Although widely known for his angling prowess the Viet Carper never slacks when it comes to looking good on the bank.ALWAYS the best dressed carp angler at ladybird lake.Shown here in his red white and blue team USA approved sport shirt.Ghosties and joggers alike say YES to the Viet Carper style!

I seen that in a magazine/tv somewhere? American Carpers?

VC, great catches, but seriously, you've been around here long enough to know what proper fish care is; dragging them on and and holding them up over concrete, using the knotted net, no landing mat, etc. That part is NOT cool.
Please show more respect to these great sport fish.

Thanks.

I agree, those are amazing fish. Esp the ghostie. But the fish safety is lacking big time. I cringed seeing those fish dragged up onto the concrete boat ramp.

Prior to this session VC had been using a knotless net that Keith M. gave him.He was in a situation where he was without any of his gear.Sorry I coul'dnt make it down there with safety equipment VC.Maybe next year we can fish together and I'll bring the whole nine yards including barbless hooks.We will be so easy on those fish they will beg to be captured again!

+1
thats why i said break backs on fish for that net being so small for the fish.
still were great fish.

Chill out guys, those fishes were handling with all cares that I could possible provide. I did NOT drag them on the concrete. I pick them up while they are still in the water, laid them down on concrete to take photos then released them afterward. There was not a single SCRATCH on those fish at all.... As you can see.

Landing mat and European fishing gear is something very fancy that I cannot afford. That's why I fish whatever I have in my hand. Again, not a single fish was harm. They are safe.

I believe you VC, there are guys out there that are doing great harm to the carp and buffalo population. I know you handled the fish with care. Great job on your catches. The guys don't mean you any harm, they just really love to take care of an amazing, world renowned sport-fish. Thank you.

There needs to be something done to change the attitudes of those hill-billy ignorant folks who continue to state and pass on that carp are trash fish. There is no trash fish, well, except for the lamprey.

I agree VC, there is more to fish care than just knotless nets and mats,of course this equipment is recommended but VC was fishing with a friend who was supplying ALL the gear for this session.There are very few Texans out there that are totally prepared for carp fishing with the safety items like knotless nets and mats that have to be special ordered. IN general the only Texans that are aware of this kind of care are the regulars who are here on the forum and have learned from each other.Honestly the fish look in better condition than many pictures of fish from the most experienced anglers here.Vc is fishing in an area that has few snags and weeds to loose fish on. This alone will save more fish than the knotless net and mat, but the average person trying to duplicate VC's efforts without a good net would probably have torn the fish up pretty badly at the ramp.VC is much better at landing the fish than the average person.

I know that boat ramp like the back of my hand and you can walk about 4 feet and be in 6" of water so your argument is invalid. All that we are saying is next time if you're going to fish without the proper fish care gear is to lay the fish on the grass instead of concrete and don't drag them up the boat ramp(in the water). There are plenty of places to fish on this lake that have nice bank access so you don't have to do that. I understand not everyone can afford euro gear, but you can still safely land fish without playing fish in less than 6" of water on a concrete bottom. Show some respect for the fish and everything we worked so hard to achieve at LBL. I work 300 yards from that boat ramp and would have been more than happy to donate a net and mat to you just like Keith Melrose did for you a few years back but I don't check TFF that often anymore.

Thank you for your concern Mister... if you said that I drag the fish on concrete, then can you spot a fish that have a scratch on it? See, having landing mat or not having landing mat, I still handle those fishes with care... I think what I did was proper... Anyway, you might see your argument is right, and I have no problem with that at all. I did what I could in order to release those fishes unharmed and in healthy condition.

To all: it's better to show support one another rather than hatress and jealousy. I might be luckier than some of you, and I have never said that I'm a better fishermen than anyone here in this forum. It's a sport game and I did what I could to win the game and have a good time.

Well done Viet Carper. I was glad to see someone that had had a good trip actually posting on the forum. I have no doubt that you did the best that you could with the gear that you had available. The fish looked fine to me.

There's no doubt we all love these fish. Scott tattoos them, VC kisses them and there's just no telling what Brian does with them but I know he loves them too.When I fished with VC he was telling me of how important it is to play the fish a lot and really wear them out so they are really tired and won't thrash so much when landing them.He works this strategy well here at this swim.VC always stressed it is important to take release pictures so that people get the idea of catch and release.Getting people to love these fish is the biggest obstacle here in texas.Nice pictures VC

Alright. It�s all my fault for not having proper gears. And I apologize for not knowing how to handle the fish properly and being under gears while playing the sport my first time out [with carp]..

Thanks all.. for the good comments, the sarcasms, and also the not so kind ones, those help make it hard to forget the lesson learned..

..appreciated the ones who understand and closely analyzed the photos rather than take it as it seems. Not saying that what we did were correct. Again I apologize

If VC decided to Carping again. I�ll have a good net so we won�t be slipping/sliding on the submerged part of the ramp [I should know any the submerged part of any ramp like my rear end now..]

There�s something I would like to know, though. Is it perfectly safe [for the fish] to lift and hold a heavy carp [says.. 50 pounds on up] by one hand under the head, one hand under the tail out of the water/off the mat without any other support?

Just asking.. and wishing I�ll hook and land one one of these days. Would someone had studied the body/stomach muscle strength of a fat carp out of the water let me know, so I won�t be a showing off the fish that way and thinking..