chances of nabbing a few decent fish.

While many anglers have the benefit of extra time or opportunity to pre-bait with large quantities I was limited to a matchmans approach; mainly fish for one bite at a time. To be honest, this is how I fish most of the time anyway as I rarely fish beyond 24 hours and I don’t really get the opportunity to visit my spots regularly as they are usually at least 100 miles from me. This makes me work harder at location, both in regards to the areas I fish and also the actual spots within these areas. On the flip side it’s much cheaper as I am not piling in bait so I tend to buy very high quality baits as I want to make sure I have 100% confidence in them. My main baiting approach would be boilie based, but also adding in high quality pellets and also a particle laden ground bait for flowing water. One product I have used a lot over the last 2 years has been deer feed powders. I can get them from several locations and they are relatively cheap ($10 for a 5lb bag). They are also loaded with attractors and have a decent protein content, both of which add to their effectiveness.

Deer Feed, a great alternative to European ground baits

For many anglers the dark is a strange medium to fish in, but for myself I thrive in it. Most of the waters I fish are busy in the daylight and the fish feed less cautiously once the sun goes down. Having fished a lot a night, I find I rarely need a head light and can operate quite well in the dark. I am also tuned into the natural elements and don’t have a great deal of fear as to what’s out there!! Obviously, it pays to fish areas you know are safe and there are certainly many areas I would not entertain fishing at night. However, if you pick a good venue you may find you catch more and the added benefit is that now one will know you have been there.

My first session I headed to a know fall area to see if the fish had turned up yet. I opened my account with three fish, with a couple of decent doubles and a nice low twenty scatter scaled mirror.

A nice upper double to open my Fall account

Scatter Scaled twenty

Three fish from this area on a short session is certainly a decent result and I knew my tactics were spot on. The Nutrabaits boilies I had been using in the summer continued to work and the added addition of hemp oil, certainly made the fish aware that the baits were in the water. I was baiting relatively lightly as I was unsure as to who else was fishing the area and the best choice was to fish for a bite rather than trying to compete with what was already out there.

Typical baiting situation for short session success

I returned on Sunday night, but on turning into the pull off area the reflection from another anglers car shone back at me. Rather than disturb the angler (as it was 10pm) I turned around and drove the extra 15 minutes to another spot that I had only fished once or twice before. I was actually happy that the first area was occupied as it had forced me to fish somewhere I had been thinking about for a few weeks. Knowing that the spot was relatively unfished I changed my baiting approach. I had a few casts with a lead just to make sure I knew where I was putting my baits and then put out around 1kg of boilies, soaked in hemp oil. The oil puts a massive amount of attraction into the water and I knew that it would attract the chub population which would in turn bring in any carp that were in the vicinity. After only an hour carp were already rolling over the areas and I was confident of action.

After several hours without a beep and constant carp activity I was unsure what to do next. I knew the carp were attracted to the bait and I knew my rigs and hook baits would work if they decided to feed. After another hour of scratching my head, finally one of my rods ripped off. A very spirited batter commenced and I was very happy when a cracking upper twenty common rolled over the net. On closer inspection it turned out to be a two tone common and it was very angry with me and the whole ‘being caught’ situation!

A very angry two tone common

One interesting thing I discovered from the capture was what the carp were actually eating and why the activity had not resulted in more takes. After catching the common I put it in the retaining sling for 30 minutes to sort out my camera gear and on inspecting the sling the fish had expelled a whole bunch of muscle shells and actual muscles themselves. From this I deduced the fish had been attracted into the area by the boilies and hemp oil which had triggered a feeding response. However, they first fed on the abundant natural food before finally picking up my offerings. This was further hit home when 30 minutes after the common I had a take on the same rod which absolutely roared off. The fish felt much bigger and gave me a proper run around heading to the deeper water and stripping line off a tight clutch on several occasions. After 15 minutes I got some control over it and finally bundled it into the net. What emerged was a big mirror with a massive head, a true wild American carp. A few quick pictures were rattled off and then I had to pack up and head back to reality.

A proper wild American carp

My next couple of overnights were coinciding with my birthday and I was keen to keep up the tradition of catching a carp or two to celebrate. I split my time between the two swims and picked off a couple of nice looking fish but kept up my run of good form with a brute of a fish that again, took a liking for my boilie approach. This fish just fell short of the 40lb mark but I was very, very happy with it as it was in fabulous condition and gave me an excellent fight, at one point picking up my other line and snagging me. Never the less I did manage to get it moving again and once on the bank it cooperated nicely, posing for several nice shots, displaying some beautiful fall colors.

Solid and wide, and in great condition

The next few weeks were busy and it looked like the middle of October would be my best chance to get out for a few nights. The weather had been very mild for the fall and as such many of the good cold water spots were still inconsistent. With this on my mind I decided to spend a more social session with a friend, the only problem being that my first choice of areas was not an option due to an access problem! Even more of a problem it looked spot on for a few bites. Sulking a little bit we decided to fish our second choice of areas, which although we had several fish each, resulted in quite a few smaller fish. Not what we were looking for, but I did learn a few things. Similar to one of my other fall swims, there was an abundance of natural food and the carp were reluctant to pick up baits. My answer to this was to increase my baiting in the hope that they would not be able to resist.

This worked as I had most of my bites over the one area I had put in about 3kg of bait. Although non of the fish were over mid twenties I did land one that would not be out of place in an Oxfordshire Estate Lake.

A very pretty carp

The last day of the session was very slow and so I decided to once again set up a meal the carp could not refuse. I put around a kilo of hemp, cracked corn and pellets and around half a kilo of boilies over one spot in the hope a bigger fish would find it irresistible. In the middle of the day the rod sprang into life and a tussle with a carp I though was much bigger ensued. Once in the net it got a bit smaller, but at over 30lb’s I was still happy to salvage a session I had hoped for much more.

Smiling, because this 30lb saved a tough session

Fortunately for me, the spot that I had wanted to fish was once again accessible and I jumped on the chance to fish it. This session was an even later arrival as I had my dog in tow. I did not get the rods into the water until around 11pm and it was a bit of an adventure with my dog and a pack of coyotes, yapping away around half a mile away. Fortunately, they never came any closer and I settled down for some sleep only to be awakened by a savage take around 3am. The run and fight was truly brutal and as the fish got closer I could see a long common on the surface. It got bigger and bigger as it got closer and eventually I had it in the net. I’ll leave the full account for another time but I was very, very happy with my prize.

Massive tail of a massive common

During the session I also caught another fish and returned two weeks later to tame a few more beauties. I have to say I never get tired of catching carp and I have been rewarded with some truly special creatures over the last couple of years. This fall has not been any different and I’ll leave you with a couple of other stunners that my last two sessions have produced. As the temperatures continue to drop I find myself with a little more time and over the next few weeks I’ll be fishing hard to try and tempt one of my targets before the snow arrives in force. Even though the nights are long and cold the rewards are still there if you stick at it.

A chunky linear

Another classic looking carp

Fish of my Dreams

by Dean Brookes

August 22, 2014

June 18, 2014.

Entry in my fishing blog:

I was on the phone with one of my long time carp friends Mr. Vanja. He gave me a ring and we chatted. It Just so happened that i was out scouting and exploring a new place in the afternoon hours before work. I do this A LOT. This particular venue I’ve had my eye on for years, but never fished it for carp, just other species. I have a strong belief that observation is the biggest key to successful carp fishing. Spending time actively fishing for trout, pan fish or bass can put you in a position to see something interesting.

I’ve seen lots of grass carp over the years on the surface but its rare for me to ever go out targeting them. Friends and other witness’ reports became null as i would write them off as grass carp. On this day though by chance I made a quick stop to walk around and by even greater chance a great fellow carper was in my ear when over a imbankment I saw a massive common carp. The fish was so long with a immense gut. I was so beside myself that I interrupted my friend to tell him what I just saw and why it was a supper big deal. So questioning all my past reports I bait down from the spot in a place that looked like they would visit. I drive out of the way home from work just to toss some more ground bait in. The next day I wake up to the fishing alarm in my head far to early. Forcing myself to get a little more sleep I can’t wait any more. Off I go.

I’ve got three hours before I have to leave the lake to make the drive into work. I arrive to see quite the sight. This lake is above average clear. The area that I baited, which was maybe 8 foot in a circle was now a 40ft mud cloud with tails all over the place. A very large orange black speckled koi swims in from mid lake into the cloud of mud and weeds. Unbelievable. How could they have stayed so hidden for so long to me? Getting my bearings straight I get back to the truck and load the barrow and jet over, throw the net together and putting all three rods together I realize… I don’t need any of this. I got this. So casting one rod low and under hand past the fish lifting up to come to rest as gentle as possible around the feeding fish. One boilie, no freebies, with no alarm. 20 seconds later the line bounces against my finger then quickly zipping off running over my finger. I lift up, fight the fish to the bank and successfully crack a long time watched water. Yes!

This story is not over. I’ve since gotten fish up to 30lb from this place. All unusually dark and long. Nothing yet was as big as the first common I saw and the year is still early, but none of this is what I’m here writing about. I’m here to tell of the other fish I caught that day and what I saw during the fight. After the first fish the area got a bit spooked. I knew this was the time to set up the pod and three rods. Putting a dozen baits in the water and casting out, I waited spending time chatting with locals until the second run happened. Hard fighting fish these are, as the fish peels line out just past a weed-mass I see something. Focusing on it I can’t believe my eyes. This is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen…. A grass carp, but not just any old grass carp. I have layed this species on to my mat over 50lbs. I’ve seen some big fish. Not like this though. This thing was so large that if I was swimming and saw it, i would have probably panicked. Swimming under the weeds it was gone. I landed that fish, very nice 20. Releasing it on film. looking down at my phone and after the shot all I can think about is telling someone about this fish. Brian wingrad is the lucky guy who gets to hear this fish tail first… I describe the fish as looking a impossible length with a girth at the tail being like a basket ball. He seemed more interested in the commons and I latter tell my co workers and friends about it.

I believe they think I’ve been sleeping out at lakes to much. My most recent time spent here with my few precious before work hours was last Monday. It is my fourth visit that I’d be fishing since I spotted the big bellied common. I spot a fish. So I grab my fly rod, but its not interested. I walk back to the truck to try a different approach. Walking with the barrow a park guy in the typical safety green shirt comments and starts conversation. By the end of that talk I learn a lot of new information. The man ends up being the head of the park and had a lot of good stuff to tell me. Out of that information one bit was the grass carp where stocked over 25 years ago at a count of 130. I set-up and burn my last hour on 2 awesome fish. Both caught in minutes of the cast, single rod in hand. The second fish almost made me late for work! Racing on the hot day sweating to zip off on a hour drive my heads still going over all what that man told me. Driving into work I’m thinking about how the weeds in my net from the last fish had so many tiny snails on it. Could it be that a majority of the 130 died in the 25+ years and there is a fish that has been eating this weed, unintentionally intaking loads of protein creating a genuine lake monster?! I want to find out. It may not happen this month, or this year. It might be a friend who catches it, someone I share the place with, but high odds it could get caught.

When it does I am going to dance and sing, “I told you so” I’m not crazy…not totally.

August 14, 2014:

Today I possibly caught the monstrous grass carp that I spotted 2 months ago. I had a week of vacation and barely got to fish. Most of the time was spent with my girlfriend and working on moving things and settling into our new home that we recently bought. Last day of my vacation and I just had to get out. So my good fishing pal, Austin and I pre baited a lake that I have done good on fishing short sessions. The next afternoon we set up and fished our chosen area. Early into the session I landed a nice long common in the low 20s. Wind and rain sets in and turns off after half a hour calming the lake down. Some bubbles are showing up fairly consistently moving around the area. I brought in my rod and re rigged with a new Kryston PVA bag full of crushed Jetfish Javor boilies with a splash of bread crumb. Casting out I sit back and relax.

An hour before I have to go do family things with my girlfriend I get a blasting run. Lifting up I feel the weight of something serious. The fish turns and surfaces at the same time, revealing a enormous dorsal fin which I immediately identified as that of a grass carp… an epic one. The shore was fairly shallow so I had to walk out into the water to land the fish. I don’t know what I would have done had I been by myself. I’m so glad I got to share the moment with Austin. I will never forget this day. I’ve caught 50 or more grass carp in my life. The first of which died due to my inexperience and lack of knowledge. Grass carp are a very fragile fish. More like a trout then a carp. They also do not stay very calm and I never held them due to this. This monster I kept and unhooked in water. We zero’ed the scale and moved it to my landing mat to be weighed… 59.5lbs. The fish was landed fast and was still surprisingly calm so I just went for it. Austin used his phone and started snapping away. After 40 seconds of photos I wrapped the fish up into my mat and walked back into the monsters lair. Reviving and releasing the fish successfully. The feeling was almost surreal. It took a while till I concluded that I just captured, photographed and released the biggest fish to ever be held in my hands. Did I do it?! Is this the monster I saw or is it just a sign that I did see a unspeakably, even larger fish and this isn’t even it. Could there be a larger fish? 70, 80 Pounds?! As an avid angler I must keep believing in the unknown and keep an open mind. Stay calm and keep fishing.

Massive Grassie

Amazing length to the fish

Also very thick across the back

Short Sessions – Big Rewards (Video)

by Dean Brookes

July 30, 2014

A NEW JOB BRINGS ABOUT A CHANGE OF FOCUS

After a brutal winter in the North East of America, to say I was looking forward to getting out again is an understatement. The fact is I was going stir crazy as the frigid temperatures had seriously curtailed my winter fishing. The winter refused to budge but I didn’t waste the time as I worked hard to set up a new job opportunity which finally resulted in a concrete offer. Now according to my contract my new position was based on 35 hours, but as I wanted to make the role a success I soon found this time doubling. With my free time reserved for family activities I was finding it hard to even motivate myself to get out but in late March I decided to focus on the occasional foray to my further spots while concentrating more on a local water, only 6 miles away from me.

A little scaley beauty from one of my few winter sessions

During April and May I ventured out for a grand total of 4 nights. I’ve never been a particular fan of long session fishing and much prefer sessions ranging from 12-24 hours. The fact is, longer sessions usually lead to a more casual approach and a sit and wait attitude. I prefer to spend a few hours watching the water and locating fish and having less time on the bank certainly hones this skill. A few hours in the right location will catch me just as many fish as if I fished for several days in the wrong location. The fact is, I cannot afford to sit and wait for the fish. I need to go to them and present them a meal they simply cannot refuse.

My first two overnights were very cold affairs and I really didn’t see any signs of fish no matter how long I watched the water. Even sitting up drinking coffee in the middle of the night gave me no real clues but past experience in the area had given me a good idea of where the fish would be and so I set my traps and trusted that should a fish have an urge for a snack I would be ready and waiting. As the water was still very cold I opted for a very light baiting situation using primarily a mixture of pellets that would put out plenty of attraction without filling the fish up. My location was proved correct as a stunning two tone mirror graced my net and even better it was over the magical 30lb mark.

Pellets formed my cold water attack

A cracking two tone from a very cold night session

The second session around 10 days later saw more fish activity as the weather had taken a turn for the better. This time I had more than one chance and landed three nice fish with a cracking upper twenty amongst them. The addition of a quality boilie to the pellet mixture certainly seemed to work and although I did not use a great deal of bait, the use of chopped and crumbed baits certainly gave me plenty of pulling power. Now over the last couple of years I have been utilizing PVA solid bags for a lot of my fishing as 1) It eliminates tangles, which is a must when one cast per session is the norm 2) It allows me to present a bait over almost any type of bottom, including weed 3) You can pack a lot of attraction into the bag and create an almost irresistible food pile 4) You can cast it to the horizon.

