Three new anglers land a Trophy

Mary Helen is a friend from my hometown in the Adirondack mountains of central New York.  As youthful friendships are wont to do, we had drifted apart over the years and lost touch.  Through a mutual friend I learned that she was now living only a short drive from my current home in Albany, NY!  I was invited to a small get together and it was a delight to walk in to the restaurant and see her again.  As I regaled the dinner party with stories of large carp, and the crazy adventures that often coincide with their pursuit, Mary Helen shocked me by asking if I would take her and her girls fishing.

I’m still shocked.

We made plans a month in advance.  (My schedule is wide open for fishing… 24/7.  Hers is a whirl wind of work, play dates, and general parenting mayhem)  I didn’t think calendars went that far in advance.  I was wrong.

The month disappeared in a flash of summer haze and suddenly I was reconfirming directions and stressing about what gear would be needed and if the carp would cooperate.  Lately the carp at my “Go-To” spot had been playing hard to get.  I was nervous and wanted very much for all three to feel the rush of playing one of the Hudson River Brawlers that I had bragged about on that fateful evening.

I got to the swim thirty minutes early and immediately put in about 2 ~ 3 pounds of a sweet feed/bird seed mix that would be sure to get the action started.  I left maize out of the mix as the only kernals in the swim would be on the hair.  I’ve tried boilies and tiger nuts but just can’t seem to beat the consistent success of flavored corn on the Hudson River.

At 3 o’clock on the button, I was startled by the “Hello!” from the top of the bank…  “Welcome, and come on down” I replied.   Mary Helen introduced me to Lauren, her oldest at 9, and her seven year old sister Hannah.  I was impressed by the polite manners of the young ladies.  This would wear off.

Lauren is an aspiring theater actor and knows all the names of all the actors in tons of movies I haven’t seen … yet.  Apparently I need to get out more.  Hannah, a fifty three pound dynamo in blue Crocs, had not chosen a career yet, but rest assured, I feel sorry for anybody who gets in her way when she does!  More on that later.

Mert (Mary Helen) had to make a couple of trips back to the car to get chairs, drinks, snacks, tissues, you name it she got it… then settled in to watch her girls learn how to bait up hair rigs for carp.  I just barely had time to explain the difference between cool refreshing Del Monte niblets and the sun burned, Scopex flavored carp corn of dubious expiration date that Hannah was about to put in her mouth.  The look on her face was priceless in an “I’ll laugh some other day sort of way”  She washed her hands in the Hudson which may or may not have helped.

We got three poles rigged up complete with bite alarms so the only thing left to do was was re-chum with the catapult.  The girls were determined to master the art of sling shot baiting and who was I to stand in their way?  Actually, directly in front of them would have been the safest place.  When Lauren and Hanna got done baiting there was enough sweet feed in their hair to keep a Pony Express rider on the trail for a week. 

But it didn’t slow ‘em down.  No Sirree!

Mert and I sipped our Gatorades and watched the girls move up and down the bank in flashes of color in amongst the purple loosestrife that grew along the shore.  Hanna was determined to throw rocks where we had put the chum in.  After the first warning she resorted to only throwing them underhand.  A second warning resulted in her dropping them from shoulder height.  A third warning and she was carefully placing them in the water “quietly”.   Her restraint was admirable and I told her so.

As the tide had peaked the water was all the way up in to the shoreline vegetation and I knew the carp would be just scant feet away from us.  I got the girls to try and spot crashing carp out in the main flow but the immature loon that popped up almost at our feet made us all jump!  The loon gave us a close look and then went right back to chasing the minnows that patrolled the shoreline.

Everybody had started to relax and enjoy the moment when the 9′ Diawa float rod exploded into a spool spinning frenzy!  I handed the pole to a suddenly shy Hanna and she elected to let her big sister have the honor.  I got Mom to help hold the pole upright and ran for my camera.  (Yes, Gentle Reader, it was inevitable I hear you saying)

Lauren was an absolute study in determination as she learned how to crank the reel and  pull hard on the pole.  The carp ran fifty yards in a blink and turned downstream in a burst of power that amazed everyone.  There were some very concerned faces now!  Hanna got in to the spirit and helped reel when her big sister started to tire.  Now keep in mind that this was a 10~12 pound fish on eight pound test, and he knew how to use the tidal current to his advantage.  He tried to tangle the line in the root balls along the shoreline but the falling tide worked against him and kept them out of his reach.  He kited side to side in short lived, but glorious bursts of energy that drew gasps of surprise from the concerned anglers.   What is a carp to do when faced with the combined grit and determination of these three fierce fisher-women? 

He ghosted in to the weigh sling bowed but not beaten.

We examined the dark golden scales and learned why fish need to be kept wet to protect their slime coats.  We didn’t want this wonderful fish to be hurt so we made sure to keep the bag between him and the rocks.  After the picture I put him back in to the sling so that Lauren and Hanna could take him back out for release.  It was a pleasure to see the looks on their faces as he swam away strong.  We had high fives all around as Mert took pictures from the saftey of the shore.

Now Hanna NEEDED a fish.  She watched those quivering rod tips with a passion.  Her sister explored the shoreline and still Hannah waited.  Twenty minutes had gone by and still her eyes watched that rod tip.  It was her tummy that did her in.  I had promised everyone hot dogs at the One and Only, World Famous, Gus’s Hot Dogs.  Fifty-four cents of pure gastronomic pleasure.  All you can eat as long as you pay for ‘em.

So Hannah had her back to the pole as she was explaining the dangers of starvation to her mother when all hell broke loose!  The alarm was screaming and Hannah knew it was her turn but she didn’t know how to pick up the pole.  Lauren and Mert were  yelling encouragement and the carp was doing it’s best to taste salt water (83 miles) when I picked it up the rod and got Hannah situated on her grip.  To make it more exciting she is left handed.  Mert resumed her postion as keeper of the rod vertical and Lauren acted as the emergency brake in case the aforementioned fifty three pound angler decided to join the careening carp on it’s journey to the sea.  And yes, I ran for the camera.

Hannah had mangaged to stop the initial rush and was just starting to bring back some line to the spool when the carp shot down to the bottom and ran the light mono over the zebra mussel encrusted rocks…….  Ping!  Gone.

She took it well.  I was very proud of her in her moment of despair.  We talked about how the lead would drop off the line and the hook would eventually wear away.  “Her” carp would be fine.  Now let’s go get those hot dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ah, youth.  She was fine.  I, on the other hand,  had a tear in my eye all the way to the Hot Dog stand….  then I was fine too.

Hope you enjoyed the Tellin’

CarpDaddy