Some Big Bangers

Try for at least one warmwater weekend each May.  Kids pretty good with fly rod on trout streams but this step has not yet been made; spinning gear persists for the heavy hitter applications.  Method is we basically prowl tailwaters and they cut across the current playing numbers game until a fish eats.  Snagged fish do not count (one kid landed a great buffalo, looked down and saw snagged; turned and walked away with a word let alone a touch or photo; good thing they learning).  Older boy showed some skill with some more refined techniques.

First hit was by younger guy.  Jig and twister tail got him the biggest fish of his life (by one pound).  Scaled at 11 lbs.  Pretty good battle; some dicey netting was executed.

Carp had a broken tail; broken and healed in a Z shape.

Bigmouth buff not caught via casting but rather vertical jigging in the tailwater wingwall.  Drop to bottom; jig, jig jig up until intersect a fish attention zone.  Scaled at 13 lbs thus tying his top weight for any specie ever.  This one ran him downriver maybe 75 yards and buried his own body into a shrub.  Another netting effort required by guidesman.  Really cool fish.  MN native.  

Cracked me up envisioning this sucker eating that giant jig in that heavy current.  Would appreciate any notes on specie.  I am assuming it is a white sucker.  Has a golden hue though as pictured.

We scaled this one but forgot the weight because it was so dramatically surpassed by the next one.

This puzzled the boys; maybe upset them.  Such a cool fish.  Bummer from ethical standpoint and also it is 100% illegal to leave dead fish on the bank.  There is no ceremony for dead animals.  Their bone and decaying sinew, the energy of those things, uninhabited bodies, goes into earth and sky.  What remains is their ragged wreckage along the trails, signs no one can read or follow.  - Dale Jacobson, Marshall MN

Hammer of a sheephead.  Scaled at 9.5 lbs.  Half pound short of the biggest I've ever caught.  Love that giant mouth.  Probably favorite fish of the year thus far.

Many wanted to take the fish home.  I was very pleased to have opportunity to talk about fish in Spanish conversation.  I can flow serviceably.  They help me out with tips and polite corrections.  In the end it was left to the ring bearer, who released the fish.

By-catch measured at 20 inches.

I went back next day while kids where otherwise occupied hoping to hook one of the giant carp we had seen but not caught.  Dead drifted small nymphs in their water.  Never did hook one.  This dog ate a very small fly when I gave it a jolting twitch.  4.5 lbs scaled.

16 lber; great fish.  Hard to call it a disappointing day with those two fish to hand, but it probably was just that because I gave up a trout day hunting the legendary carp but never did find one.