Saturday, December 22, 2012

Biggun For Christmas

Yeah, Santa has brought us a little snow and has not been overly generous on the weather lately.  I can't complain though.  Can't complain one bit, because yesterday he brought a:


I may have to talk with Santa about a new camera too because what followed was ridiculous.  Combine my state of adrenaline rushed anxiety with a 12 second timer and you get a comedy of errors.

Picture 1:  Obligatory and boring "in the net" picture.  I do this with every big carp now so that I have at least SOMETHING to remember it by after the "19lb Mirror Debacle of 2012".


Picture 2:  Biggun wriggles wildly while trying to lift it into position resulting in the ever charming "have you hugged a biggun lately?" photo.


Picture 3: Biggun wriggles wildly while extracting it from the net resulting in the penultimate action-style "have you dove head-first into freezing water to rescue your biggun lately?" photo.


Picture 4: Angler is now nervous (and cold) and goes for a safe 12 seconds or less pose resulting in a truly classy "have you been pictured in a compromising position with a biggun lately?" photo.  Thankfully the photo was out of focus saving both parties (whoever they may be) considerable embarrassment.


Picture 4: Biggun finally recognizes my considerable resolve to get a halfway decent photo of my personal best DSP carp.  The picture snaps halfway through the process of lifting it but I have just enough time to say cheese and it comes out half-ass decent anyways.  Somehow it looks twice as big in the "have you hugged a biggun" picture.  That one gets posted to facebook.  Naturally.


So, you may be frothing at the mouth wondering why I am wasting your time with bad photography instead of giving you the dirt.

I caught this carp on Friday blind casting an Olive McTage's McLuvin.  Between a trace of snow-melt stain in the water and a complete lack of sun nothing else but blind-casting was an option.  I was stripping the fly in as slowly as I possibly could while maintaining contact with the fly when suddenly I made contact with something else.  Something large and in charge.  Something with HEFT!  The battle lasted at least two minutes which is extra-ordinary and when I lifted the net I knew immediately that it would go 20+.  As a matter of fact it was 22lb and 32" which is my largest DSP carp to date by two pounds.  In December.

Thanks Santa.  In return I promise to not eat your cookies this year. Well, maybe just one.


24 comments:

  1. Beast! I'm gearing up for some night carpin right now and yes, it's snowing and I'm crazy.

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    1. Night carpin! Intriguing, I must hear more. I have seriously almost bought some of those spy-kids night vision glasses twice now. Night fishing can be such a cool experience, haven't tried it for carp yet. They feed a ton at night though, I am certain of that.

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  2. I think we use the same type of net. I bought mine on ebay after a twenty pounder destroyed my smaller net. Beautiful fish.

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    1. Yeah, I was having difficulty with anything over 18lb on my old Promar. When I lost it I went big. Very Very big. This one was 35 bucks at Bass Pro Shops. I hacksawed the handle short and made myself a back-sling like something out of Conan the Barbarisn and nicknamed it thundernet. Thundernet Thundernet Thundernet Hoooooooo.

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  3. That's it, I want a river, preferably urban, sans trout for solitude. You one lucky dog! And, great job!

    Gregg

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    1. Yeah man. That is the kicker. Add trout and the whole neighborhood goes to hell.

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  4. Replies
    1. Thanks Brent. Nothing like those beastly mirrors you get out there though.

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks Targhee. Hope the scribbles I made on you Trouser-Worm picture help.

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks David. Been enjoying your winter posts too.

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  7. Replies
    1. I dunno if you should be jealous Adam. You did after call catch a one pounder a couple of weeks ago and those are about as common as unicorns and the end of the rainbow and such. And welcome to the pro-staff incidentally.

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  8. Great fish McT! Keep em coming.

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    1. Thanks Mas. Hopefully fish like this will be commonplace next year on lake MI. We will be like " ah ho hum, another twenty". Its good to dream right?

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  9. Thats an awesome fish! I read this post this morning, tied up a couple of olive McLovin's, and headed over the SP.
    Even though it was sunny I didn't see any fish eating or cruising, so I tried blind-casting in a couple of the pools. Just slow stripping across the pools I had two hookups and landed the second one, maybe 13 or 14 lbs.
    This is the first time I've even had a bite blind-casting. The McLovin might be my go to for a while. Right now I'm tying some for a few of the guys at work.

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    1. Wow, that is really cool Mike. Looks like today may be it for 2012 weather-wise, glad you could get out and hook-up on the McLuvin!

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  10. Well if that is it for you in 2012, that's a pretty spectacular way to close out the year.

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    1. Seems likely Ty. The weatherman claims I am hosed for he remainder. If true it is unfortunate since I get the whole week off. Ah well, been a heck of a year!

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  11. A walk-off home-run to end the 2012 season.

    McTage, I find you highly inspirational.

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  12. That is exactly what it turned out to be too JM. The weather went south and I got sick and this turned out to be my last carp of 2012. Walk off home run indeed.

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