Saturday, April 20, 2013

My First Carp on The Fly While Bluegill Fishing

Today was supposed to be my day to increase my numbers for my bluegill quest at Walker County Lake. It turned out to be a morning of fishing behind the cork and bobber fishermen chasing the bluegill alongside me. There was one surprise that really made this trip unforgettable.
This 20" Carp sucked in my tiny Dragon Fly under an overhanging brush right after I launched the boat. What made this trip so unforgettable is the fact I landed this brut on my 3 wt. 8 1/2 ft. --it took nearly 15 minutes to land it. This was the largest fish I have ever landed on my 3 wt.
This little Dragon Fly in size 8 was a winner for me last year with the bluegill, and it proved to be a today.
Sorry for the image quality, the Dragon took this bull, which was left behind by the cork fisherman. It will get more difficult to land numbers as the spawn gets into full swing because everyone knows exactly when these fish spawn.
This monster left behind----- a chore on the 3wt.
After the Dragon topwater action slowed I went to the Seal Leech from David at Trout Zone
Nice female on the Dragon
I ended the trip using the Wluff in a small shaded area close to the dock. 

26 comments:

  1. Congrats on the carp Bill. That had to be one heck of a fight. All in all it looks like you had a great day on the water.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's not just any carp, that's a Grass Carp, and I think they may be even more difficult to catch than the Common Carp... at least from what I've read on other blogs. Congrats on some fine catches!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bill, I can't imagine catching that carp on a 3 wt. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have only caught grass carp with poppers. Nice catches all around.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now that had to be some kind of fun landing that carp on the fly rod! Nice 'gills also! Looks like a great time was had.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Trail
    I got the fish on the drag as fast as I could, otherwise I would have never landed it. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jay
    Yes it is a grass crap, the Game and Fish have the lake stocked with them. I have seen some in the lake as long as 3 ft. It went after the Dragon twice before it ever got hooked. It made my trip for sure. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  8. Howard
    I actually thought the carp was going to break the rod, it was nearly double at times. The thing went belly up after about 15 minutes of battle. I was lucky to land it. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kevin
    Yes this is a grass carp. I was amazed it even hit my little fly. Thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bill
    The carp was the bonus; I know I will have problems the rest of the spawn to land many quality bluegills, because of the pressure on the beds. thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  11. Awesome! Jay is right - grassies can be really tough to catch. Getting one on a fly is an accomplishment. I'm glad your 3 wt survived the encounter. Nice job!
    Ty

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bass on a dry fly. awesome. Those "rough" fish sure can fight. I love landing those "squaw" fish every now and then. But you and that grass carp!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That 3wt was really tested with that carp.
    Well done Bill.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice catch! That had to be an awesome battle 3 wt -vs- grass carp. Jay is right, those are definitely much more difficult to catch than common carp. Looks like an awesome outing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ty
    Reading your carp post I could only imagine what landing one of these fish was like now I know. thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  16. Alan
    I was afraid it was going to break, but it was up for the task. thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  17. Casey
    Unforgettable to say the least!!--thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  18. Josh
    This trip had a little of bit of everything as far as fish was concerned. thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  19. Justin
    Probably will never happen again for me on the fly with the grass crap

    ReplyDelete
  20. Very nice carp there Bill!!! That thing must have been a lot of fun on that light rod...

    ReplyDelete
  21. John
    Very unusual, for grass carp to hit that tiny fly--thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  22. David
    Lot of practice for a large brown on the Caney; I think I could land the brown a little quicker. thanks for the comment

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh man, that carp must have put up a hell of a fight! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  24. J
    You got that right, it was one fly rod fight I will remember for a long time--thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete