Take half a day off work yesterday and headed out for some more R&D (Research & Development). I have been searching for some new water.
This is the area that I have been fishing. I have been primarily working the Northern right pond. It is fed from two separate streams Steamboat Creek and the other I cannot remember. Most of the water is unaccessible due to the golf course, which is going to be closed for a new road system at some point. Until then sometimes you have to be a little stealthy! On this outing I headed to the Southern end of the of the golf course were the water flows before it ever gets onto the golf course property. It seems prosperous!
This seemed like a good sign to me! A few tracks from other people but you could hear the Carp splashing around! I even surprised these two bucks hiding in the willows.
(Picture of Deer HERE)
I made my way around the protective fence to keep people out and headed down the walking path. I have gained alot of knowledge from Carp, soley by how fast I walk. Go to fast and they just blast out of there, to slow and they continue with what they are doing. I made my slow stroll down the path, watching, looking and marking where Carp could be seen clooping, tailing, mudding and cruising. Making it to the bend in the path I started fishing where the water opened up to shallow. I could see and hear Carp sucking the top water farther out than I could cast, so I narrowed my targets to any fish directly in front of me. First one was a dud! Instead I took his scale, darn false hook!
The next hook up was SOLID! This one was not a flase hook. With no where to go this was a quick battle. He wieghed in at 4 lbs.
Next Carp came in at 6lbs, this one was landed in a okward spot in some tules. I was attempting to take a picture with my iPhone, I decieded not to after I dropped the phone in the water. It landed one foot under water on a rock, DAMN the luck! Thank goodness the phone was ok. That was the 3rd time it has been under water in a standard Otterbox case, time for an upgrade! Otterbox Armour!
After landing the last Carp, I headed to my everyday spot. I have been working the opposite side of the pond, there seems to be less pressure there and I have seen more tailing and mudding Carp there.
I parked at my normal spot and headed across the bridge to get in position. While crossing the bridge I always look to see whats lingering. There were two nice carp working the fast moving water. I flicked the Hyrbid Carp Worm out, to the Carp on the right. BOOM, he's on! Or that's what I thought. It was a real fighter, I scrambled off the bridge and into the tall White Top (a type of brush in this area). I moved down the steep bank to the waters edge and hand stripped the fish in. To my surprise it was not a Carp, instead it was a nice Channel Catfish. I figured the Catfish was right under the Carp and beat him to the punch!
I moved down the bank seeing many Carp. No takers, so I continued down to a section that I have never been in. There were Carp everywhere! Jumping all over each other, darting here and there! I see the dark shadow of one moving by, toss the Hybrid out. I see him dart to his left and BOOM take off! This one was swimming for the other shore, striping line off like it was hooked to a truck! I finally got the brakes on and returned him back to where he started, he blasted off again this time through some weed beds. Now I am tangled up in the weeds. After untangling and hauling the Carp to the net he was finally mine! Last Carp of the day 9 solid pounds. Couldn't have been better!
