When I hooked this fish I had no idea what I had on, when the line started peeling off the reel as my drag squealed I thought it might be a huge pike. Took about 15 minutes before I got glimpse of the fish and another 10 minutes before I landed it :)

Holy smokes, Mike! What a fish!! I bet that was a lot of fun....thanks for sharing!!

Very cool. Carp can be good fighters.
25 minutes on the line had to be fun!!
What do think it weighed?

OldTripper: "Very cool. Carp can be good fighters.
25 minutes on the line had to be fun!!
What do think it weighed?"

I'm guessing 20 to 25 pounds maybe? I don't know. I do know it wasn't easy to pick up :) It was a long, fun fight. We were both wore out in the end.

Who said carp can't be fun? Nice fish and can only imagine the fun you had landing it. Great pic!

with a zulu?

zski: "with a zulu?"

KVD 1.0 craw square bill crank

Nice surprise. Not the best eating imo, but one of the best fighting fish in the water!

overthehill: " Nice surprise. Not the best eating imo, but one of the best fighting fish in the water!"

Extremely strong pulling fish. I thought I had this fish coming in 5 or 6 times and every time I worked it close it would tear off line from the spool. It sure didn't make it easy for me ;)

I've only eaten carp once after someone smoked it. Wasn't bad, I guess if you know what you are doing......

They say to place carp on a pine board and place on coals. Remove from coals after awhile; flip both the board and the carp on top. After a few minutes repeat, discard carp and eat board! :0
) oth

Awesome! Did he smack it or did you snag him? Nice catch on 6lb!! Would I be a bad person to have tossed him up on the bank? I suppose after such an amazing fight it would be hard but they sure are a destructive fish vacuuming up fish eggs, destroying habitat etc. Hate those things. (love catching them though ;-)

We liked making dough balls out of oatmeal. At night we used to chum with whole kernel corn and slide a few nuggets on a hook. Wasn't very long before one was on.

She was trying to eat the lure. It was hooked under the head right behind the lips, so I guess it was kind of snagged, but it was trying to eat the lure, it just must of missed it. It was a long battle to get that thing to tire. I have snagged big ones in the tail before and there is nothing you can do......

If anyone likes carp fishing, I recommend lake Volney, south of New Prague in Minnesota. IF you look at the DNR surveys of most lakes, the average carp is 2.5-3.5 lbs something like that. But on Volney, the average carp in the net is 12 or 13 lbs. I forget.

We go to the north side of the lake, and set up in about 9 ft of water. It drops off to about 30' near by. We chum the water with whole kernel corn (is that bad?), and then put a couple on our hook. we use bobber, but only as an indicator. The bait is on the bottom.

Last time we went there we got skunked, but the time before, my brother and I caught 12, and all of them were over 13 lbs. He caught a couple in the 34" range, that ran 25 lbs. When I set the hook, they would run off almost the whole spool. I honestly thought I was going to get spooled on a couple.

It's amazing, to hook a fish near the boat, and within seconds its 70 yards away. They ran right out to deep water.

My brother was fishing with a telephone pole, and piano wire, so it wasn't that much of an adventure for him, but I was using 10 lb test, and a medium action 7' pole.

The last one got off, and I was actually somewhat relieved. it's a heck of a work out. Fun fun. Much to one of the nearby residents dismay, we let them all go.

I have heard there is an outfit that comes in there and nets the lake. They send most of the fish to new york for processing, but the really big ones, over 30 lbs, they send to arkansas or some place like that for fish ponds. People pay good money to catch them.

It's a blast. It's been two years since I've been there, I need to get back.

Nice Carp Mike.

analyzer: " "

That was one of my brothers. If memory serves that one was in the 15 lb range, I could be wrong. I guess they call it a plated mirror carp. We caught a few like that. Kinda strange, they only have a few scales.

It's interesting that it was biting at your lure Mike. I've fished by the Xcel energy plant up by monticello MN, and have caught buffalo on rapalas. I thought it was kind of odd.

