The event that changed my pond fishing experience was catching this little guy. I had been fishing the Gardens pond for about a month and had progressed to the point of catching one or two channel catfish nearly every session. They were fun to catch, weighed about a pound each, and provided the encouragement I needed to keep fishing in the oppressive heat. This particular Sunday in mid-July I had fished for several hours with no success so I began to gather up my gear and head home. When I started to reel in it felt like the line was tangled so I gave it a quick jerk to free it. As my line suddenly started screaming off towards the other side of the pond I realized that I had hooked into a very serious fish. Cranking my reel as fast as I could, I continued to hear the line being stripped out. I added more drag and began to gain the upper hand on the situation. It took about 10 minutes of heavy cranking but I finally pulled this beautiful fish onto the bank.
I've been told by a couple of people that this is a Buffalo fish.....not actually a Carp, but share several similarities. And without scales I can only estimate it's weight....maybe 5 - 6 lbs. After this photo I released it back in the pond to continue growing and, maybe another day..... And while I had been targeting catfish I decided to "change my major" and pursue Carp and Buffalo fish.
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