Fishing - Big fish
- Thread starter mikek
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I picked up fishing as a hobby in 2005 (only catch and release…I’m certain I must have caught over a thousand fish since then but I’ve NEVER eaten a single one). I first started off bass fishing and it was great fun (love the largemouth bass)
Typical Largemouth bass I'd catch
But one day in 2005 I saw this man fighting a really strong fish. He must have fought it for at least a good 10 minutes (not something you see often in freshwater fishing). It turned out to be a fish called a common carp (species cyprinus carpio). I’ve never seen a fish fight that hard in that lake and I had to catch it for myself. A few days later I ended up catching one and somehow that year I got hooked on carp fishing and couldn’t fish for anything else.
Carp has an interesting view here in our country. In Europe and Asia, carp is the most popular freshwater gamefish (especially in the United Kingdom or UK) but here in America, it’s the complete opposite…virtually no one fishes for them. As someone who purposefully pursues this fish, that’s both good and bad. Good because I can show up in any water and I’m pretty much the only one fishing for carp while everyone else is fishing for bass, crappie, catfish, walleye, etc. so my target fish is unpressured. On the otherhand, bad because people think I’m absolutely nuts fishing for carp lol. I personally don’t care what people think…if it fights hard and rips a hundred yards of drag, then I don’t care what fish it is, I’m gonna catch it.
In the next post, I’d like to share some pics of carp I’ve caught.
Typical Largemouth bass I'd catch
But one day in 2005 I saw this man fighting a really strong fish. He must have fought it for at least a good 10 minutes (not something you see often in freshwater fishing). It turned out to be a fish called a common carp (species cyprinus carpio). I’ve never seen a fish fight that hard in that lake and I had to catch it for myself. A few days later I ended up catching one and somehow that year I got hooked on carp fishing and couldn’t fish for anything else.
Carp has an interesting view here in our country. In Europe and Asia, carp is the most popular freshwater gamefish (especially in the United Kingdom or UK) but here in America, it’s the complete opposite…virtually no one fishes for them. As someone who purposefully pursues this fish, that’s both good and bad. Good because I can show up in any water and I’m pretty much the only one fishing for carp while everyone else is fishing for bass, crappie, catfish, walleye, etc. so my target fish is unpressured. On the otherhand, bad because people think I’m absolutely nuts fishing for carp lol. I personally don’t care what people think…if it fights hard and rips a hundred yards of drag, then I don’t care what fish it is, I’m gonna catch it.
In the next post, I’d like to share some pics of carp I’ve caught.
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Here are a few big carp I've caught over the years. These pics are a few years old. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding time to go fishing these days because I’m over 30 now….age has a way of taking away all your free time lol.
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I just like fishing of all kinds. I don't really buy into the whole trash fish, royal fish distinction because I think that dichotomy was propagated for marketing purposes to elevate certain species as the ultimate sports fish (also since I don't eat fish I catch, I don't care if they're bottom feeders, mid water column feeders or surface feeders).
Here's another species I like to target when I have time. It's a species of catfish called "Blue Catfish" and they grow over 100 lbs. I've never caught one that big (my personal best is only 47 lbs) but if I get some free time this fall/winter I'd love to try to up that to 60 lbs (I've been saying that for a couple years now lol but never found the time to go out...maybe this year). Here's a smaller one I caught a few years ago.
Here's another species I like to target when I have time. It's a species of catfish called "Blue Catfish" and they grow over 100 lbs. I've never caught one that big (my personal best is only 47 lbs) but if I get some free time this fall/winter I'd love to try to up that to 60 lbs (I've been saying that for a couple years now lol but never found the time to go out...maybe this year). Here's a smaller one I caught a few years ago.
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This one's an action shot so to speak. I took this before gopro came out so I was really proud of this picture...the fact that I snapped the picture right as I released the fish back into the water lol. Now that I have a GOPRO camera, I'm sure I can get cooler pics when I get out again.
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What'sUpDOHC!
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That's pretty cool and those fish look like monsters lol I'm getting into diving now and if I seen those fish in the water I'd think their sharks haha about your exhaust can't wait to see it in the FS section might be interested.
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Dtexan
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Wow those are some great looking fish! What part of the country are you in?
Also what is this rig?
Also what is this rig?
Dar-Dar
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I go salt water fishing. I accidentally caught a sea turtle last summer, it was a baby. It was probably 18" long and probably weight 15-20 lbs. Lol. I didn't have any pics.
The fish that you caught are huge. What lines are you using?
The fish that you caught are huge. What lines are you using?
Monk
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Welcome, like your post with the pictures............ You can also get post credits by welcoming other new members...... But don't stop posting your pic's.
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Thanks! When using monofilament line I like to use 15 lb test Berkley Big Game so I can still get some casting ability. But when using braided line, I like 40 lb test Power Pro because with braid the diameter is still very thin.
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Thanks! Hopefully I'm able to post on the User Classifieds in a couple days.
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KennyGS
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Maybe you might actually like hanging around here afterwards.
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Wow those are some great looking fish! What part of the country are you in?
Also what is this rig?
Thanks! I'm in Northern VA, about 30 minutes away from DC.
That contraption up there is a bite alarm system. The line goes through the sensor and any movement triggers the alarm making it beep. The blue weighted line clips keeps tension on the line in case the fish picks up the hook and swims towards you. When that happens, the line will go slack but because the blue clip is pulling the line down, it'll still register on the sensor even if the fish swims towards you making the line slack. If the fish bites and swims away from you, then you don't need the blue clip because the line will still be in tension...so the clips are only needed for "drop back" takes. Does that make sense? It's kinda hard to explain by typing. The equipment is from the UK and was made specifically for carp fishing. That particular setup is not mine but mine looks very similar. If you look at my rod pics in post #1, you can see that I'm also using the bite alarms albeit without the clips.
The entire thing is set up on a rod pod or rod stand. The reel's tension or drag is set loose so that the rod and pod doesn't fly into the water from a strong take from a big fish. Once a fish starts peeling line and registers on the alarm, you pick up the rod and tighten the drag with either a "baitrunner" reel or a conventional reel.
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Yes, I think would. The forum is a great place to hang out with like minded people. Really enjoy a lot of the car posts. I even got connected with VitViper from the forum to tune my car.
KennyGS
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Cool!
Dar-Dar
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I use a 50lb Berkley braided line for my 10' poles. I also use a 3oz weight for casting. A bunch of fishermen where I fish use 20lb lines, but the giant bluefish just tear them apart. Lol.
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Thanks....glad you enjoyed my post and pics. Here's a couple more pics.
One of my rigs for carp.
This one's probably my most memorable and favorite catch. It actually made it into a magazine and was published.
This one was pregnant and full of eggs....caught at prespawn.
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- #19
Yeah bluefish are awesome (never caught any big ones but I stay away from saltwater because it just gets too crowded for my taste). But for blues, I think you have to use a steel leader for 'em because like you said, their teeth are just too much for mono or even braid to handle. They are viscous...there are a lot of stories of people losing fingers to 'em. If I ever catch a big one, I'm definitely gonna be really careful in handling them lol.
KennyGS
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Yes! You need steel leaders, and they will mess up your hand/finger if not careful. They like whole squid as bait.