My Carping Journey - So far…

by

Malique Way

When I was a kid I use to walk through town passing over some bridges to get to school in the morning. During the Spring as I walked over one of the bridges, I would notice dark shadows lurking just under the surface of the water below my feet. I eventually learned to carry bread in a ziplock bag each Spring morning to feed these shadows. It was amazing to watch these “shadows” snatch my bread off the surface before disappearing down into the depths, then to suddenly appear again for more of my bread.

Curiosity took over and before I knew it I found myself hitting the library. l would grab every fishing book off the shelf and many a time the librarian would give me a puzzled look wondering how a kid could carry so many books. I would spend hours reading and writing notes before returning the books and watching guys like Mark Pitchers, Carl and Alex and so many more on YouTube.

Watching these anglers online challenge themselves to learn new rigs, find new water and break their personal best carp time after time helped give me the confidence to challenge myself on those downtown rivers where I saw the shadows taking my bread offerings each Spring.

I remember being a young 14 year old angler struggling and failing time after time but I slowly realized while maturing into the sport that all the blanks, unbearable weather and frustrating losses were all big lessons to learn from… As the years passed and I continued learning from both my triumphs and mistakes while improving my carp handling safety skills, I now feel pretty confident about my abilities.

Although I feel like I’ll always be learning something new about this great sport, in this blog I would like to share some memorable carping moments from this past year. I hope you enjoy….

December 10th, 2020 was a beautiful overcast winter day where I was out on a solo session, sitting by the campfire and tying my rigs. I was using the Kebab rig which is a simple rig that pairs natural baits with either bottom baits or pop ups. I’d decided to choose the American Carp Society tiger nuts with a thin covering of almond supreme Korda goo. I paired the tigers with 3 juicy lob worms that I chopped and slid up on the hair. After making the cast, I waited… it turned out to be an extremely slow session. The fish were barely moving due to the water temperature being at or slightly below freezing but the constant water flow allowed me to fish some promising pockets. I’d found a nice deep pocket earlier while I was dragging a 2oz lead on the spod rod. It was an area that was amongst fallen trees that had both a silty and a rocky area that was perfect for carp to bunker in during these brutal Winter days.

While my lines where soaking in the swim, I was struggling to keep my campfire lit so I found myself with my head down a lot (which is not smart) I just happened to look up as my rod slowly started bending, drag started to go, then a huge head shake! The minute I stood up and grabbed my rod, this fish turned and headed straight for the structure with the drag absolutely screaming. I instinctual turned, grabbed my net and jumped right in the freezing water to get a better angle on the lunging fish!

I had to wait and be patient while trying to guide her away from the structure to prevent a break-off. Luckily I was able to turn the fish and a 20 minute battle continued with some very big runs! Eventually this beautiful common came close enough for me to net and I was able to land my biggest common to date! I remember standing there in the water with her in the net and just admiring the sheer beauty of the fish.

I ended up taking some beautiful pictures and enjoying some moments while releasing her. I will never forget this fish because after this capture, I spent the rest of the year and up to this day chasing bigger and more powerful carp.

Another very special capture happened on St. Patrick's day 2021, one day before my birthday. My good friend, Logan and I decided to go down to the river to try and get on some carp for an early birthday gift.

We packed gear, tied up all the rigs and set out. This was early spring so I decided to use a a boilie since the carp are starting to wake up from the cold winter. I really love using the Carp Bait USA banana boilies and so after some discussion, that's what we decided to use. While we were unloading our equipment and camera gear from the car I joked with Logan and told my friend watch us catch the koi today! He looked back at me and laughed. I knew the probability of catching this koi I've been seeing for a couple of seasons was extremely slim but hey…it was St. Patrick's day so anything can happen.

While we were walking down to the spot we had a man in a leprechaun suit riding a bike pass us on the trail. Logan and I looked at each other and all I can say was, "might be a koi day bro" We both couldn't stop laughing all the way to the swim.

As soon as we got there, I was itching to get a line in the water… it was a beautiful morning with the fog still hanging over the cliff side as I walked over the bank to take a look at the spot. Just where the fog met the river, there were signs of fish. I could see some bubbles and movement by some boulders and decided to put both rods in that location. I decided to go simple and use a method feeder with some oatmeal and cream corn pack to accompany the boilies on the hair.

While the baits where soaking, Logan showed me his new camera and drone and while we were looking at the new specs, the fist rod went off. I ran over and grabbed it and fought a very strong willed fish that turned out to be a beautifully dark featured common of 14lbs who was filled with energy even on the mat!. After netting the dark beauty, I took a couple pictures with Logan and released her back to her home.

We ended up recasting multiple times through out the day without any bites until I decided to soak one of the boilies in pineapple Korda goo. Both my lines where sitting right on a shelf next to deep water. The thinking was that the carp would be able to both “sunbathe” and seek shelter as it got colder later in the afternoon.

The carp definitely seemed to still be sluggish from Winter but still willing to occasionally eat. While we were waiting it was nice being able to catch up with my friend and enjoy the surrounding nature. Next thing we know there's another hit but this time it was a bigger hit and I ran over at full speed excited after no bites in hours and grabbed the rod! I instantly knew she was hooked but instead of running,it felt like this fish swam straight up to the surface. It was a very weird fight after such a heavy take, with soft turns as this fish broke the surface… I looked at Logan because I just saw something I've been praying for. IT WAS THE KOI!

I had to keep my emotions in check because this fish was not in the net. I took my time she was fighting very softly and swimming at the surface. As she came in I slowly reached out with the net and secured the catch. I was finally able to take a deep breath she was in the net. Logan took a small video of the moment with a couple of priceless photos that where breathtaking. Thanks bro!

I finally was eye to eye with a fish I've been chasing for multiple seasons. She would be there one minute then would swim out to the big river only to come back weeks later and not be interested in anything I was ever throwing. This will forever be one of my favorite fish and to be able to catch this fish a day before my birthday on St.Patrick's day while fishing with my best friend will forever be one of my favorite memories.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, I hope to do many more in the years to come…

Malique