twoblokesgofishing.webs.com

I am an avid carp angler and a volunteer in the National Parks Service. I enjoy a host of outdoor activities, including maple sugaring in the late winter/early spring with the Blackstone Valley Sugaring Association, teaching workshops on fishing and hosting a carp derby in the early fall.

I have been fishing since about the age of 9, though only exclusively to carp for about the last four years. That isn't to say I do not fish for other species now, but I take most of my time going after Cyprinus Carpio. My first actualy experience with carp was back when I was 11 years old, I was fishing a local pond that had two sections. One section was a natural spring fed pond full of trout and bass, the other was a 3 foot deep, man made pond to simulate wet lands on one end for the birds. I remember seeing these large shadows of fish in the pond, which was only about the size of a football field, but I couldn't get them to take anything. I threw my little spoons at em, I threw my jigs at em, I threw rubber worms..and most of the time they just swam away from my bait.

I was all but ready to leave in a huff when I noticed an older gentleman coming down the hill with a dented can in one hand and a sea pole in the other. He opened the can, tossed out a handful of what I would later see as corn, and threw his bait to the same spot. I thought, what a waste of bait! I sat and watched him for a bit, and in a matter of minutes his ine went screaming out and he began to fight this whale..I swear it was as big as I was. He fought for what seemed like an eternity, and finally the old man gained line on the fish and eventually he brought it to shore. I honestly do not remember the size of that fish, but if I had to venture a guess, I would say mid 20's which at that age was HUGE! He plucked the hook and moved the fish back tot he water and watched it swim away. I ran over, amazed that this guy would just let it go and asked..why , why didn't you keep that, that would have been a weeks worth of dinner!

The old man looked at me, smiled and said.." Nah son, that was only a small one, I came for some big fish." Ever since I have always held a special place in my fishing for carp, which lately has turned to an obsession, but in the good way.