Before I get started, I'm afraid I have to say there are no pictures this post, so you'll have to make do with words. If you read on, you'll find out just why that's such a tragedy! And, you'll find out why I was unable to get any.
Yesterday afternoon I hit up some canals with Zack for a few hours of late afternoon carping. Zack, Donny, Paul Swider and Scott had been out there since the morning, along with a few other guys, Coby, I believe, and Portabote, and they'd landed several fish.
I didn't get out there till late in the afternoon, but arrived just in time to see Coby land a nice little six pound common.
Zack was busy flying his cool little RC plane, so I talked with Scott and Paul and Coby a few minutes.
Nice to finally meet you in person Paul! And nice to meet you Coby and Portabote ( Sorry, forgot your real name lol ). Sorry I didn't stick around longer, Zack talked me into heading downstream a bit after I told him I'd landed some nice fish there in the past.
So after Zack got done playing with his plane, we got our gear together and made our way further down the canal. As we got set up, Zack told me all about the goose that had been following earlier in the day. Apparently it kept climbing all over his feet and trying to get into his lap!
As usual, something weird had to happen to Zack.
It was already fairly late in the afternoon, so we got set up, baited, and got our lines in the water pretty fast. Zack, as usual lately, was only using a single rod, rigged with a float. I set up a float rod as well, and put another rod out on the bottom, with the traditional "Starless Rig" as I guess it's called around here now. Later I put out a third rod the same way.
We waited a little while, talking about the area, about Zack's plane, making fun of each other, usual on-the-bank chat. Then we talked abit about whether or not we'd made the right decision to try a different section of canal. We knew the fish were feeding further upstream, but didn't know if they would be down here as well. Zack told me he'd never caught much this far down the canal. So I told him that I'd caught before, but if he wanted to move I didn't mind.
After a little while longer, Zack got up to prowl the bank. He walked upstream a ways, and then he walked downstream. As he passed me, he said, "If I was a carp, where would I be?"
To which I answered, "Well, if I was a carp, I'd be where ever the food was!"
Turns out I was right.
I had both my poles set up on the ground with my black tackle bag sitting atop them to weight them down, since it's pretty heavy right now. They were fairly well secured. Zack's pole, on the other hand, was not. And as luck would have it, Zack got the first run.
Now, the way these floats are supposed to work is when the fish picks up the bait, the float will rise and show off the yellow color under the red tip. Well, Zack's didn't do that, or if it did, he wasn't around to watch it.
I was trying to keep track of it for him, but I had to watch my own float and my other line as well. So after watching my lines for a few, I glanced back to Zack's float.
For a moment I was confused. I could have sworn Zack's float was right there...Just as I thought, Uh-Oh, where's Zack's float, I heard the old song of screaming drag.
ZIING, ZEEEEEIING!
I looked over in time to see Zack's reel spinning like mad, and his rod edging it's way towards the water. Very luckily Zack had kept his drag extra-light, so that even though his rod was not weighted down, the fish was taking off line faster then he was moving the rod.
But the rod WAS moving, and it was not a long distance to the water. Already Zack's rod tip was hanging out over the edge of the canal.
As soon as I realized what was going on, I did was Zack later described as a "Commando Roll." I'd been sitting a little ways off, next to my own gear, and as I saw Zack's rod sliding towards the water, I rolled across the grass and snatched it up, just before it slipped over the edge.
The rod had an instant full bend as I set the hook and stood up, and since Zack was still way the heck down the shore, I had to yell for him.
"ZACK! YOU GOTTA FISH!"
So Zack started sprinting down the shoreline, and if you've never seen Zack run...well, let's just say if you HAVE seen Zack run you're probably laughing right now. Tall, Skinny people have trouble running and looking anything but goofy, especially Zack.
Zack ran down the shore and did a surprisingly graceful leap over my own gear, and when he reached me, I handed him the rod. The fish had been running hard and fast ever since I'd set the hook on it, and it kept running once Zack took over.
It ran all the way up the canal as far as it could, to a spillway a good distance off. Since Zack didn't have his usual big-pit, high line capacity reel, he was forced to follow the fish up the canal.
I think this surprised Zack, he wasn't used to catching a fish that actually forced him to follow it. Too much time spent with Euro gear, I guess.
I made sure my own rods were secured, and I followed Zack up the shoreline, and we talked in fake-British accents the whole time Zack fought the fish. I kept watch on my gear, half expecting a run, but it never came.
