Lake Mead Carp Fishing

The first video I tried to film, also contained the first carp I caught from the USA. This video was a complete write-off, but a valuable learning curve. Testing out the new camera with its new chest mount turned out to be challenging. The angle of the camera was too high giving lovely sky views. On top of that, the power button and sound buttons are one and the same.

A week later, and my second attempt lead me to Lake Mead. Having learned not to fish on underwater roads, I made a better spot selection. About an hour into the fishing session, my first carp from Lake Mead showed up. The next fish broke off, taking my feeder rig with it. New rig tied on, the stage was set for the fish in the picture.

The moment the hook was set, I could feel the strength of the fish. The bend in the rod was overshadowed with a feeling that the reel was being pulled off of the rod. Having caught carp before, I could tell this was bigger than the 2kg (4.4lb) carp I normally catch. At 5.56kg (12.3lb), this fish is by no means a lake monster. This is, however, the biggest carp I have caught to date.

I hope to someday catch a carp four times the size of this one, but I don’t feel rushed to do so. It is great to catch your new personal best, but the new catch relegates your previous catches to the level where they go to be forgotten. Each catch is different and in its own way special and deserves to be remembered as such.

As fishermen, it is easy to fall into the trap of always wanting to catch the biggest, and thus out-fish the rest. This is not the mindset I would like to adopt, nor is it what I would like to teach to others. Always hunting for a 12lb bass means that the 1lb fish that shows up will be tossed back like a piece of garbage.

You may differ from this point of view, that’s your right. I just feel that each catch should be valued, and cherished. All I ask is that next time that “junk” fish shows up, be glad to have caught something, and handle it with care and the respect it deserves. Who knows, that fish might just be the future Lake Monster!