The Big and Ugly

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Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on January 26, 2012 at 5:16pm

No Dwayne...I didn't go there but I had a good feeling I would see you in this group..Look forward to your inputs.....

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on January 26, 2012 at 5:14pm

Hey Leo, these Channel Cats were caught while targeting gills so they came to the Live Crickets I was using.....These fish pull up shallow during the hottest time of the year and offer a great challenge on light tackle.....This is one reason I use a little heavier line so I can get a few to the boat......Thanks for joining the group Leo....always look forward to your input...The usual suspects have joined and I expect a few more soon.......I wouldn't expect it to be too long before our friend David chimes in on this group.....

Comment by Leo Nguyen on January 26, 2012 at 5:13pm

@Dwayne LOL

@Tony, that is a freaking monster! I'm surprise that it gulped up the beemoth rather than looking for something more plant and juicy to chew on. I guess it was out for a nice protein snack.

Comment by Dwayne Denison on January 26, 2012 at 5:08pm

the name of this group, I thought you were talking about me again Jeff.

Comment by Tony Livingston on January 26, 2012 at 5:07pm

Not only my biggest carp, but my biggest fish to date! "Ctenopharyngodon idella" - the common grass carp. My ponds each contain a few of these, they must be pushing 18-20 years old now.

I caught this one by accident while Bluegill fishing. It took a single beemoth on a #6 gold hook.  I was using ultralight gear at the time, 4.5' berkley rod, and a Shimano reel spooled with 4lb mono. It took 40 minutes to tire the fish out, and I was fishing on an island in my biggest pond with a 3" vertical drop down to the water. I had no net, no one to help me, and no way to bring the fish up on shore. I ended up jamming the butt of the rod down into a hole on the bank and stripping off my clothes to get in the water with him.

Twice, I waded out through the mud and pondweed to chest deep water and tried to grab him, only to have him make another run each time. Luckily, the rod stayed put and the drag worked flawlessly, enabling me to get back to shore and fight the fish in again. Finally, on the third attempt I got my arms around him and walked him back to the bank. If he hadn't been so worn out, there's no way this would've worked. If you look at the photo you can see my denim shorts are still wet where I pulled them back on in a hurry.

I regret to say I didnt get a weight or length, I was just too tired and stunned by it all to do so. I believe he was every bit of 36"+, and I would put his weight at 25-30 lbs. It was truly a monster.

Comment by Florida Boy on January 26, 2012 at 4:51pm

Here's one of the big and ugly I caught awhile back (that thing was a beast)

Comment by Jim Gronaw on January 26, 2012 at 4:28pm

I don't know why, but I feel so comfortable here!

Stories, photos and more to come!

Comment by Leo Nguyen on January 26, 2012 at 3:49pm

Oh nice catches! What you use as baits Jeffrey?

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on January 26, 2012 at 3:36pm

Big late Summer Channel Cats on the Pasquotank! Good times on light tackle........Great thing is I caught a nice mess of gills on this trip as well....best of both worlds...............

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