Hiwassee HOF'er 4/22/2007

[jason]

After reading reports of 30lb sacks on the Hiwassee, I was anxious to check out the action. As usual, we got a very late start and hit the river at midday with bluebird skies and flat water...not the best conditions, but it beat mowing the yard

. </p>

I had picked out a few protected coves to start our search and the first two were not what I was looking for. We caught a load of buck bass on lizards and traps but none of the prespawn fatties I was hoping for. Our third and final stop differed from the first two in that it had a fairly deep cut leading in to the flat at the back. Rather than heading straight to the rear, we fished our way in with DT-10s. I caught three solid keepers but my son and father-in-law were getting a little tired of me yelling "Good one!" and "Get the net!" so I suggested that we head all the way in. Same as the other flats, we landed a ton of bucks but nothing with real weight. </p>

Oh yeah, about the Hall of Famer

. Anybody who has been fishing the flats lately has witnessed the hordes of carp thrashing around. We tried in vain to snag one with traps...don't even tell me you've never tried it

. When that didn't work, I molded a chunk of Honey Bun into a ball with a drop-shot hook buried in the middle. Three different carp picked it up before I was able to stick one...and then the fight was on! That nasty thing fought harder than any fish I've ever caught, nearly spooling me twice before I landed it. It weighed 36lbs-4ozs and was safely released to procreate, although I doubt it was "in the mood" after what I put it through

.  </p>

 

[SNUFFY]

RE: Hiwassee HOF'er

THAT`S A NICE UN`....THEY DO PUT UP A HECK OF A FIGHT......CAUGHT ONE IN THE TAIL WITH A CRANKBAIT RECENTLY...TALK ABOUT A FIGHT !!

 

[japlata]

Jason, you guys are lucky you didn't make that carp mad.emoLaugh

 

[DHaun]

I saw a few carp on the flats today myself, they were not quite that big though. Not only is it a nice size fish, but I think the creative bait choice makes this one a shoe-in for the HOF. I have caught several huge ones at Lake Winnie when the park was closed ...they can be easily spooked shadows cruising in the lake from what I remember...I used Long John Silvers French Fries. Congrats! emoThumbsup

 

[Fishin' Junkie]

I think you could use just about anything for bait for the Lake Winnie carp. I've seen them suck down cigarette butts, but those things were crazy with the popcorn. emoLaugh A friend of mine when I was growing up lived in the neighborhood right behind the park and we would sneek in when they were not open and fish with cherries. Never caught one as big as Jason's HOF'er though. Nice Job Jason!

emoThumbsup emoToast

 

[DHaun]

I thought they would be easy to catch too, but those Lake Winnie carp are totally different when the park is closed. They are not interestd in food since they are filled-up on popcorn and are way out in the middle of the lake cruising near the surface in super spooky schools. Popcorn flies off the hook when you sling it out there, and if it makes a spash too big you spook them all. I had to cast way in from of them with a bobber and drag a french fry on top of their head to get a bite. They were tougher than I expected, but those huge grass carp jump totally out of the water when you finally hook one!

 

[Fishin Fool]

How the heck did you guys get in Lake Winny? I've always wanted to catch some of those big ole carp in there, ever since I was a little kid.

 

[Buoy-Master]

 Nice Small Mouth Jason!!!!!!

 

[jon the fisherman]

BBass - 4/22/2007 9:20 PM

 Nice Small Mouth Jason!!!!!!

Actually, that is a bugle mouth, and a huge one at that. I hooked a buffalo about that big years ago, and it really put a whoopin on me. Congrats on the fish Jason. Are you going to start targeting a new species?

 

[Fishin' Junkie]

Fishin Fool - 4/22/2007 9:19 PM

How the heck did you guys get in Lake Winny? I've always wanted to catch some of those big ole carp in there, ever since I was a little kid.

A knew a guy that lived in the Waverly Park subdivision right behind the park. There was a place in the fence that was cut. We only fished it in the parks' offseason when it was closed.

 

[Chasin'bait]

Nice carp man! I have to agree with you, they fight about as good as anything I've ever hooked 'cept for big flatheads. The Wateree River back home is eat alive with huge buffalo carps. I mean they are everywhere and nobody does anything to thin their numbers. When I was growing up, we'd snatch hook "em with big treble hooks with weight around the shanks, 'cause we couldn't get 'em to hit anything.

