I spent a week with two of the Grandkids this week. I am on vacation, so I had nothing but time to spend with them. It was a great week, lots of fun! The oldest just discovered fishing this year and is taking it very seriously. The younger one also went with us fishing, and when bored found ways to keep entertained. It worked out very well for all three of us.

On to the fishing part…if you have not interest in fishing this post is not for you. If you enjoy fishing read on. The oldest had a fishing outfit, but it was geared more towards big bass which is not a fish he is likely to be fishing for in the local fish ponds where he lives. They are stocked with trout in the winter and catfish over the summer.

So what was there to do but find him a nice light weight trout spinning rod and reel. Almost fifty dollars later, he had a spinning outfit I would not mind owning myself. There is no close by trout fishing for him here, so he had to wait until he went back home to really try it out. It will be a while before he appreciates what he now owns though, as he doesn’t have much to compare his new outfit with.

Because there are no trout close by here, and fishing is generally spotty at best anywhere I could reasonably take kids to, I decided I would fall back on an old standby fish. I love to fish, it doesn’t matter what the species as long as it is catchable. I wanted both of them to catch the biggest fish of their summer, so I took them fishing for Carp.

If you have never fished for Carp, think of smart Bass with extra low gears. They are not dazzling top water fighting fish, but they are true powerhouses and fight until they are exhausted. You can catch them on almost anything, though they are mostly vegetarian. Canned corn is what I used this week as it is cheap, easy to bait with, and works well with kids.

Everything was set the first day out, except the fish. Almost four hours of fishing and it was Carp one (won?), and us zero. The second day of fishing was almost a repeat of day one except there were a few bites that did not get hooked or landed.

Day three looked like it was going to be a no fish week when the oldest had a bite. I coached him along and he landed about an eight pound Carp! He was one happy fisherman! I thought I was going to have to find some rope and tie him to something to keep him from floating away he was so bubbly and excited!

I went out for day four today, by myself unfortunately, as the kids have gone back home. I netted four Carp, and hooked six total. My biggest was about fifteen pounds. Once I hooked it and realized it was a HUGE Carp, I checked the time. Almost seven minutes later I had one big Carp halfway in my net. It was just too big to fit into the net I use! I imagine I brought in between thirty and forty pounds of fish today and it was a blast!

There were two men who showed up right after I started fishing today. They were fishing brush and other pockets for Bass. They had each been fishing a few hours, and were still waiting to catch one Bass big enough to keep. One of the men arrived at the spot I had moved to later in the day, after five hours of fishing he was still looking for an elusive Bass dinner. I guess it is fun to fish all day for Bass, but Carp are a whole lot more fun and not as hard to find.

They took a tole on my rods though. Not a big deal as they were inexpensive rods to start with. Two rods have bit the dust this week. One Carp pulled the reel out of the reel seat, and a second Carp snapped a guide eye. It had been a while since I fished for anything but trout, and I forgot what pure horsepower does to old fishing gear.

So it was a great week, and a great time for the three of us fishing. If you have never fished for Carp, you might want to give it a try. They are smart, and fight like crazy, and are present in almost every body of water around where you live. A cheap but sturdy rod and reel, a can of whole kernel corn, hooks and sinkers, and you are all set. Plus a license if you need on where you live. You can probably fish all summer for less than dinner and a movie on a friday night.