Zack battled his fish for a while before I finally went and got my net. When he was ready, we scooped up the fish and brought it ashore. We didn't have a mat, so we laid it on the soft grass. Zack travels VERY light when float fishing, so he actually asked ME to bring MY net. ( Which really sucks, by the way. )
We got the fish down, got him unhooked, and estimated him at about 8-10 pounds. We didn't weigh him, but based on the fish we did weigh later, I'd say the first one was closer to 10, then 8.
It was a really nice looking fish, dark bronze color, nick thick body, perfect shape. So I decided to get a picture of Zack with it so I could post it with the story of the afternoon. I took out my camera, took the lens cap off, and turned it on.
Nothing.
I turned it off, turned it back on...nothing again.
Then I noticed the camera felt unusually light. Uh oh. I turned it over, opened the battery compartment...
No batteries. Aww, carp.
I then remembered I'd taken the batteries out to charge them up early on, and when I packed up to go fishing, I remembered to grab my camera, but I forgot to take the batteries back out of the charger.
Ooops.
Feeling a little dissapointed, we let the fish go. Oh well, at least we'd caught it. Wasn't like it was a monster or anything, just a real nice looking fish.
Zack set back up, we rebaited and went back to fishing.
And then Zack's lover started to stroll towards us. And by Zack's lover, I mean a large, grey goose that had fallen deeply in love with Zack.
No, I'm not kidding.
Earlier in the day, Zack told me of a strange goose that had been crawling all over his feet, and trying to get into his lap while he was sitting down. As we sat and talked, Zack pointed the goose out to me as it started walking down the shore towards us. It would pause now and then, and just stare at Zack.
Zack tossed it some corn, but unlike any goose I've ever seen, it was not interested in food. No, it was entirely fixated on Zack, and I don't think it was a healthy fixation.
It slowly got closer and closer to Zack, until Zack finally decided to try and feed it by hand. He pulled some corn out, and held it out to the goose. The goose very slowly approached, staring at Zack's hand. It kept opening and closing it's beak, and at first I thought it had something stuck in it's mouth. But it didn't, it was just...well, I don't know what it was doing. Mouthing the air, I guess.
The goose got a little closer, and then as Zack predicted, it began to peck at his hand. Only it wasn't eating the corn, it wasn't even interested. It was giving Zack's hand what I can only describe as love bites. It was very gently nipping Zack's hand with it's beak.
Zack and I were laughing now, but the goose was just getting started. It got closer, and began to bite at the sleeve of Zack's sweater. The goose started obsessing over Zack's sweater, biting up and down his sleeve or his side, anywhere it could get to his dark blue sweater. Zack pulled his arm away, and the goose followed, and continued to bite at Zack's sweater.
Zack finally put his arm down under the goose, and the goose started trying to climb up onto his arm. Or maybe it was trying to mount him? Honestly, I don't know. The goose would lift one foot and put it on Zack's arm, then flap it's wings like crazy...
It did this several times before finally getting both feet on Zack's arm, standing there and wobbling back and forth, then hopped into Zack's lap.
Once in Zack's lap, it started biting at his sweater again, this time at his chest. Then it started biting the sweater's collar, and at Zack's face, but never anything more then gentle nips. Zack and I were cracking up, and when Zack got tired of having the goose trying to bite his chest and face, he lifted his other arm. The goose instantly fixated on his sleeve again, and started biting it.
Once more Zack lowered his arm, and once more the grey goose climbed up atop it. This time Zack lifted his arm, and the goose hopped off, and was now standing between us.
Zack put his hand out towards it, and the goose kept gently biting at him. Zack got a little more bold, and decided to try and pet the goose. Too our surprise, the goose not only let Zack stroke it's back and wings, but it let Zack pet it's head, and even rub the feathers of it's chest!
I have never seen a goose let anyone touch it, let alone allow them to pet it without attacking them.
Then Zack decided to try and pick it up. Why? Because this is Zack, does he really need any more reason?
Once again, the goose surprised us both by allowing Zack to pick it up! It didn't take it quite as easily as the petting, but when Zeck gently put his hands around it and lifted it up off the ground, it only squawked a little and flapped it wings till Zack put it back down. Then it started love-biting him again.
Then things got really weird, and really funny. The goose wandered around behind where Zack was sitting down, and Zack leaned forward to pick something up off the ground. I don't remember what was getting, because what happened next was too surreal, too bizzare, and too hilarious.
The Goose started to climb up Zack's back. It flapped it's wings, and hopped up onto the small of Zack's back. Zack and I started laughing like crazy as this goose walked right up Zack's back. Rather then straighten up or stand, Zack leaned forward to make it even easier for the bird.
