Caught a new PB (26 lbs 1 oz) off our seawall today.

[catfished]

Finally, I broke the 25 pound mark with a 26 pound 1 ounce lump. I caught it from our seawall freelining corn tortilla dough. It really gave a fantastic account of itself, took about 15 minutes to subdue using a 9 foot steelhead rod with 15 lb test Power Pro and a 12 lb test flourocarbon leader.

[Norm]

Wow, that's huge....congrats.   

I've always wondered how long it would take me to reel in one of those monsters on my ultralight.  I see them cruising on the surface near the docks in the early morning and would cast to them with a crappie jig but they just ignore it and swim away.  One of these days, I'll tie on a doughball and see what happens.  More than likely, it'll either spool me or snap the 4lb line. 

[JackiC]

Wow - Huge fish!!   What is the record for carp in Clearlake - you must be really close.

[KnotGillty]

Great job Ed.  That is a fine looking fish.

Any bigger and you're gonna need a larger net

[catfished]

Wow - Huge fish!!   What is the record for carp in Clearlake - you must be really close.

Unfortunately, since carp have been considered "trash fish" by most fishermen, (although that attitude is slowly changing) no official records are kept. I have heard many stories of huge carp in Clear Lake but have never seen any larger than a 27 lb 8 oz monster taken by a friend of mine off our seawall a couple of years ago. A 51 pound carp was netted by commercial fishermen in Clear Lake back in the 80's I believe. I remember the Record Bee article saying that these fishermen normally didn't get carp weighing more than 23 or 24 pounds so this was an unusual catch.

[DerBingel]

Congratulations on your new PB! 

Hey, I like that hat. 

Got one just like it. 

[themadfisherman]

nice job ed man ive seen some bigger than 40 lbs cruising round red bud be4..and that cat fish ben guy had one last year that weighed over 40 at least...so as much as i hate to admit it... they should start keepin the carp records too..cuz it doesnt look like anyones gonna break the bass record of 17.10 soon

[fishfool]

Ed,

Do you normally use a sliding sinker set up or keep the bail open?  I'd like to try carp fishing while I'm targeting for bass but I don't know if I need to be watching the rod the entire time.

If I see them splashing around, what's the best technique to get them to bite?

[catfished]

Ed,

Do you normally use a sliding sinker set up or keep the bail open?  I'd like to try carp fishing while I'm targeting for bass but I don't know if I need to be watching the rod the entire time.

If I see them splashing around, what's the best technique to get them to bite?

Lately I've been using a #2 hook with a large corn tortilla doughball and no weight. You can either loosen your drag so a fish can't pull it in or use an open bail. A lot of us use baitrunner/baitfeeder type reels that have a second drag in the rear that you can set real loose, when a fish takes off you simply pick up the rod, turn the handle until the main drag kicks in and play your fish. A few kernels of canned corn on a #4 or #6 baitholder hook on the end of your line with a split shot or two a foot or so above will work just fine. If you want to find out way more than you need to know about carp fishing, go here: http://norcalcarpclub.com

[Master Baiter]

That is a huge carp there ED.  Great Job