Got my weekly fishing trip in! My cousin was in town, and had never caught a carp so I decided I'd bring him along. Took my parents with us as well. My dad had a little bit of experience with me last time, so I wasn't alone running around helping everyone. Thank God, because that allowed me to get in some fish! I decided I'd like to try a new place, a slightly bigger water in hopes of someone reeling in a giant, but we were fishing in a super snaggy area and the biggest thing we got was this giant stick.



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After I reeled in a few smaller branches/twigs and referred to them as "tree pounders," my cousin reeled in this, and dubbed it the "tree tonner."


We lost what was easily the biggest fish of the day (sorry, Mom!), and quite a bit of tackle that isn't too cheap, but it was a successful day nevertheless. All fish were caught on fermented corn with an oats and chili method mix, and were released to fight another day!



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My first of the day, an 8lb 2oz, 24.5in Common.



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Second fish and a new PB! 14lb, 29.5in Common Carp.



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My cousin's first ever carp! 8lb 3oz, 24.5in. Sadly, his only one of the day. He just couldn't get away from the catfish!



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My mom's first ever carp! 6lb 14oz, 24.5in. It took a lot of doing to get her to hold this fish, and she caused so much of a fuss when I was trying to help her that I cut my hand on the fish's dorsal spine. It was worth it, though!



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My third of the day, a solid 12lb, 26in fish.



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Mom's second of the day and her current PB! 9lb 12oz, 24.5in. She wanted so badly to outdo my dad's PB of 18.5lb, maybe next time!



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Dad's first carp of the day! He finally fought through the catfish and managed to net himself a 6lb 8oz Common.



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This was a surprise! My second (or third, I caught the same one twice) koi, and it was actually a double! My mom was on a fish right after this one struck. 8lb 4oz and a beauty!

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Mom's last of the day, 8lb 15oz. You can just barely see my koi in the mat below her fish! She was finally starting to feel comfortable holding the fish, and actually managed a smile rather than a grimace for this one. Of course, all you guys see is a smile in every photo, but you'll just have to trust me.



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Dad's second carp of the day, this one was actually a double as well! 7lb 4oz. I netted this one and his other rod started screaming off. He wanted to get it back in the water as soon as possible, so I picked it up and snapped a pic with him fighting his other fish before releasing it.



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Dad's last for the day, and his biggest of the day to boot at 10lb 5oz.


We had a ton of fun and I already plan to go back out to this place again, just at a different, and hopefully less snaggy, spot. Hopefully my cousin will decide to go with me again next week so I can put him on more than one carp before he leaves, and if we're lucky, maybe even a buffalo!

Looks like a happy family.

It just don't get any better! Great post and some super fish! Lifetime Memories!

Yall are all smiles. Congrats to all on their PBs! Great post, thanx for sharing

Thanks guys! It was great to be able to fish with my family, my days off and theirs never coincide. My dad's been asking me to go for some time, and my mom was having so much fun she didn't even complain that she was cold (at least while we were fishing).

Is there a video on YouTube that you can share a link how to make this bait " fermented corn with an oats and chili method mix".

Is this bait like boilies that you attach to your hooks ?

thanks much !!

There isn't exactly a "magic bait," I'm just a beginner myself and this is what I use. To ferment corn, you just crack a can open and leave it out for 7 days or so. You can speed up the process with yeast or similar materials. For method mix, I've been using oatmeal as a base and add half the fermented corn (I use the other half as hookbaits) and a bit of chili powder for flavoring, but there are a ton of baits out there that can potentially yield better results. Luke Nichols from Catfish and Carp has quite a few videos on his favorite baits, and he's quite a bit more experienced than me. Catfish and Carp Baits Playlist

Got it.
Great !!
Thanks much

Awesome post. Good times and lifetime memories. Nice fish and good job.

Thanks for sharing.

I want to fish there

Thanks Laker, Jipped, and Fitz. This was at Bachman Lake if you wanna give it a go.

Bachman Lake ?? lol that is in Dallas I think close to love field airport....

Man you are everywhere..



Some great work.. Keep it up buddy..

Great catches

Awesome post!