The goose got up to the top of Zack's back, and then squatted there, flapping it's wings for balance now and then. At this point it honestly looked as if the goose was mounting Zack's back. I don't know if that's what it really was doing, or if it was trying to nest on him, or poop on him or if it just wanted some intimacy...
But here was our very own Glamour Carper, leaning forward against the ground, laughing like crazy, with a squawking, wing-flapping grey goose squatting on the very top of his back, in the middle of a public park.
At was at this point we really, really wished we had batteries.
Then it got even funnier.
Since Zack was too paralyzed with laughter to do anything else, the goose decided to get even higher. It climbed all the way up onto the top of Zack's head, and then stood there. Once standing on Zack's head, the goose started biting Zack's hair.
Then it tried to bite his ears, and Zack was forced to cover his ears to keep the goose from biting them.
By this time, both Zack and myself were absolutely crippled with laughter.
There is no way the hilarity of the situation can really be conveyed with words, but I hope it's at least putting an amusing picture in your head.
It was quite literally the single funniest thing I have ever seen on the bank.
Zack and I must have been cracking up, non stop, for at least 5 minutes, till we were both struggling to breath, and I had tears on my cheeks.
And the goose stayed on his head the entire time!
People were walking by, pointing it out and laughing.
Finally, Zack sat up a little bit more, and the goose struggled to stay on his back, before finally getting down and standing next to him.
Even now, I still dont know if it was trying to mate with him, or just thought he looked comfortable.
At this point, we decided to see what would happen if I approached Zack and the goose.
I stood up, and started to slowly walk towards Zack. As soon as I got up, the goose swung it's head around to glare at me. One step towards Zack, and the bird lowered it's head down into that mean looking, defensive stands we've probably all seen angry geese in parks take at one point or another.
The goose made that strange, hissing sound at me, and I took a few more steps towards Zack. Then the goose charged me! It ran right at me, head low, hissing, and when it reached me it started trying to bite my legs and shoes, and this time it was most certainly not love bites.
As many of you may know, angry geese can bite HARD! And this goose was pissed! Of course, I can't blame it, it didn't want me messing with it's man!
So I lifted my foot and the goose immediately attacked it. I didn't really wanna hurt the goose, so, still laughing, I think I said something stupid like, "Yo, Goose! You best step off!" And then I nudged it back with my shoe against it's chest.
As the goose stumbled back, I took a few steps back. It started charging at me again, but obviously I didn't really want to hurt the stupid goose so I wasn't about to kick it or anything or start using any more force.
Instead I just picked up a long stick, dubbed the "Goose Whupper", and pushed the goose back with that. Any time the goose charged at me I'd just lift the stick up under it's beak, and it would come to a stop, and slowly back off.
After that as long as I stayed away from Zack, the goose was satisfied.
About this time we decided We HAD to have pictures of this. Zack had some batteries for his RC camera in the car, so he pulled his keys out of his pocket, and tossed them to me. Before I left, I had him bait up my swim for me, since the goose wouldn't let me anywhere near the can of corn sitting next to Zack.
Before I left, we wanted to see if Zack could get the goose on his back again. He leaned forward, and sure enough, the goose clambered right back up on top of him. This time it settled itself right against his back, got comfortable, and sat there.
Laughing, I climbed up the wall, and jogged back towards the parking lot. Not really a good idea, since the leftovers of my cough caused some problems when I stopped running, but no worries. I opened Zack's car, got four AA batteries, and made my way back.
Once I got back the goose was in the same place, still seated atop Zack's back. I sat down, got out my camera, put in the new batteries, and turned it on. The Kodak Screen popped up...Then went dark.
I turned it off and back on a few more times, and each time I got the same thing. About the third try, I realized Zack's batteries were dead.
I put in the second pair of batteries and got the exact same result.
We were screwed. No pictures of Zack's goose.
We had the sinking realization that since this was happening to Zack...there was a good chance no one would ever believe us without pictures. Ah, well, we knew it happened.
Of course...We also knew people might believe us just because it WAS Zack...everyone who knows him, knows all the weird stuff happens to him.
A short time after we gave up on getting pictures, the goose got back off of Zack.
Zack decided to try and get his own camera and see if that would work better. He got up, and started walking off, and the goose made this sad, quacking sound. I would never have described a goose's grunting and quacking noises as sad if I hadn't heard that goose quacking at Zack.
It followed him all the way up the canal, till Zack finally ran away from it to go up to his car. He grabbed his camera and returned, but by now, the goose had retreated into the water. It watched Zack, but did not return to us.
Not that it mattered. Zack's camera wouldn't run on the batteries either. ( Don't ask me why he thought it would run on dead batteries, he wouldn't explain that to me either. )
So we were basically cursed not to get pictures of anything.
