OMWAA
07-29-2009, 02:35 PM
Heard there were some carp in the Santa Ana river so I thought I'd give it a go. Haven't been fishing much in the past 4 years and wanted to catch something bigger than the 1lb trout and catfish I've been grabbing out of big bear lake.
Got to "poop creek" at 6 and started walking the river. After walking only about 100 feet I see a nice 5lber swimming next to shore. 20 feet down I see another slightly larger model. I hardly expected to see any fish so I was pretty excited. I tried some corn on my newly learned hair rig.......no takers. The carp seemed to get pretty spooked when I'd walk up. After failing to get these 2 carp on corn and bread I kept moving down. Thats about when I almost pooped my pants.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it..........there were maybe 20 carp from 5-10lbs swimming against the current picking up random bits of food out the the dirt. It looked like the Mississippi version of an Alaskan salmon spawn. I didn't wast any time offering up some corn and bread......no luck again. I had some dough left over from gcf (golf course fishing) and set it up on my hair rig. After a couple of casts I could feel them picking it up but I couldn't get a hook up. Forget the hair rig I say! Back to the tired and true treble!
After switching to a strait treble I hooked up. The big carp jumped and took off downstream. I've never heard the sodona 750 scream so loud! After about 15 minutes and 100ft downstream I landed a nice 5lber. I followed that up with another 3 from 4-8lbs. The 8lber took so much line so fast I almost jumped into the current to chase him downstream like a "white trash" Brad Pit. I had a great time and never had a freshwater fish fight as hard as these river-carp. They were so solid and strong......much faster and leaner than any lake carp I've seen.
I had so much fun I was giggling like a child...........I will be back there probably every evening for the forseeable future. I just got my girlfriend into fishing and shes already caught trout, catfish, crappie and bluegill with a 3/4 day ocean trip planned on the 7th. Time to get her a big-river-carp!
Nice to finally come back to the boards. Tight lines.
Sorry I have no pics..... no camera : (
Got to "poop creek" at 6 and started walking the river. After walking only about 100 feet I see a nice 5lber swimming next to shore. 20 feet down I see another slightly larger model. I hardly expected to see any fish so I was pretty excited. I tried some corn on my newly learned hair rig.......no takers. The carp seemed to get pretty spooked when I'd walk up. After failing to get these 2 carp on corn and bread I kept moving down. Thats about when I almost pooped my pants.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it..........there were maybe 20 carp from 5-10lbs swimming against the current picking up random bits of food out the the dirt. It looked like the Mississippi version of an Alaskan salmon spawn. I didn't wast any time offering up some corn and bread......no luck again. I had some dough left over from gcf (golf course fishing) and set it up on my hair rig. After a couple of casts I could feel them picking it up but I couldn't get a hook up. Forget the hair rig I say! Back to the tired and true treble!
After switching to a strait treble I hooked up. The big carp jumped and took off downstream. I've never heard the sodona 750 scream so loud! After about 15 minutes and 100ft downstream I landed a nice 5lber. I followed that up with another 3 from 4-8lbs. The 8lber took so much line so fast I almost jumped into the current to chase him downstream like a "white trash" Brad Pit. I had a great time and never had a freshwater fish fight as hard as these river-carp. They were so solid and strong......much faster and leaner than any lake carp I've seen.
I had so much fun I was giggling like a child...........I will be back there probably every evening for the forseeable future. I just got my girlfriend into fishing and shes already caught trout, catfish, crappie and bluegill with a 3/4 day ocean trip planned on the 7th. Time to get her a big-river-carp!
Nice to finally come back to the boards. Tight lines.
Sorry I have no pics..... no camera : (