Lake Hudson Carp Fishing!

Fun written all over it.

So, my friend Jay, who owns Jay's Flies on Facebook, and I went out to Lake Hudson this morning for a few hours to go carp fishing. I tied up quite a few prototype flies for today, got my gear all setup last night and got on the road around 7:30 this morning which was a lot later than I wanted.

So, Jay calls me and was wondering where I am as  he got there 20 minutes earlier than I did as he expected me to be there before him as I told him I would be leaving around 7 or so. After a phone call to clear things up, we finally meet, shoot the breeze while we set our gear up, and head on our way down to the beach. It's a gorgeous day out and there's no one out but one guy trolling for muskie with his boat. I'll spare you with the details as the first half of our time at the park was boring. We continued to chat and see a few carp but nothing came to the net much less get on our lines which is fine. I think the most exciting and heart stopping event was when Jay lost his fly box. He got it back, though, by the grace of God. It just fell out of his pocket. : )

So, we are walking back to where I caught my first carp ever on the fly to scout out the spot to see if there are carp over there again. The entire water level of the lake has been raised significantly from the last time I was there so there is but inches of shoreline around the lake instead of several feet which was very disappointing. So, going to my memorial spot was weird but I caught the carp in the exact spot I caught the last one believe it or not.

So, I start walking along the shore line seeing some carp possibly 5 or 6 lbs not that big. I am waiting for Jay as he was dropping unnecessary gear off at the truck. When he came back, we start pressing on. I stop as I see a massive carp literally a foot away from me. I drop my fly down and let it sink and now the carp is literally right by my foot. At this point, my heart is coming out of my chest, my palms are even more sweaty and I am shaking in excitement as the biggest carp I have ever seen is now about to be hooked on my line. What I didn't realize was that the leader was wrapped around the end of the tip section of the rod and when I set the hook, the carp ran into deeper water and took the tip section with him! I was scared that the rod broke but thankfully it did not. : )

The video above shows the fight. Personal best. Came in at 11 lbs and 26" despite the video saying 25".

We kept walking and I let Jay take point. We saw other carp and cast to them but sadly no other carp came to the net. I did have a 10" bass take my bloody leech but that was it for the fish. Overall, a great day despite us both being tired and Jay being extra tired as he has carpal tunnel. In the end, we all learned something and I gave Jay some of my flies. It was a much needed trip despite just 2 fish coming to the net.