QueticoMike: "She was trying to eat the lure. It was hooked under the head right behind the lips, so I guess it was kind of snagged, but it was trying to eat the lure, it just must of missed it. It was a long battle to get that thing to tire. I have snagged big ones in the tail before and there is nothing you can do......"

Yup, I have caught a few big ones (not quite as big as yours but over 10lbs) on lures. They shock you thats for sure.

So, are you going to become a closet carp fisherman? Gotta admit, they are a blast. If they jumped and were good to eat we would all be carp fisherman ;-0

Great fish! Carp are incredible fighters. I once brought one in and my brother netted it but didn't get it out of the water soon enough and it shot right through the mono net and snapped 20lb test like it was nothing.

analyzer: "

analyzer: " "

That was one of my brothers. If memory serves that one was in the 15 lb range, I could be wrong. I guess they call it a plated mirror carp. We caught a few like that. Kinda strange, they only have a few scales.


It's interesting that it was biting at your lure Mike. I've fished by the Xcel energy plant up by monticello MN, and have caught buffalo on rapalas. I thought it was kind of odd."

My biggest carp came on a black and silver A.C. shiner lure, hooked on the lip. It was 42 inches long. Hooked it while canoeing. My bow partner paddled me all around until he saw it was carp and said he was done paddling. I told him to at least paddle me to shore to fight the fish. I had just got back from Quetico, wasn't home more than an hour and my buddy wanted me to do a river trip. So I didn't bother cleaning up or putting away my gear from the Quetico trip. The funny thing is I drove 2000 miles and when I get home I catch a bigger fish than any of the ones I caught up north in Quetico.

AC Shiner.......havent heard of that lure in a while. My biggest bass which weighed 9lbs and change (weighed on a hardware store scale) came off a silver AC Shiner.

The former owner of the hardware store, a true Florida Cracker and a fine man, took me fishing down a canal on the Indian reservation. While he flyrodded for bluegill I cast for bass. When that bass jumped my mouth fell open. We were very lucky to have landed it as it wrapped in the motor.

We took pics and just before I was about to let the fish go he indignantly asked what I was doing. Of course I was going to let it go but he commenced to call me a "Yankee fisherman" and demanded the fish (LOL). I promptly complied seeing since he was the man I was purchasing my property from (land contract)........... that and he might whip me despite his age. We put the bass in the box only to take it to the hardware store which still bore his name to weigh it. It caused a little commotion and I do believe he went on to eat the beast. Quite a man, admired by all who met him. I'm pretty sure he was in his 80's when that happened.

hooked into this fat pig a few years ago during the walleye run in wisconsin... still not sure how she was landed with light tackle. They sure do put on a heck of a fight. Back in the water she went

Huge fish! And an underrated species. I love how the In-Fishermen crew love carp.

Euell Gibbons once conducted an informal, blind taste test. His guests, not knowing what was on the table, unanimously chose the carp over black bass and catfish.

It seems that the trick was to separate the skin and large bones from the flesh as soon after landing as possible. Evidently, the muddy flavor characteristic of carp is concentrated in the skin and large bones but leaks into the flesh after death.

I haven't tried it myself, only because I have not caught a carp in a long time.

mastertangler: "AC Shiner.......havent heard of that lure in a while. My biggest bass which weighed 9lbs and change (weighed on a hardware store scale) came off a silver AC Shiner.


The former owner of the hardware store, a true Florida Cracker and a fine man, took me fishing down a canal on the Indian reservation. While he flyrodded for bluegill I cast for bass. When that bass jumped my mouth fell open. We were very lucky to have landed it as it wrapped in the motor.


