Surprise Carp

While bass fishing in a small Alabama lake last week, I was certainly surprised to catch a big carp on a crankbait, with the fish hooked in its rubbery lips. Adding even greater surprise, I caught another carp, the very next day, in a totally different lake, with a Pop-R. The second carp, with probably weighed 5 or 6 pounds, absolutely annihilated my little popper on the surface, hitting it with as much vigor as any striper or redfish I've ever caught.

I've only caught a few carp in my life, so to catch two on back to back days in different waters, and both on artificial lures, was pretty odd. In both cases, I was astounded by the fish's strength, speed and stamina. Considering that carp live fairly slow-moving lifestyles (from my understanding anyway), not doing any hunting, they seem to be amazingly fit. I actually don't know when or if I would have gained enough control of the bigger first-day carp to unhook it without "gripper" help from another angler.

Carp was species 13 on my 2015 species list. The first of a couple of spotted bass I caught the next day on the Coosa River was No. 15. To be more specific about the carp listing, I'm guessing grass carp, simply based on the fish having been stocked in small private lakes for grass control. However, if you know the carp species, based on the photo, please let me know (jeff.samsel.fishing@gmail.com).

Cool Kayak Float

 



After two productive days of bass fishing in a small lakes (more on that in a later post), the folks from Hobie-Fishing changed things up yesterday with a cool float down the Coosa River through a section of river that's far wilder and prettier than I would have expected so close to Montgomery, Alabama. I know from pictures I'd seen that the river contained some formidable rapids, but the whole character of the river had a sense of being much farther from city life than was the truth.

 

I was also impressed by how the Hobies handled the rapids. The MirageDrive petal system and rudder hang down, so you can't engage them over shallow shoals. They're quick and easy to lift, though, so it's simple to switch to a kayak paddle when needed. The kayaks are also light enough to portage when necessary, so we carried those over feistiest part of the biggest rapid.

 

The fish weren't overly cooperative yesterday. I caught two spots and no one in the group caught many. That was fine, though. The float would have been cool with no fishing rods. Apparently, with the right water levels and approaches and the bite on, the spotted bass fishing can be quite extraordinary where we were. In fact, some local anglers who know the river well believe the next world record will come from that stretch of river.

 

Despite good intentions, very long days got the best of me, and I failed to keep blog posts flowing while I was on the road. I'll write more about other aspects of the trip in the next day or two, and then it's on to the White River for trout!

Ready to Roll

Junk is in the Fiesta hatch, and I'm just about ready to get on the road for my first April trip of 2015. Assuming thunderstorms don't keep us off the water, I should be fishing by early afternoon. Largemouth fishing tops the agenda today and tomorrow. Spots may come into play more on Wednesday, when we'll float a stretch of the Coosa River.

I'll be fishing from a Hobie-Fishing kayak with folks from Hobie, including fishing legend Hank Parker and NFL hall-of-famer Jackie Smith.  The Hobie boats are super efficient and a load of fun to fish from, so I'm looking forward to that approach.

Watch for updates here, and I'll do my best to do a better job of keeping things current than I have of late. A new phone that isn't bogged down and is better suited for blogging takes away one excuse, so we'll see!