An long mirror that fell to a solid PVA Bag approach

The PVA solid bags I use are the FOX Rapide load. It takes a few bags to perfect the technique but this system is very, very easy to use. Simplicity is a must when night fishing and so I also added PVA mesh so that I could present smaller packages of bait when fishing closer in. On my third session I actually arrived a few hours before dark to find quite a few other people fishing the usual areas. Instead of getting annoyed, I took the time to drive to a few new spots and have a look around and then I spent an hour sitting and watching the water. I was looking for the carp to TELL ME where to fish and I was rewarded with a subtle show, something I would not have seen if I was not intently watching.

At this point rather than cast a lead straight at the fish (something that is the kiss of death on this venue) I quickly grabbed my bait bucket and throwing stick and scattered around 50-70 baits in the general area. I knew that not only would this temporarily move the fish off, it would also serve to attract them back in once I could get a rig out. Five minutes later I duly dispatched a ‘pink pepper’ pop-up along with a small mesh bag of pellets onto the spot. I was interested to see how the fish would react to the new bait (Nutrabaits Blue Oyster) and less than two minutes later I was playing a very angry mirror carp! The commotion in only 4 feet of water scuppered any further chances and so I prepared fresh rigs and shortly before dark got both rods out onto spots in slightly deeper water.

Nutrabaits ‘Blue Oyster’ gave me instant results

The night passed uneventfully, apart from one nice twenty and I awoke at first light to find a fish eater (in this case a Russian angler who likes to kill everything, and I mean everything that he catches) less than 20 yards to my left. Considering there is over 1 mile of bank to chose from I was not feeling particularly friendly! However, I was to have the last laugh as 30 minutes later my left hand rod ripped off and I began a tussle with an old friend. There was no hiding the fact that this was a beast of a carp and I heard an excited Russian ask me how big?? My reply of ‘only a small one’ seemed to work as he skulked off and left me alone. Finally, ‘The Pet’ was mine again.

A cracking fish and one I am happy to see over and over again. Considering the size of the water and the number of fish present it seems strange I would catch the same fish several times but you won’t hear me complaining anytime soon.

‘The Pet’ in immaculate condition

My final session on this water was particularly pleasing as I had a brace of fish with a big crowd watching and I also managed a couple of cracking night time fish. However, with work getting more and more hectic I knew I would not be getting back until late summer and so I vowed to return as the water holds one more target I want to achieve before I leave it to others.

AN OLD WATER BECOMES MY NEW WATER

Weekends now became my only chance to whet a line, which did not amuse me! I hate fishing at weekends, unless it’s Sunday night, as it attracts the nuts, the stupid, the ignorant and the downright idiotic anglers and non anglers alike. Unfortunately, there is no reasoning with STUPID so I decided to first hit up a hidden section of the tidal river to catch some commons and then concentrate on a couple of remote areas of my local lake. The tidal river session went particularly well, as fishing fake maize and corn over boilies and ground bait, laced with pellets certainly got the fish feeding and I caught over twenty commons. They were mostly lean and angry mid to upper double males but I also got a couple of bigger specimens approaching mid twenties which certainly put a smile on my face.

Tidal rivers certainly separate the men from the boys and if your tackle is not up to the job the carp will make you look stupid. I had particular success with the FOX SSBP (short shank beaked point) hooks and all of the fish I landed were nailed and the only fish I lost were down to a rather nasty sunken rock the fish like to aim for at low tide!

A typical long and lean tidal river common

After my foray onto the river I was to put short session fishing to the test. I had a Memorial Day Tournament to attend and as I needed to avoid the traffic and get a 5am start I decided to fish for a few hours before making the drive. I arrived in darkness and stealthily hid myself away. I knew the swim intimately, even though I hadn’t fished it for 18 months and after setting up my rods I waded my baits into position and scattered some hemp, pellets, corn and boilies over the top and settled down under the stars. I can’t say I was expecting too much but shortly after 2am one of the rods erupted into life and I made my way out into the lake to battle with whatever was on the other end of the line. After a spirited battle a cracked upper twenty made it’s way onto the mat. I quickly got the rod back into position and rebaited.

A welcome surprise

A few hours later the rod signaled another bite and the procedure was repeated. Another upper twenty! A cracking result and reward for making the effort. The session ended on a bit of a downer as while returning one of the fish I had another take, only for the fish to take me through an underwater snag and slip the hook. I hate losing fish, but especially when I am fish waters where I know the next fish could be a truly special carp.

