I got to get out during my lunch break today and fish a creek close to my office (Big Walnut not far below the dam, for those from the area). I’ve been pounding a stretch of water pretty hard for about a week trying to hook up with one of the many carp in the area. Finally I stalked one who decided to stay in the shallows instead of in the deeper water.
I tossed my Pine Squirrel Crayfish (something I made up after tying and fishing some of John Scott’s Pine Squirrel Cheaters) a few feet up stream from him and crawled it down to him on the rocks. It was great to watch him meander over in no hurry to suck up the fly in the clear shallow water.
After a very disappointing fight (only 2 decent runs) I brought him in to release him and noticed that he was absolutely covered in slime. Thick, white disgusting slime. I haven’t ever seen a carp so slimey. He wasn’t gold or orange at all and I started to wonder if he was actually some kind of big sucker. I’d guess him at around 25 inches long but he was incredibly tall. He didn’t have a very distinct shoulder like a lot of other carp I’ve caught either.
What do you guys think? Sucker or slimey carp? I took a pic with my phone but it is of the back of the fish and you really can’t tell much about him. I’ll try to get it loaded though.
Almost sounds like a big head carp (one of the asian nasties) they tend to be COVERED in a horrible nasty thick disgusting slime, and the fight from them can be really disappointing.
Coloration looks to be a buffalo sucker, but I still don’t know. Maybe I’ll stop in at the Old Dutchman and I ask. When I went out today I still had that crappy slime stuck on my waders! It is tough to get off.
Honestly, I hope that is the last time i catch one of those things!
That’s a buff… they look just like a common carp, good eaing too, can pickle the fillets just like a herring. From the top they do look just like a common just a little lighter colored but from the side they are much lighter colored.
