Spring has been delayed a bit, as we still had more snow. I am getting frustrated, as I remember that early May has always started my stillwater season. Let's see if the ice is going to melt in the next three weeks...
Anyway, on with my ramblings. I have been asking myself questions about what should we value in our carp catches. I think when considering just the fish and it's value, it can be divided into three things: weight, looks and the strength of the fish. Take away any of these three values, and you can easily understand what my point is. If you get a monster fish, that fights well, but looks like... well... a monster (in a bad sense), you won't be satisfied with the catch. I have seen numerous pictures of carp that shouldn't have been photographed at all.
If you catch a nice-looking small fighter, you wish it had been bigger? What about if your carp record, beautifully formed would just wobble into the net, without putting up a scrap...
It's not rocket science, but I reckon people tend to value these things differently. My valuation is biased to having good fighting carp on the end of my line. If I just want to hold something heavy in my hands, I think I'll try to lift my car... Don't get me wrong, of course I love catching big carp.
I think I caught the hardest fighting carp ever last summer. It was the same night I had a double run... But anyway, I woke up to my alarm. When I got to my pod, the carp had ripped easily 50 m of line from my spool. I lifted the rod and set on the drag. The carp just went on... I put on more drag force and tried to increase the pressure with my forefinger... The carp just went on.
After I had taken the rod into my hands, the fish took 50 m of line before it stopped! And I had my 0,40 mm mono screaming for mercy all the time! After it stopped it had me fighting for every meter of line. At the time I had it in my landing net, I was completely exhausted. My shoulders were sore and numb. The fish was about 8,5 kg. But it had been the toughest of them all. Trust me, I will remember that fish until the day I die.
After I had taken the rod into my hands, the fish took 50 m of line before it stopped! And I had my 0,40 mm mono screaming for mercy all the time! After it stopped it had me fighting for every meter of line. At the time I had it in my landing net, I was completely exhausted. My shoulders were sore and numb. The fish was about 8,5 kg. But it had been the toughest of them all. Trust me, I will remember that fish until the day I die.
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| Common carp tend to put a harder fight than mirrors or leathers. All released with the hope of seeing again someday... |