Another upper twenty and reward for making the effort

I tried another short night session in the same swim, but I was fairly sure the fish would be elsewhere spawning and ultimately I was proved correct with a big, fat blank. I never stress too much over not catching as it all goes into the knowledge bank for future reference. I actually did not manage to get out again for another few weeks and I now felt the fish would be back from spawning and again, past experience paid off with a couple of nice scaley mirrors, one going just short of 30lb’s. The highlight of this session was listening to a concert going on locally and a massive firework display, all of which never seem to bother the carp on this lake as it’s the norm, not the exception.

Another long and lean upper twenty

EXPLORING NEW SPOTS

This brings me up to the last couple of weeks where I decided to rest my other swim for a few weeks and explore a new area of the lake. In this case I decided to take my kayak out as it makes access to the spot much easier and also allows me to bait up by boat if required. Unfortunately, I had picked a Saturday night which I knew would mean lots of boat traffic with most of them being drunk or well on their way. I was not to be disappointed!! It was madness on the water with all kinds of parties going on until the early hours and one boat nearly crashing into the bank. Oh well, back to the fishing.

I started with a couple of bullheads. Not a good sign as once on the bait they are very much a problem. My solution was to move the rod into deeper water and bait only with boilies (Nutrabaits Techni-spice, glugged with hemp oil). It seemed to work with a couple of smaller fully scaled fish, gradually getting bigger in size until I caught a nice upper double. The boilies seemed to kick into life at first light and I had a run of fish resulting in a beauty, well into the 30lb range. Now, the lake has and does produce big fish but these are few and far between and when you catch a 30lb+ fish from it’s depths it is usually well earned.

This fish made me very happy

A week later I planned a return session, but on closer inspection there appeared to be some kind of party, more akin to a Pagan sacrifice taking place. I decided to give the reveler’s a wide berth and took it as an omen I should be trying a new spot anyway. I paddled around and found an area I liked the look of, with the water going from 4 feet to a nice 10 foot plateau before dropping off to over 30 feet. As it was now dark I used the throwing stick and deposited around a kilo or so of mixed boilies at 50 yards with the plan to move both rods onto the spot should the carp become active. For now, the other rod went onto the 10 foot plateau and was baited with 10-15 balls of ground bait, laced with hemp, sweetcorn and chow pellets. Over this I fished fake maize as I knew that while not as selective as boilies it would almost certainly attract fish to the area and I could then change the baiting situation on future sessions if the area proved to be a fish holder.

The night was quite, apart from a boat that turned up at 2am, anchored a few hundred yards away and then for the next two hours regaled me with numerous songs and ditties. Seriously, I am not sure why anyone would chose to do this, but the same could be said of my own carp fishing addiction. Once they departed the fish seemed to respond and I was away at 4am. Unfortunately the fish found a massive area of water cabbages, which I thought I had avoided and even though I took the boat out, the fish won the day. Feeling sorry for myself I retreated onto my chair and it wasn’t until after 6am that redemption was mine in the shape of an awesome scaley mirror. The fish had everything I loved about the carp in this lake. Scaley, fin perfect and angry!

A fish with an attitude

I returned it to it’s watery home and got a couple of hours of sleep before finally deciding that the fish had beaten me. I packed up everything and just had the rods left on the deck. Having checked the weather the evening before I was not expecting the thunderstorm that now descended upon me. At the same time as the rain started so did the action over the baited boilie spot. Sitting under the tree canopy I watched as clutch of one of my reels started to smoke! I quickly got into the water and waded 80 yards down the margins to reduce the chance of the fish kiting into the water cabbages and after a spirited battle I landed another one of the lakes beautiful mirrors. Having packed away everything, I had just unhooked the fish when the second rod decided to spring to life. At this point it would be easy to panic and leave the other fish on the mat, but instead. I tightened the clutch on the spinning reel to slow the fish down and moved the carp on the mat into the retaining sling. I then set the net back up before finally picking the rod up to play the fish. It was still attached shortly after a mid teen fully scaled mirror was quickly unhooked and released.