True story. Maybe ten, twelve years ago, we were striper fishing up by the rock lines in the Wateree and carp were in groups of two and three as far as the human eye could see, both up and down river. I don't know how many tens of thousands it must have been. Anyway, we decided to try and get with one with the snatch hooks and after a few tries all I was able to manage was a few scales bigger than silver dollars that the barbs of our 12/0 trebles couldn't even fully penetrate. Finally, I managed to get a good hookset into one that I knew was huge right off the bat.

No lies, I swear this happened. As soon as I got into this fish, it exploded with pent up energy, and began to peel 25 lb line just like a striper. I've got a 15' Alumacraft Superhawk with plywood decks and that fish pulled me a hundred yards across the river, turned and pulled me a hundred yards back across the river before I ever saw it up close. When I finally managed to pull it to the surface, I saw it was every bit of 50 lbs, about 4 ft long and big around as me. When that fish saw me and my boat it took off again pulling even harder than it did when I first hooked it. It literally pulled me back across the river and went into a big brush pile right on the surface.

I used to wear an Uncle Mike's under armpit holster with my .22 Ruger for snakes and this day I had it on. I just knew he was gonna bust me off in that structure so I pulled the pistol and shot him like three times real quick. (I know, I know, I'm gonna get flak for that part of my story) That fish took off like a torpedo and manged to bust me off. But not before I mortally wounded him. He belly upped, still caught in the tangle and we grabbed him and pulled him into the boat. We knew he was a good one but didn't have scales worth weighing larger fish. I knew a couple who owned a marina that had a set of Peluze scales so when we got back to the ramp that's where we took it. That carp weighed a tad under 60 lbs and for years remained the largest fish I ever had on the end of a rod. Still to this day, I don't think any fish I've ever caught fought harder lb for lb than this carp did. And that goes for even the two flatheads I've had over 70, and they are a terror on the end of a rod.

We had our picture on the cover of the local newspaper, and I've still got a hard copy somewhere around here. 'Course, we didn't exactly tell how we caught it, even though they are considered a trash fish and there were no regulations on them or "snatch hookin" 'em back then. I guess we were just a bunch of dumb kids back then and did a lot of things I don't think we'd do again. Live and learn, I guess.

 

[Bprice]

Aaaaaah "trash" fish... Man, Jason, if you'll get into some Drum, you need to change your name to GarbageMan... I don't know that I could give up a honey bun though

BTW, I'm proud of us both... you made the hall of fame for Carp, and I made it for Skipjack.... awesome!

 

[Guest]

Hmmm, that's a big carp. I bet the young one gotta kick outa that.

 

[Buoy-Master]

jon the fisherman - 4/22/2007 8:26 PM

BBass - 4/22/2007 9:20 PM

 Nice Small Mouth Jason!!!!!!

Actually, that is a bugle mouth, and a huge one at that. I hooked a buffalo about that big years ago, and it really put a whoopin on me. Congrats on the fish Jason. Are you going to start targeting a new species?

</p>

 Inside joke Jim...Its the other "Brown Fish"

</p>

 

[jon the fisherman]

I was trying to be a smart@&& Bbass, but I guess I was the only who knew I was being a smart@&&emoLaugh

 

[Buoy-Master]

Oh.....OK.....Smarty Pants!

 You got me Jim.

 

[polo-dog]

jason, I'd be hard pressed to give up my honey bun to a carp but I guess whatever works is whatever works. Great catch!

 

[jason]

No comments on my son's glasses? Like "nerd" or "geek"? He just got them and is very self-conscious about his appearance...he did not want his pic posted

.

 

[polo-dog]

jason, I think that he looks like a great young bass fisherman in that post. The glasses add to his respectability as a student of fishing. If they help him catch more fish he ought to wear them on every fishing outing.

 

[digitalcb]

It is a complex world sometimes, but when you see a young, obviously well adjusted, man having fun (even with his glasses on) you sense he accepts life and has parents who care.

Thanks for the example to us all Jason.