Carpin' the Slop... In My Inflatable

[Rich]

Headed out yesterday with high hopes of bass and pike, but quickly agreed after an hour of casting we wanted to slow it down and do something different.

 

The pond we were fishing is shallow, sloppy and stumpy. Add to that, there's two inches of algae all over the bottom of the place. Really, it's a big swamp. It's full of the biggest carp in the near vacinity to my house, so we figured we'd chase em.

 

We set up where the electric motor spooked the most fish. We quickly learned one anchor is not good enough. If we had bites, we didn't see them because the boat blew around even with the anchor taut. I doubt we had bites though, as our bait came up untouched everytime - covered in a half pound of green algae. Annoying, and disheartening.

 

Plan C comes into place.

 

We move to the edge of the "lily pad field" and sure enough as it always is this time of year, full of carp. But the edges are the main field of activity, judging by the 'feeding bubbles' shooting up like a hot tub all down the edge.

 

We rammed the boat right into the pad field and dropped anchor. This kept the boat stable enough. We chummed, the carp were right next to us. But not a bite. We hadn't solved the algae issue.

 

I've never had it actually work better than another rig for carp for me, but I threw on a float, removed my weights and said if the float stands up I got a fish on.

 

15 minutes pass, the float slowly veers right, then left.. i think "this is the part where he realizes it's a hook and swims away". The float stands up, slowly moves to the right. "Turtle" I say, with a laugh. PLOP... the float is screaming and so is my drag!! Fish on!! It was an amazingly different and challenging experience fighting him to the edge of the pad field and out of it. Luckily, he wasn't too big and I kept him under control.

 

 

Fish released, gone to swim again. Buddy Brandon switches to a float. He misses two, and I start to think I just lucked out and got the stupidest carp ever. Then BOOM, mine plops down again.. HUGE fish on, and no chance. He ran a good 150 feet and at least 100 of that was through the pad field. He broke off and we did a coast guard rescue for my bobber. Lucky enough we found it about 100 ft back in the pads , lmao.

 

Got back, anchored and almost instantly lost another fish. Mucked up the hookset.

 

Then an hour and a half passed. Brandon got a call from work. He decided we had to leave, he'd take the shift. I had no qualms with that , obviously, and 5 minutes later Brandon was literally having a power nap and i yelled "YOUR FLOAT!!" He sat up, rubbed his eyes, set the hook, and after a shorter tussle than my fish but still a great open water battle, he landed this one.

 

 

That rounded the day up! Carp fishin that way was awesome and I just might go back tomorrow morn with a little larger rod and do er again!

[Joeytier]

You did a good job of adapting to conditions. Very cool report

[cuzza]

That spot in the second photo screams carp! Nice going

[livinisfishin]

Rich you have some of the best reports going...never know what to expect! The thing i like most is that you keep things simple. Nice carp man!

[Rich]

Rich you have some of the best reports going...never know what to expect! The thing i like most is that you keep things simple. Nice carp man!

Thank you sir, I really appreciate that comment. As for keeping it simple, I sure do and wouldn't have it any other way.

[fishnsled]

An entertaining read Rich, thanks for the report.

[Mike Pike]

A couple of nice ones you guys hooked into there, Rich.

 

I like the way you guys adapted then were rewarded.

[misfish]

Great report Rich.

 

If you guys didnt catch a bass in that slop behind yer buddies shoulders in the 2nd pic,their all dead.LOL

[Rich]

Lol, we didn't bother probing any slop for bass, but im sure its full of them.

 

Despite the pretty green backgrounds, I actually don't like slop fishing all that much for bass. Haha

[wildeye rainbow]

Nice carp! And nice looking pads on that pond.

 

WR