Zack was able to locate the woman who had taken pictures of the goose attacking me, and I think of the goose seated on Zack. He gave her his email address, so with any luck, she'll email him the pictures and he will be able to post them.
Without the goose to entertain us, Zack and I seated ourselves back on the little wall near the canal, and talked again. We were talking about what to do when we stopped fishing, as both of us were getting really hungry. Zack wanted fried chicken, and I was thinking about heading to the Flying Saucer for a sandwhich and some beer.
"UUHFAAABUHH!" Zack suddenly said. Apparently Zack has recently developed a habit of shouting and stuttering incoherently when he gets a bite now.
As Zack shouted like a crackhead on the street corner and jumped off the wall, I looked towards his float. It had come all the way up out of the water, the yellow section standing proudly above the surface.
"Now that's a pop up," I said just as Zack got to his rod and set the hook.
This time his rod really bent double, much more then before, and as the drag screamed, we both knew it was a bigger fish. Once more it ran straight towards the little dam at the end of the canal, and Zack started following it, letting the fish run as much as it wanted. I stood by our gear for a little while in case more fish in the pod decided to take one of my lines, then curiousity got the better of me, and I walked down towards Zack.
"Dude, I can't even move this fish!"
Zack was really impressed by how hard the fish was fighting, and this coming from a guy who's been carp fishing for many, many years. Of course, Zack is used to his 12-13' rods and his huge, Shimano Thunnus reels, so a medium action 7' rod and a light spinning reel is practically a whole different game.
"This fish is kicking my a$$!" Zack said to me.
Zack couldn't do anything with it, which is just the way carp are supposed to be! It couldn't run any futher upstream, so the fish would take off to the other side of the canal, then run downsteam a ways stripping off drag, then run right back towards us forcing Zack to reel frantically to keep the slack up.
Now and then he was able to pump the fish a little when it stopped running, and just glided back and forth, but when when he pumped it, he was unable to move the fish up off the bottom. As he put it, he was putting as much torque on the fish as he dared. I told him not to pump it any harder cause he didn't want to pop the hook out of it's mouth, and he said that's just what he was worried about.
About that time I glanced down the shore towards my gear. It took me a moment, but I spotted my float. I thought, good, my float is still there...hey...is that my line? What's it doing out there?
Then I realized my other line had not been out in the middle of the canal when I left. As I watched it, the line of my other reel just kept going further and further out into the water.
Aww, carp!
I left Zack behind as I sprinted down the bank, doing my own ungainly run, and when I reached my rods, the drag on my Okuma was screaming like crazy. Luckily I had weighted my poles down well with my tackle bag, or I'd have lost it.
I picked up the pole, and saw that while my Okuma had been set up far to the right of my float pole, the line was now far to the LEFT! The fish that sucked up my bait ran straight towards the dam just like Zack's, and right under my float rod.
The drag was still screaming but I lifted it firmly to make sure the hook was set well, then carefuly held that pole with one hand while I lifted up my float rod with the other, and pulled one pole over the top of the other to untangle them.
Then as the carp kept running, I followed it up the show. Zack looked down at me, and yelled "Are you IN?"
"Yeah! We gotta double! ...Told you this spot had some carp!"
At this point, Zack still hadn't even seen his fish yet, and mine was heading right for it. Zack's fish decided to run back the other direction, leaving us heading straight for each other.
As we got near each other, Zack said "What do you wanna do?"
"Let's switch places!"
With both of fish stripping off drag, Zack and I switched spots on the bank. His fish was nearer the shore, so I lifted up my pole over his head, and he ducked down and brought his pole under mine.
Not long after that, both our fish reversed directions, and we had to go back towards each other once more.
"Again?"
"Yeah, again!"
Zack and I switched places once more, one rod over the other, one carp sprinting past the other.
Then the carp decided to get really difficult. I don't know if it was a natural instinct to school up when in danger, or what, but the carp started dancing around each other, swimming in small circles, taking drag in short bursts, right alongside each other.
Zack and I did our best to keep them apart, but there is only so much pressure you can put on a powerful, soft mouthed fish without popping the hook out.
Zack said, "I saw color!"
"How's it look?"
"I think it's a Lump, Mate!"
Ah, back to the fake English accents.
"A lump, yeah? Brilliant! Oy, there's me fish!"
Both fish came up near the surface to flash us their colors, then dove back down. Seeing two nice carp come up in clear water, right next to each other, then dissapear in a boil is a very cool sight.
Of course then we realized neither of us had the net, and it was a long ways down the shore. Worse, there was a huge tree limb in the water between us and the net, and if the carp snagged it, it'd be all over.
