What Was That Monster?!

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

My friend and I took our kayaks to a local community pond today for the first time there.  It is about the size of 3 football fields.  Very big.  Center is about 10 feet deep.  Plenty of downed trees, etc. all around.  Well, I was at the bank edge fishing my minnow around a lot of snot grass.  I heard about 10 feet next to me what sounded like a huge bird swooshing into the water to grab a tasty fish.  I looked over and saw nothing but rippling water; something like a bowling ball was just dropped in it from a low flying plane.  I asked my buddy "what was that?"  He was about 25 feet behind me and said, "Sounded like a huge bass hitting a fly or something".  As we looked there again, we discovered we were both wrong.  Out it came, 9 more times to be exact in a period of about 30 seconds.  We saw it 100%.  It was no bass.  It was easily 35lbs.  Easily.  The color was a shiny grey, almost light green, grey head (about the size of a watermelon) and had big square shaped scales.  About 3 to 4 feet long.  Why didn't we take a picture?  Well, Jim was staring with his mouth wide open, motionless.  I was yelling (bad words :-( , and was paddling backwards yelling "What the #$%& is that thing" as it was approaching my kayak within 3 feet!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I got away and we just sat there in shock.  NEVER seen anything like that aside from Jeremy Wade on Rivermonsters.  LOL  We looked up some pics on the web and found it to maybe be a carp?????  I cannot tell you all how much this is NOT exaggerated.  The size of the fish was in reach; I could have grabbed its' tail if I wanted to.  The fish almost seemed to do this to get us away.  What do you all think it was?

 

Joe

[00 mod]

Is this pond connected to the Mississippi River in any way shape or form?

 

Jeff

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Negative. Just a local NC pond. I will never forget this day. Lol

I remember that thing thrashing. :-)

Why do you ask Jeff? Asian Carp on Off the Hook with Eric Young? Lol

[00 mod]

Yea. Asian carp jump a lot. They are the devil.

[NEjitterbugger]

I was thinking carp...

 

Would gar be a stretch considering it was a community pond?

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

The nose wasn't long like a gar. Looked like a drum fish or something like a carp. It was nuts!

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Jeff, could an Asian carp get that big? Are they even found in NC? I only heard about them on theat episode on tv.

[CPBassFishing]

Sounds like some sort of carp. There are grass carp in my local pond and the biggest is easily 5 feet long and 60 pounds. never seen them jump though. Only one way to find out what it is. Grab your strongest rod with the strongest line that isn't braid, get a big old bobber, a 1/0 stout bait hook, and some bread. Get a huge bread ball on the hook next time you see the thing and cast near it.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I watched a video of Asian carp on YouTube. They looked very much like the one today. Except the one today was huge! I have seen grass carp. They got pretty big but they were slow in the other pond. Not real active. This guy today was the show stopper. Lol

[aquaholic]

here on the river when carp are feeding, they hit a lot on the top. Ive never seen one come out of the water besides an Asian though. why didnt you jump in the water after it?

[clayton86]

I'm gonna bet carp they do that all the d**n time here and they are just common carp

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

If that is the case then it had to be Asian. I need to find out if they make home in NC. Or if someone put one or more in there years ago.

I would have gone in after it had it not scared the poop out of me. Lol

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Cool! You sure there is no such thing as an acrobat carp? Lol

[clayton86]

The common carp here and just plain suckers will clear the water all the time jumping after dragon flies I always assume. Some times they get going pretty crazy jumping constantly I get excited at first thinking its a bass then I turn my attention to that area and see its just carp and its a big let down lol.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

There were dragon flies everywhere out there today too!!! Was the one today just a huge beast then????

[flyfisher]

grass carp or common carp do jump out all the time.  This is when i am so happy to target them on the fly because they are looking upwards and are easier to catch.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Ok, excuse my newbie question:::::

I can actually catch that thing?????????

[flyfisher]

yup but it is not as easy as you would think.  I have done better on my fly rod than nay other method because as large and coarse of a fish that they look like they are pretty finicky and very skittish.

 

They don't call them the poor man's bonefish for nothing

[Darren.]

Was there a cigarette smoking man anywhere along the shoreline?

 

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Who is that???

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Lol fly fisher

[Darren.]

Who is that???

 

Ever watch the X-Files? He's always where trouble - or mystery - abounds.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Got it Darren. My wife had to tell me. Lol

[clayton86]

can o' corn throw some on a hook a handful in the water and hold on 

[CPBassFishing]

yup but it is not as easy as you would think.  I have done better on my fly rod than nay other method because as large and coarse of a fish that they look like they are pretty finicky and very skittish.

 

They don't call them the poor man's bonefish for nothing

any way to catch a 60lb grass carp aside from snagging? I did snag one one time and it ripped half the line off my reel and got off (50lb braid).