We took pics and just before I was about to let the fish go he indignantly asked what I was doing. Of course I was going to let it go but he commenced to call me a "Yankee fisherman" and demanded the fish (LOL). I promptly complied seeing since he was the man I was purchasing my property from (land contract)........... that and he might whip me despite his age. We put the bass in the box only to take it to the hardware store which still bore his name to weigh it. It caused a little commotion and I do believe he went on to eat the beast. Quite a man, admired by all who met him. I'm pretty sure he was in his 80's when that happened. "

The A.C. ( stands for action certified ) shiner lure is made in the great state of Ohio :) Great lures!

Jeriatric: "Euell Gibbons once conducted an informal, blind taste test. His guests, not knowing what was on the table, unanimously chose the carp over black bass and catfish.


It seems that the trick was to separate the skin and large bones from the flesh as soon after landing as possible. Evidently, the muddy flavor characteristic of carp is concentrated in the skin and large bones but leaks into the flesh after death.


I haven't tried it myself, only because I have not caught a carp in a long time."

Blah! Any fish that smells that bad when I pull it out of the water "I aint eatin". Gar smell as bad or worse!

I personally do not believe the bad flavor is in the bones. Carp are very bloody and that blood is what I suspect gives fish that "fishy" taste. The blood is usually concentrated along the flanks just under the skin. It is there a lot of oils and any pollutants reside as well. ANY fish I catch gets the additional step of removing that darkened discolored "meat". We have tried eating carp caught out of very clean water and they weren't "fit for a dog". I agree that the best place for them is under rose bushes..........any carp I catch is going to be food for something else, "everything gotta eat" is my motto.

My suggestion is any bloody fish (tuna come to mind) needs be immediately bled so the heart can pump as much blood out of them as is possible. Then you might stand a decent chance of having something edible. We always do that with Tuna, would probably work with carp.

Mike you ruined my little belief that "A.C." was the name of some guy making these lures in his basement. Ohio? I have never seen them much around except here in florida where they had a big following amongst the bass crew.

Yes, nice lure. I like the smaller sizes. I find they can be hard to cast, not particularly aerodynamic.

A.C. Shiners Inc was founded in 1963, and is located at 5747 Jenkins Rd in Okeana, Ohio. Additional information is available at www.acshiners.info or by contacting Arthur Schoultheis at (513) 738-1573.

A.C. Shiners stands for 'Action' 'Certified' Shiners because each lure is hand made, painted and tested in water to fine tune EACH lure's 'Action'. The lure's 'Action' is certified to run true to provide the highest quality possible in finely crafted fishing bait. With over 45 years of manufacturing, we have 24 different sizes and 16 possible colors.

24 different sizes! 16 color combinations! Who knew? I have seen maybe 3 or 4 sizes in either silver or gold.

I should probably give those another look. Definitely a lure which likes a snap of some sort. I used fas snaps with them (of course I did ;-) I did not like the action tied direct.

I like the 550 size for canoe country for walleye.........check it out, you can get a gold and black one but with an orange belly (as opposed to Rapalas white belly). I bet that would be a slay 'em lure in walleye country.

AC shiner

Well I went and done it........I picked one up but in the 450 size instead of the 550. I liked the spacing of the double hooks on the 450 instead of the 550 triple gang.

Gold, black and orange belly. I have always liked them but fell out of the habit. I will give them another go I guess.

mastertangler: "Well I went and done it........I picked one up but in the 450 size instead of the 550. I liked the spacing of the double hooks on the 450 instead of the 550 triple gang.


Gold, black and orange belly. I have always liked them but fell out of the habit. I will give them another go I guess. "

I use them on the river and Quetico at times. Mostly trolling up in Quetico. I don't use a snap. If it is on a leader then yeah, but if not I tie a Rapala loop knot for the river.

QueticoMike:
My biggest carp came on a black and silver A.C. shiner lure, hooked on the lip. It was 42 inches long. "

That's quite a Carp. Do you know about how much it weighed? My experience has been, they reach a certain point, around 32 inches, and with each additional inch, they put on a lot of girth. Seems like from 32 to 34, they went from 20 to 25 lbs. It's been a while, so my math might be off, but I do remember them growing in weight exponentially, with each additional inch once they hit that 32" range.

