We are officially up and running for Season 3.
After many blank sessions this year, in the snow, ice, wind and sleet at Chatfield Reservoir, we finally got a couple of carp in the net, on the cradle and on film. Victory Coffee was consumed !
As the weather in Colorado finally warmed up, the ice thawed, I had managed but half a dozen sessions at my favorite venue, Chatfield Reservoir. Each one had ended in a blank, in the snow, between the sheets of ice and even once on a freakishly hot day.
With a Sunday off work I headed back to Chatfield, arriving at the lake early. I was determined to get my favorite spot by a beaver dam. Though it was still dark when I arrived, I could see the flash of headlights and torches from the dam, sadly it was already taken!
I walked around the lake for a while, looking for a spot to setup. I noticed some bubbling in a corner, the telltale signs of feeding carp. Though right atop the car park I decided to setup and get the lines in. It was a cramped spot, barely enough room for the rod pod, straddling a walking path. High traffic area for sure!
After an hour I was rewarded with a fast take, a quick run and a nice 8 lb common carp in the net and on the cradle. YES, the 2015 carp season was off and running at last. To say I was happy, would be an understatement – a victory coffee was consumed !
I went to cast the rod back out to the spot in the margins but managed to catch the tree behind me. Rig, line, all tangled in a huge mess. I quickly got my other rod reeled back in and cast out onto the same margin spot. It took quite a while to get the other rod untangled and retrieve the rig from the trees.
After about 40 minutes the margin rod took off again, a real screamer. A good strong fight another common was a landed, this time, 11 pounds 8 oz. The carp had fought as hard as a fish twice it’s size, putting it’s massive tail to good use.
With a break in the action I finally was able to get both rods back out. The weather decided to turn on me, the sun came out, clouds faded, the wind died down. The bite turned off.
As the day continued to warm up the lake became a hive of activity, families, boaters, even a young lad catching minnows, thrashing away in the shallows with a long net – pretty close to the spot I was fishing.
I reeled in one rod and cast it back out further from the shore, with the crazy activity nearby I was pretty certain the carp had departed the area. All signs of the earlier bubbling had stopped.
Another couple of hours passed by quietly, the weather did improve a little, the wind picked up again and some clouds gathered above. By mid afternoon I was pretty tired and decided to call it a day, packing up the gear.
All told I considered it a successful session. My first couple of carp for the year had been caught. I was left wondering, if this had been a weekday, without the noise and commotion on the bank, could I have gotten a few more scaled beauties before the session was done ?
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Tight-Lines,
John
CarpQuest
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