A question for you Baz?

[Swingtip]

When fishing last week I was using 8lb line the wife 6.5lb line straight thru on no.14 hooks with 1 or 2 6mm pellets and feeding 4mm. Most of wifeys were 6/8lb Carp with several 11.5/12lb Carp (typo in previous thread). Late afternoon she caught something huge which dragged her around the lake for more than 20 minutes then came staight at her and parked itself in the margins to her left but not in close or any undergrowth. It then just sat there and no matter what she did for the next 15 mins' she could only pull it towards her more than a little and then when it wanted to it just shuffled it's way back to it's starting point. After some 35 mins of this while trying again the line broke.
Questions: Is this normal for big "Carp".
Would she have been better with heavier line? BUT would it be best to stay with this size line to enjoy the smaller catches or plump for "the big one". I thought catching 12lb Carp on 6.5lb mono was good going??

 

[BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester]

I can only tell you what I have expierienced mate.
I am targetting the Tench useing 8lb breaking strain line. I expected the carp to latch onto my bait sooner or later and they did.
I said in an article that if the Carp became too proloific or I was loseing them I would step the breaking strain up.

G.Marsden said that 8lb should handle any Carp I catch up to about twenty lb as long as it is in snag free water.
Even an expert like myself has to ask questions (o
I have caught and landed Carp to 20 lb 6oz on the 8lb Kryston line in this last month with no problem.

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Now that the weather has warmed up and the weed is starting to grow back again. I am getting exactly what you have described.

What is happening is that the Tench are burying their heads in the newly grown weed. Many a Carp angler has stated that he has got a carp on. But then it turns out to be a Tench. They are fighting really hard at the moment. So much so that I will not use my swingtip rod as I think I would really struggle to get them in.
One thing to try is to give a bit of slack line when things go solid. Wait a short while and watch your line for any movement. Reel down and give it a bit of a heave. This usually works, or try dislodging the fish from a different angle.

Also.
when you first have the fish on and are not too sure what it is. With your line tight, see if you can feel the fish nodding it's head, or the tip of your rod bouncing about. This usally means that it is a Tench.

It is also possible that the Carp/Tench had found a snag you didn't know was there. This has happened to me a lot just lately. Sometimes you have no option but to hold your rod straight and low, turn your back, and pull for a break.

Personally I would stay with the ligter line unless you started to get snapped off too often.
Other readers might have a different viewpoint. But as always, I'm never far off the mark (-;

 

[Swingtip]

I think you may be right regarding the Tench as there was a definate nodding prior to it returning towards her from the other side of the lake and this lake certainly has some huge Tench.
Cheers Baz I appreciate your input.
Roy

 

[NomadPaul]

Swingtip , are there any catfish in your lake ? just wondering if your wife may have latched into one of them , rather than a carp

 

[Chris Bishop]

I was wondering that Paul.

 

[Steve Spiller]

Could have been a foul hook up? Carp?

 

[Swingtip]

Not to my knowledge Paul however it is known for monster Carp and very big, very fit hard fighting Tench. The condition of all the fish there has to be seen to be believed with Tench as green and transparent as an emerald. It's privately owned and cared for and we were very priveledged to spend the day there (free of charge I might add).

 

[Swingtip]

That's a possibility Steve because she had one similar earlier in the day however the way it played on the line was not consistant with foul hooking. All in all I would have to go with Baz's original suggestion of a decent but cunning Tench (as much as that might gaul some of you. LOL)

 

[BAZ (Angel of the North) aka Fester]

Don't worry about it mate. They know I am allways right (o

 

[Neneman Nick]

i was gonna sugest the mrs possibly hooked a catfish???

 

[The Monk]

yes sounds like a cat, could have been a snagged carp though, 8lb would be my avaerage line B/S for carp in the UK, maybe 6lb in weed free snag free waters. The size of carp is nothing to go by for fighting powers, I`ve had 40s that have come in like wet paper bags and I`ve also had them that fought like hell, its down to condition factor of the carp, I`d defy anyone to try and backwind a 17lb St Lawrence carp or any other low CF river carp, the old Wildies also used to make a good account of themselfs, they went off like bullets. A few years ago my lad lost a big fish in France, an hour previously he had taken a 38.5 which came in within ten minutes, then at 3.30 am his middle rod went off, he ran out and hit into a fish he couldnt move, after 1.5 hours he had managed to get it to the bank which had a very deep margin, I took over for a while as he was tired and only 14 at the time, I couldnt get the fish to lift its head off the bottom and I had an 18 line on, after two hours the hook gave way, we never saw the fish but went on to take about another 20 x20s from the same swim in the remainding week. From my limited experience of cats they tend to hug the bottom in still waters

 

[Dee Staton]

Hi
Can any one tell me where to buy a swop-lock clip on depth finder please. Dee