Ancient looking mirror

At this point the rain increased and so did the thunder. Knowing that I was stuck for the time being I recast both rods and sat down hoping that the rain would ease off, allowing me to kayak back to my car. Less than 5 minutes later one of the rods took off again and better still I got the take, fight and landing all on video. The fish turned out to be a stunner in the shape of a wild looking fully scaled mirror. It’s not the biggest fish I’ve ever caught but I couldn’t have asked for a prettier carp to finish the session.

A wild looking fully scaled mirror

During a lull in the storm I managed to get back to dry land and the safety of my car, but not without an absolute drenching in the process. I’m really glad I made the decision to concentrate on this lake again as while I can fish areas with more carp and areas with bigger carp, I truly feel this lake tests me as an angler. At times fishing can be heart breaking and at times it can be ridiculously easy, but this lake offers everything. It can be both urban and rural as it stretches for 4 miles; it has limited bank access even with a boat; the water traffic is unreal with pleasure boaters, water skiers, jet skiers, a very large rowing club and numerous pontoons full of partiers to contend with; it has a few shallow areas but for the most part drops to 20-60 feet in depths; it has a growing population of bow hunters; it has an annoyingly active population of catfish (bullheads) and finally the carp! While the lake has decent numbers of fish they are spread out and the bigger specimens are very much territorial and stick to the same areas which means with limited bank access it can be hard to even fish for them. There are also a lot more low to mid double fish than bigger specimens and to be selective you really have to work at your tactics. Any pre-baiting only results in attracting the bullheads and smaller carp and in the past I have spent a lot of time and money ‘priming’ areas only to be plagued with the wrong species. After all is said and done, I absolutely love this lake and smile every time my alarm sounds.

I’ll be busy for the next couple of weeks, but am already planning my return and hopefully I can catch the fish I have spent so many hours daydreaming of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkEZG-qZxfI&feature=youtu.be

Meet the Contributor: John Finney

by Dean Brookes

June 29, 2014

John Finney

45 years old
Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Hometown: Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK

Carping CV: PB common: 37 lb 5 oz (USA), PB mirror: 18 lb (UK)

Introduction

I first became interested in carp fishing in the late 70s, as a wee lad, aged, 9. My youth was spent fishing local day ticket venues, such as Stanborough Lakes and the adjoining River Lea. I had but basic tackle and whatever baits I could raid from the pantry at home. My UK PB remains an 18 lb mirror from Stanborough, caught on a simple homemade dough ball, with a 6ft medium action rod, 4 lb test line, and basic spin cast reel – all from Woolworth’s!

In the mid 80’s I put down my rods for other pursuits and did not return to the sport until 2012, in a whole new country. Not only has the carping addiction taken hold of me again but my adventures are now video blogged in “CarpQuest” on youtube, for all to enjoy, the highs, the lows, the many cups of coffee consumed!

I write articles on carp fishing for local fishing forums and am the CAG State Chair for Colorado.

I work hard to educate and dispel the many myths and rumors concerning carp fishing here in the USA. I enjoy taking new people to the sport out fishing and helping others realize their own carping goals. I am passionate in the advocacy that carp fishing can not only be challenging, but affordable to the entry level angler and most of all, tremendous addictive fun.

Why carp fishing?

When I think back to my youth I can still fondly recall those warm summer days, sitting upon the bank, rod in hand, a knitting needle as a makeshift monkey climber, waiting for the bite. Those memories have stayed with me through my adult life and the passion for carp has not diminished.

Most obsessive thing you have done to catch a carp?

Fished into a constant 35mph headwind, with gusts over 50mph, our chairs flying, huge white caps, impossible casting and a constant spray of water blowing in my face. End result, a fine 28 lb common was banked. Closely followed by fishing in a dust storm, end result, broken camcorder and a blank for the session!

A nice ‘Big Water’ common

Angler(s) you most respect?

John Wilson. I watched his show “Go Fishing” growing up as a child. A true “gentleman” in the way he educates anglers and entertains his viewers. Any angler that shares their knowledge, exudes passion for carp and takes pleasure in others success as much as their own.