By now we knew Zack's fish was considerably larger, as is normal for Zack, so I volunteered to try and get the net, since my fish would be easier to keep out of the limb.
I walked down the shore, and due entirely to my incredible, fish-fighting skills, managed to get the carp past the tree limb.
Ok, so it was more a matter of luck...The fish dove, and I was able to manuever the line around the limb before the fish came back up on the other side of it. I got to the net, but it was back a ways from shore. Luckily, many days spend catching carp by myself prepared me for just that.
I walked backwards from shore, keeping the rod high and letting the fish take line, and pulling a little more line out when needed, then picked up the net. With the net in my hand, I carefully reeled in as I walked back towards the shoreline to keep tension on the fish. Then I guided him back towards Zack, and threw the net to him.
Zack picked up the net, and by now his fish was finally getting tired. A few moments later, and Zack hauled ashore an absolutely beautiful carp.
This spot is notorious for beautiful carp, but this was one of the best I'd seen. It looked like an Austin fish, if someone had painted it with brighter colors.
It had perfect body shape, a small head, a big, chunky torpedo shaped body, very thick shoulders, dark bronze scales, and a bright red tail fin. Almost literally, the perfect carp.
And we had no camera.
What a shame.
We decided to weigh it, so while Zack was unhooking his fish, I managed to retrieve my scale while still fighting mine, using the same technique as I used to get the net. I tossed Zack the scale, then went back to subduing my quarry.
Zack's fish ended up weighing 14.5lbs. It wasn't the largest carp I'd seen from that spot, but it was the largest carp I'd seen in the DFW area in a while, and certainly the most beautiful.
But, with no way to get a picture of it, we both took a last look, and slipped it back into the water.
My fish was about ready to be netted now, and Zack was paying no attention.
"Hey Zack, if you dont wanna net my fish, I can do it myself you know."
"Oh, sorry Justin I was playing with my fish."
"You're gonna make your Goose jealous."
Zack laughed, and came over and netted my fish. The carp made one last nice run, then I worked him back in, and Zack got him in the net.
We hauled my fish up onto the shore as well, and took a look at him. Another real nice fish, but in a different way. Mine, I think, was a male, while Zack's might have been a female. Mine was long and lean, longer even then Zack's fish though Zack's was quite a bit heavier. Mine was still very healthy, good proportion, beautiful dark burnished bronze scales, just long and lean, like a river fish. We were in a canal, so it may have been descended from the fish that lived in the creek before they dammed it up into canals.
We got it weighed, and he came out just past 9 pounds. Took a look at him, and let him go.
A gentleman on the bank had been watching me fight the fish, before we let him go, he came down and asked us in broken English how much it weighed, and then asked if it was good to eat.
Actually, his exact words were "Is good for Lunch?"
We really got a kick out of that. He didn't ask if they were good to eat, he was very specific.
"Is good for lunch?"
Of course, Zack and I very emphatically told him that no, they were not good for lunch. We did our best to explain that not only are carp very boney and tough to prepare, but that was about the last place you'd want to eat fish from.
A very small water, in a large public park with lots of grass, and homes with yards on the other side...A small canal that's no doubt getting pesticides and fertilizer and other run off dumped into it all the time...with slow growing fish like carp to absorb all the toxins.
Yuck.
We tried to explain it and hopefully he understood. Zack even said "No Es Bueno!"
Lucky the guy got a kick out of it, repeated Zack's statement and started laughing, rather then getting offended.
Hopefully he understood eating fish there would be dangerous!
And that was pretty much the end of the day. Donny showed up a bit later, but it was getting too dark to fish for much longer, so we went and flew Donny's RC plane a bit instead.
And, like everyone else, I decided I really needed one.
I also came up with the idea to rig them to deliver a payload of Stink Bombs! Why? To pay back all those jerks who Lake Austin who purposefully zoom in close to shore when the see the carp anglers, and cut their lines.
Wouldn't be so funny to them anymore when three small planes suddenly dive bomb their boat, and then suddenly their boat, and everyone on board, smells like skunk butt for the rest of the day...
Of course we'll probably never do it, but all you guys who've fished Austin, seen a boat in the middle of the lake suddenly swerve into shore, cut your lines, then swerve back out, knows just how satisfying it would be.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Sorry about the lack of pictures. Tomorrow I'll be joining Zack out there again, and with any luck, his beloved Goose will show up again. And hopefully we'll catch some more nice fish, too!
Oh, and from now on...feel free to refer to Zack as Goose...I know I will!
![[Linked Image]](http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/forum/uploads/post-268-1161445935.jpg)
