How Big Was this Fish??

[WIF]

Last Wed. evening I was walleye fishing on a prairie lake in southern MN. About 5 minutes into our first trolling pass with bouncers and spinners, I hook up with something really solid. At first I think it is a snag. In a few seconds my "snag" is heading for deep water, peeling the drag on my 5500 level wind reel like it is an ultra lite. I threw the motor and reverse and chased the fish. I caught up with the fish and got right over the top of him in about twenty feet of water. By now I had figured I had on a really big carp, and I was curious to see just how big he was. Anyway, I park the boat right over him and start winching him in. I gained about ten feet, and then boom, he just stops coming. I mean dead stop. My 7'6" glass trolling rod that I use for planer boards about bent in half. This process goes on for 25 minutes (my partner was checking his watch). I gain ten feet, the fish locks up, and then pile drives to the bottom. No stopping him. Then the fish decides to head back to the shallows. He just starts plowing towards shore. Drag is screaming. Again I follow with the boat. It was very windy and there was some rip rap on shore, and I was worried about getting my boat washed in against the rocks. So I decide enough is enough. I threw my 50 HP tiller in reverse and try to pull the fish back out to deeper water. That fish and my 50 HP nearly had a stale-mate! I had to rev up quite a bit to offset the fish and the wind. I finally steered him away from the rip rap area towards a sandy beach area. Still I had not gained any line on him. Tiring after 40 minutes, my partner and I decide to beach the boat and try to drag him on shore. My partner jumped out in a few feet of water and drug the boat on shore. I then jumped out and tried to start dragging the fish to shore. No go. The fish started screaming up and down the beach. I must have looked pretty funny chasing him while I ran through the shallows. Anyway, before I ever see him, the hook popped out. I guess the low angle I ended up trying to pull him from by being on shore must have allowed the hook to work free after 45 minutes of fierce battle. I have inadvertantly hooked many carp from 10 to 12 pounds on much lighter tackle and mangaged to land them after 10 to 15 minutes. This fish was in another world. I was literally at his mercy, despite the fact that I had fairly stout gear. Add to that the 45 minute struggle in which I failed to tire him enough even to get a look, and I am forever left to guess how big he was? 25 pounds? 30? Maybe 40? I know that carp are absolute bulls when it comes to strength. Has anyone out there landed a 30 lber? What was the fight like? I'd just like to get some sort of idea how big this fish was.

[jigtugger]

I tail snagged a 15 lb carp on the river this spring. It was about a 25 minute ordeal until I finally saw what it was and locked my drag and broke it off so I could keep fishing. I am sure that thing had a lot of fight left in it. I was hoping for a pig eye or at least a Catfish, but the fight was fun.

I suppose you never really know what you had on, I have had questions in my head from fish a decade ago that had long fights only to get away before being seen. Part of the mystery I guess.

[Hunter]

Possible foul hooking? Ive foul hooked several eyes in the stomach, no matter the size they always feel like a 10# fish. I couldnt imagine what a 20# carp would feel like foul hooked, but it sounds like you had one heck of a day. You never know you might have had the next world record on your hands.

[Don]

I had a similar incidence, but I did catch it, my turned out to be, I'd guess about a 40# snapping turtle.It took me 25 minutes with 6# line to get it in.

[Don]

I also caught a 26# carp one time jigging for walleyes, also on 6#line.The fish put up quite a fight also,but the snapping turtle I caught was more like a frieght train.

[WIF]

Thanks for the response. I have snagged several carp in the dorsal fin while trolling cranks in shallow prairie waters. Darn near impossible to turn or fight because of where they were hooked, but I did eventually land them after 10 to 15 minutes. These fish were in the 10 lb class. These experiencse add to the mystery of how big my recent fish was - even if it was hooked in the belly or back.

[Eyez]

I would guess something in the 30 pound range snagged in the tail. I snagged a 10 pound carp one day that fought harder than the 27 pounder that I snagged in the head that same day, and that one took me 20 minutes to land on 14 pound mono. When they're hooked in the tail, they're about impossible to budge.


Eyez

[KATOMAN]

I've caught numerous carp in the 20 plus range. I fish smallmouth.This small southern Minn. lake also has a good population of these monster carp. I've had them take me almost across the lake and back again. It is nothing to fight them for 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. It is a battle royal like nothing else. I've caught 40 lb cats on the Minnesota River and have less of a battle with them. The others in the boat kick back and take a break. You're holding the rod and running the trolling motor to keep up with them. There is no doubt when you get one of these bad boys on!! They will tire out and you can boat them by that time your arms are numb and you line is stressed to the limit. The fight is worth it!!

[Gumbo]

If you can't manage to turn them then they're foul hooked. I've caught really big trout that, when hooked, immediately sound below the boat. In deep water lakes, they'll pull out line and hang out 300' directly below the boat. You can pull them up all day long, but they auger into a 45 degree downward angled position that makes it very difficult to pull them up. And they're resting all the while. You have to motor ahead of them and pull them shallower, forcing them to dive deep again and again. They tire quicker.

I learned this after taking 2.5 hours to catch a 21 lb rainbow on 14lb Fireline with a 12lb Vanish leader (small bass casting rod). The next fish I caught that was of similar size took only 30 minutes to get in the boat (after I learned how to keep them from sounding).

Walleye, carp, whatever--it's always fun hooking a big one like that.

[Badger]

I've (foul) hooked into Carp, Sturgeon, Paddlefish, and big Cats all while vertical jigging walleyes in the Wisconsin River. The biggest I've actually got boatside was a 5ft Paddlefish. However, I've hooked into some that are so big they don't even seem to recognize the fact that they are hooked; they just swim around like usual (tearing drag of course). One time, I spent over an hour trying to get one to come up for a look. In 30ft water, I was actually able to muscle him off the bottom about 3ft :).

[smiley]

I caught a 30 lb. carp while fishing walleye. I was using a jig and a leech. I couldn't believe it. It straightened that jig almost straight out. I still have the jig and pictures of the fish. I too had to start the motor and chase the fish. I thought it was a huge pike the way it was running but when it sat on the bottom I figured it was a carp. It was such a blast, I had to try and land it!!

[Fin Addict]

I caught a 32 pound carp several years back while jigging for walleye. This thing was amazing in terms of size and the battle it put up. I was using 8 lb line on a ML spinning rig. 45 min to get it in while chasing w/ the electric so the fish would not spool me. I had the picture enlarged and it hangs on my basement wall. For C&R fishing, big carp really are the real deal!

[THUMPER]

My friends father in southern Ontario had the experience with what he thought was a Sturgeon in Lake St Clair. The fish was dragging his 16ft boat out into the lake with his motor in reverse. Right out of the movies.......In those years they used old parachute line for fishing line. Kept it up for at least 15 minutes and the line finally parted. The story gets bigger every year and in those days having a dozen beer in the boat was socially sort of acceptable......This might have had something to do with this.

[Hunter]

Was very possibly a sturgeon, not many caught here but a few are landed every year. I know of 2 people that have had them on this year in the Detroit. I lost one at the boat last year in the St.clair infront of Peche island. And no I havent been drinking.

[Loch Ness Monster]

Sturgeon in Southern MN prarie lakes? I would say that is about as likely as Nessie herself swimming around in a prarie lake. Big freshwater drum maybe.

[Hunter]

Was referring to Lake st.claire, and yes they are here.

[THUMPER]

I grew up in the SW Ontario area and spent a lot of time at St Lukes Bay. The Commercial Fisherman caught them from time to time......very big. Pull a 16ft boat with the engine in reverse...........Bars open boys......