42 has to be well over 35 lbs huh?

I found this in an article about carp weight, and it rings true for what I have experienced:

"The typical wild common variety of carp that is 28 inches long usually will weigh about 8 pounds. 10 pounds is probably the upper limit for this length, so you are definitely on target with your weights.

However, carp start adding girth once they reach 32 inches. You could catch a wild common that is 12 pounds and 32 inches long and then land another one that is almost 20 pounds but the same length. 32 inches is the magic length that results in less length growth and more girth growth. A 33-inch fish is almost always 20 pounds or very close. Every body of water is different, however, and there are lots of different varieties of the species Cyprinus carpio.

I have caught carp as small as 23 inches that weighed 10 pounds but this is rare in the USA unless you are out East. There are a few varieties of carp, that were manipulated by French monks to grow more round to fit on a dinner plate, that are living in US waters. Most are in lakes or rivers in the Eastern part of the US. These fish could be 30 inches and 50 pounds. Most are mirrors, a rare variety where the scales grow irregular.

I doubt it is possible to make a chart that would be accurate enough to cover all varieties of carp. You might be able to construct one for your lake on your own. But if you are looking for a good marker for as 20-pound fish, then 33 inches is a good bet."

beautiful fish Mike ! if a 25 minute doesn't get your adrenaline up nothing will !! our state record is ##55-5 out of clearwater lake , i cant imagine what he thought he had on ;)
and on my local lake waconia , i seen 1 of the biggest tails ever in my life as crap breached like a whale.

analyzer: "

QueticoMike:
My biggest carp came on a black and silver A.C. shiner lure, hooked on the lip. It was 42 inches long. "

That's quite a Carp. Do you know about how much it weighed? My experience has been, they reach a certain point, around 32 inches, and with each additional inch, they put on a lot of girth. Seems like from 32 to 34, they went from 20 to 25 lbs. It's been a while, so my math might be off, but I do remember them growing in weight exponentially, with each additional inch once they hit that 32" range.


42 has to be well over 35 lbs huh?


I found this in an article about carp weight, and it rings true for what I have experienced:


"The typical wild common variety of carp that is 28 inches long usually will weigh about 8 pounds. 10 pounds is probably the upper limit for this length, so you are definitely on target with your weights.


However, carp start adding girth once they reach 32 inches. You could catch a wild common that is 12 pounds and 32 inches long and then land another one that is almost 20 pounds but the same length. 32 inches is the magic length that results in less length growth and more girth growth. A 33-inch fish is almost always 20 pounds or very close. Every body of water is different, however, and there are lots of different varieties of the species Cyprinus carpio.


I have caught carp as small as 23 inches that weighed 10 pounds but this is rare in the USA unless you are out East. There are a few varieties of carp, that were manipulated by French monks to grow more round to fit on a dinner plate, that are living in US waters. Most are in lakes or rivers in the Eastern part of the US. These fish could be 30 inches and 50 pounds. Most are mirrors, a rare variety where the scales grow irregular.


I doubt it is possible to make a chart that would be accurate enough to cover all varieties of carp. You might be able to construct one for your lake on your own. But if you are looking for a good marker for as 20-pound fish, then 33 inches is a good bet.""

I have no idea how much a 42 inch carp weighs, all I know was it was a monster. I don't remember it having a big girth, more like a torpedo shape. I didn't catch it in a lake I was floating down a river.

shock: "beautiful fish Mike ! if a 25 minute doesn't get your adrenaline up nothing will !! our state record is ##55-5 out of clearwater lake , i cant imagine what he thought he had on ;)
and on my local lake waconia , i seen 1 of the biggest tails ever in my life as crap breached like a whale. "

I spent the first 15 minutes hoping my line wasn't going to snap before I saw what was on the end of the line. If it was a pike was probably going up on the wall :)