Free Line 109 — October 2026 - Flipbook - Page 167
ALEX
PAUL HANSON
STEVE
BENNETT
BRIGGS
t wo pushing high 20s to low 3 0 s . T h ey d o n o t fe e d as h e av i ly
o n the bottom when the rive r l eve ls o r de p t h s are low. I d o n o t
s e em to get as good hoo k ho ld s o n gra ss ca rp wh e n sh al l ow
( 3 -6ft) as when catchi ng th e m f ro m d ee p e r wa te r.
Caution should be taken wi t h G ra ss c a r p , as t h ey s e e m to b e
p a rticularly delicate. They ca n g o b e l ly up i n t h e n et b e fo re
t h ey ’ve even been lif ted ou t t h e wa te r, s o t ake ca re n o t to ke e p
t h em out of the water lon g a n d c e r ta i n ly d o n o t s a c k t h e m .
G rass carp can act strange ly wh en i n t h e n et b e fo re we i gh i n g
t h em and spin like a pike b e fo re s to p p i n g b e l ly u p . I h ave
w i tnessed burst blood ve ss e l s u n d er t he s c a l e s o f t h e g ra s s
c a rp, whic h can give them a re d ti n g e .
Don’t be fooled by what eve r yo ne e l s e i s d o i ng ( o r a t l e a s t
s aying):
On occasion, once the wo rd g e ts o u t t h a t I ’ ve ca u gh t
s o mewhere on the river o r my we t u n ho o ki n g m a t i s s p o t te d
o n my boat , I can return b a c k to my s p o t l ate r t h a t d ay a f te r a
s h ower and supplies only to f i n d th e l o c al yo b s i t t i n g o n t h e
b a nk with his rods out and ma te s n ex t to h i m wh e re my l i n e s
were hours before. As I fis h c ert ai n s p o t s f ro m t h e b o a t , wh i c h
a re often hard to fish from h i gh b a n ks , I have b ee n co n c e rn e d
over the ability of such angl er s i f t h ey we re to h o o k a r ive r c a rp
a n d attempt to land it wit h o u t c a us i n g d am a g e to th e ms e lve s ,
t h eir tackle or even worse , th e c arp .
As a new angler tryi ng to g e t i n to r ive r c a rp i n g ( no mat te r
what river), you might be m i s le d by an gl er s wh e n a s k i n g wh a t
t h ey caught or what tactics t h ey a re us i n g . If wh a t yo u ’ ve b e e n
to ld sounds silly or unlike ly, i t may b e t h e c a rp e r i s p l ay i n g
h i s cards close to his che st . T i p : l o o k o u t fo r we t m at s o r
s a cked fish.
FR E ELINE 53