Worst tackle purchase ever?

I don’t blame my tackle. I have to accept that often I have made some poor, or inappropriate choices, through a lack of knowledge or being lured in by the latest “bright” and “shiny” gizmo out there. Most of my tackle is purchased on a tight budget. I look for tackle that gets the job done, is reliable and durable at an affordable price point.

Favorite baits?

Flavored corn/maize and particles, GLM in particular.

What was your best ever session?

May 2013, Chatfield Reservoir.

I caught my PB common carp at 37 lb 5oz. The two friends I was with, first time at the venue for them, each caught their PB common and mirror.

5 PB’s in a day between us – what a day !

Favorite catch?

My current PB common.

For the 2013 season I had set myself the goal of catching my first ever 30. A few weeks before this memorable day I landed a new PB common from Chatfield Reservoir at 28 lb, in horrific windy conditions. Given the average carp from the venue seemed to be in the mid-doubles that fish had been a real surprise. After that capture I became obsessed with “big fish” fever and fished Chatfield at every opportunity that was available. Big carp are rare in Colorado and perhaps I had set for myself an unrealistic goal.

A few weeks later I was back at Chatfield again, fishing with a couple friends, their first time at the venue. It was a very light hearted and fun session, lots of joking and playful banter between us. We were setup fishing in a line down the bank, perhaps 30 yards apart. I was using mussel flavored corn with a simple panko & creamed corn pack. My friends, a variety of their own hook baits, sweetcorn, dough balls, pack. They had put some nice fish on the bank already including some new PBs. The day could not get any better, or so I thought.

After spending a few hours helping in netting and weighing their prizes I finally had a good fast strong take on one of my rods. Lifting into the rod I could tell immediately she was a good fish but I had no idea just how huge she was. Carp at Chatfield are notorious for kiting right into the bank early in the tight and this fish was no different. I had previously suffered a few cut-offs against the rocks in the shallows and hoped this would not be a repeat. Thankfully, after her initial run, she swam back out fairly straight and I worked her back in. After about 10 minutes I finally got her to the shore and she was safely netted.

With the high surf I could not really see how big she was. My friend that netted her started to joke that I had caught a “River Monster”, he even made straining sounds as he tried to lift the fish from the water. Given our earlier banter I presumed he was toying with me. When he finally hauled the beast from the water, and placed her in the carp cradle, I could see it was no joke. She was huge, perfect golden scales glistening in the sun, fat belly, almost the length of the cradle. I could not believe I had caught her.

We weighed her in at 37 lb 5 oz. This would have been a new Colorado state record capture, the previous record was 35 lbs. I knew immediately that I was going to release her – the record did not matter, I would take pleasure in seeing her swim away to be caught again another day.

We took lots of photo’s, some video and then set her free. I still cannot believe that I had caught such a specimen. It will be a day I never forget. We nicknamed her “CarpZilla”, a real monster from the depths.

Of course, now I know there must be a 40 lb’er out there somewhere with my name on her – the obsession continues for another year!

Current PB

Top tips?

Research a new venue in advance of turning up at the bankside. There is a vast array of information out there on the web at your fingertips, be it topographic maps with depth charts, weather forecast, local fishing forums and articles. Time spent researching in advance is often well rewarded. Don’t be afraid to try something new or ask questions. If you get a chance, talk to the local bailiff, park ranger, fish and game warden or another angler. Ask them what the conditions are like or for suggestions on swims and locations that are producing. Local knowledge can invaluable. Don’t be afraid to ask !

Favorite rig?

A simple KD bolt rig, 2oz lead, with a popped up piece of corn/maize.

Worst ever session?

I’ve had rods snap on casting, huge captures elude me but inches from the landing net after a multi-day session. My chair has previously turned into a pair of skis, with me siting upon it, straight down a slope. There was an early spring 10 session streak without a single capture from a favorite local venue.

There are no bad sessions. Even when you fail to land a fish you are still learning, gaining knowledge, what works, what doesn’t. Keep a log book of all your trips, record everything, weather, water conditions, baits, locations, even when you fail to catch.

Fishing should be fun!