On Saturday I decided to head to my favorite spot on Lake Erie. Things started out quickly, but instead of carp, it was a 2 pound channel catfish. I barely had a chance to sit down in my chair after casting before the alarms were ringing with the alert. It didn't take long to figure it out - Mr. Whiskers was hungry. The familiar thump-thump-thump as I retrieved the line gave it away.
Those who regularly fish for carp know that carp are more likely to 1) bolt away-from-the-bank and keep on going, 2) swim straight-at-the-bank with hopes of finding shallow water and rid themselves of the hook, or 3) swim sideways with the same goal.
Likewise I can usually tell the size of the fish with general accuracy based on the speed that the carp takes the bait. A blazing run usually indicates a small, but scrappy fish; while a slow-roller or intermittent speed that rises and falls usually indicates a bigger fish or sometimes a small-mouth buffalo depending on the venue. (Catfish will also sometimes take the slow-roller approach, but in the places I fish I catch more catfish than carp 99% of the time.)
Lucky for me I had a slow-roller, a fast-and-furious and a couple of straight-at-the-bank fish during the session.
Here are some pictures:
This is the typical size we've been catching this year |
This 22 pound 6 ounce fish is my biggest carp since May 2017. |
The shadow on this fish is not an indication of a two-tone color, but is a shadow from the person taking the picture as the sun was behind the cameraman. |
A quality fish |
Safe return for someone else to catch in the future after the fish packs on a few more pounds. |
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