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Wow what a day I just had. I got down to Town Lake for first light, this was going to be the time I tried out my new found knowledge I learnt from English Andrew. After our trip last Wednesday I got home and ordered a more powerful rod (12' Nash Venom 3.5lb test curve), some method feeders, some Buckeye Blend groundbait (from wacker baits), 12+kgs hemp seed and a ton more Carp Fishing gear. I want to point out last week I was saying to Andrew I have NEVER been snapped off by a fish on Town Lake. However I tried to order some 30lb Power Pro online to replace my 12lb monfilament (as the diameter is thinner on the power pro but the 12lb line is more sporting.) but Big Carp Tackle were out of stock, so I went to Amazon and ordered some there but it didn't qualify for Prime shipping hence I didn't get it in time for todays trip.
This time I didn't forget to bring the sweetcorn. I mixed the the buckeye with sweetcorn and hemp and got it out about 5 feet from the second strutt of the bridge, setup my landing net (I always do that before I put a rod out) then proceeded to get the rods tackled up and cast. I was then setting up the 3rd rod and .... beeeeeeep 17lb common carp.
Probably about 9.45 or so my friend Chris came down to speak about a new business he had just setup and needed some information about making the most out of his website; so we were chatting for maybe an hour before he had to head to work at Mother Egans, that's an Irish Pub on West 6th St.
20 or so minutes later I had another visitor, this guy was a bass fisherman from Denver, so we started chatting and then beeeeep another screamer. This one took off like a steam train, I got it within 20 yards of the bank - snap, the line broke, how is that for karma? I never even saw the fish and that leaves a hole in your stomach and a ton of what ifs in your head. If only the power pro had got here in time, what if it was a 40lb+, you get the idea; anyway I controlled myself in company and didn't swear until he had left.
I setup again and cast out within inches of where I had just hooked the fish and a few minutes later the bite alarms sounded off again beeeeep, I thought wow I am getting another chance, again off it went and once again got it within 20 feet of the bank and within inches of where the last carp had snapped my line and yep you got it - snap another one gone; again, I never saw it, I can only imagine. I am thinking there maybe an underwater snag as it happened so close to each other both times. Anyway this time I was on my own and if it had been on TV it would not have been the bite alarms that went beep, if you get my drift.
Maybe an hour or so after that I had a guy setup fishing next to me, I think he was after catfish. I got another screamer this one really tore off and I had an audience hanging over the bridge cheering me on, while I was playing this fish the right hand rod also went off like a steam train, I initially thought the Carp I had on my line had snagged but soon realised that was not the case, so I asked the guy fishing next to me if he could grab the rod before the fish tore off all the line or bounced the rod in the water. Well the people on the bridge were amused it was like Laurel and Hardy. The other fish was on my new rod (so I didn't get to christen it) and the fish I had was on my lightest rod (1 3/4lb test curve.) The end result - 18lb carp and luckily I had the biggest on my line 24lb, see below.
 Ok so things have started to liven up right? Well the best is still to come. The Cat fisherman left, the crowds dispersed and I was all on my lonesome and I got another run, everybody had told me Buffs don't fight as well as the commons, this one did a pretty good imitation of a sizeable common I tell ya! After maybe 15 minutes probably 5 (Time seems to disappear when a carp is on the line) I got it close to the net, well I had 2/3rds of this fish in the net twice and it swam out as the net was too small to get it all in, so I just jumped in the water up to my knees and somehow managed to get it in the net and scramble up the bank trying to lift this fish (in the net) in one hand and the rod in the other, It must have been a funny sight. A guy was watching on the bridge so I asked if he would come and take a photo of it, which he did but they were not very good so I asked someone else and then someone else so I had 3 people taking pictures on my camera, hoping at least some would turn out good. I weighed it and it went 39lb 9oz though I had to take the weight off the weigh sling which was 1lb 1oz so my first ever Buffalo Carp weighed 38lb 8oz. I got this on a bolt rig with a large large scopex boilie on a hair, I had been told buffs prefer smaller baits and prefer freelined rigs, so I guess this buff really did think he was a common.
For more pics of this fish click here. |
into the mainstream European sport we know today.
