The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray…

Two weeks ago today I took a vacation day, originally with the idea of finally having a good, long carp session (which, to me, means sunup until late afternoon) in the lake where the 20-pounders swim.   I think I’ve only had two or three sessions total there this year, which is really disappointing when you’re on a quest to break the 20-pound mark (a trophy carp in Virginia).  In between the time I asked for that Monday off and its arrival, I was besieged by a mountain of paperwork pursuant to some lengthy applications.  I decided, in the face of that ponderous weight of wood pulp pressing down on me, to defer my long-awaited session until another day and work, instead, on the applications before me.  Of course, that day was a perfect fall day weather-wise!

Fast-forward to last week, when I asked for (and received) today off—same intended carpy purpose.  Unfortunately, my daughter came down last week with some sort of sore throat and congestion bug.  When I woke up last Wednesday, I had a slight scratchiness in my throat.  Since then I haven’t felt bad enough to stop working, but I’ve felt noticeably sluggish and congested.  On top of this condition, the weather has taken a turn for the worse, turning much colder—nights dipping into the low 40s.  Last night I didn’t feel good at all.  I set my alarm for 4:30 AM, but I wasn’t sure I’d be up to being out in the cold all day.  Sure enough, it didn’t take any time to realize I just wasn’t up to all the preparations, packing, toting, etc. involved in a full-blown day’s session—especially in 40-degree weather.  If I had been feeling well, that level of cold would have been no big deal, but, when you’re weak, tired, and having a constant runny nose, that’s another matter entirely.

I immediately went back to bed, planning on going on in to work as usual when the alarm hit 7 AM.  Trouble was, when the alarm went off at 7 AM, I wasn’t feeling in any condition to work.  I re-set the alarm for 9 AM, planning on spending another vacation day continuing working on the same applications I had started on a couple weeks ago (but was still only 56% of the way finished on one!).  The day turned out to be a productive one; I made a lot of headway on that application (now I’m at around 80% completed), and I also got several other letters written, forms filled out, calls made, etc.

By 4:30 I was ready to leave the day’s paperwork behind.  It was sunny and in the mid-to-high 50s, so at least I could fit in a short session in the neighborhood lake!  This time I decided to fish for both carp and cats simultaneously.  I fished my 12’ ultralight crappie spinning outfit rigged with a clear plastic float (aka “puddle chucker”) rig and one kernel of plastic corn directly on the #10 Korda Krank hook.  I cast that rig out a good 15-20 off shore, then catapulted three pouchfuls of prepped deer corn around my float for chum.  With that (carp) rod in place, I engaged the baitrunner lever (which engages a secondary drag that lets line out so your rod and reel aren’t pulled into the drink by a running carp—don’t laugh—it happened to me this spring!), then set this rod down so I could fish my other catfish pole.  As usual, it was rigged with a slip float set about a foot deep with a #6 treble hook baited with punchbait.  I fan cast that rig, starting to my left, then gradually casting my way around to the right as far as I could.  After casting this out, I’d let it sit for a couple minutes, then, if no bite, reel it in about 2-3 feet and repeat.  This cycle continues until it’s close to shore.  With every re-cast, I’d re-bait with a fresh dip of punchbait.  After completing a cycle of fan casting, if there are no bites, I typically change up the depth, adding 6” or so, then repeat another cycle of casting.  The idea is to eventually find the depth where the cats are hanging out.

After about one cycle of fan casting, I began to notice a lot of feeding activity and swirls near the surface, so I decided to change strategies a bit.  I fed dry dog food on the surface, and, sure enough, started seeing fish (and turtles) start coming to the top to take the free offerings.  Based on a previous experience this past summer, I molded bread around my hook, then cast to where I was seeing surface-feeding fish.  This past summer this produced instant and confident takes, enabling me to quickly catch several carp and catfish.  This time there were little nibbly bites.  Several attempts at hook-setting yielded only flying rigs and tangles.  Most likely panfish or turtles sucking the bread off the hook.

While I was still trying to entice a bite with the molded bread dough balls, I noticed my puddle chucker starting to slowly move off!  I quickly grabbed my rod, tightened up, then set the hook into a nice fish.  After a nice battle on my ultralight rod, I netted a fat carp that proved to be 5 lb. 12 oz. of golden beauty.  He (she) must have spent considerable time mopping up my chum, as it had quite the bulging belly!  Quickly unhooked, photographed, then released my prize to grow and be caught another day.  I quickly cast back out into my baited spot, re-setting the trap for another unsuspecting Hooverer.

I tried repeated casts with the molded dough balls to showing catfish—the lake was alive with baitfish and catfish (and probably bass and other predators) chasing them.  Unfortunately, they weren’t at all interested in the dough balls today.  I eventually switched back to the more-fish-like punch bait, and, just as darkness was falling, I got a take from (and caught) a dinky channel cat.  As many times as I cast both the dough balls and the punch bait to showing fish, I got very little action.  I wonder how I would have done with live shiners fished a foot or so deep!  Bet I would have mopped up!  Another experiment for another day…

With darkness falling, I had promised my wife I would be home around 7 PM, so it was time to go.  Once the sun went down, it quickly got much colder.  I started with a fleece jacket unzipped earlier in the session.  Eventually I zipped it up.  Not too long after, I grabbed my heavy coat and stocking cap and put them on.  My feet never got cold, clad as they were in woolen socks inside knee boots.

I am now genuinely concerned that I will not get that longed-for long session with a chance for a 20-pounder before winter sets in and makes that a much less pleasant (and productive) specter.  At least I was able, after a fishing-less weekend, to scratch the angling itch a little bit!