badchade

I'll take an XL.

Mario- That cuts deep. Brid- May have to think about that one.

All dressed up and no date to dance with.

I just got a new Carpmobile and was itching to take it out;and my nephew Jacob was in town, so we definitely had to go somewhere. We only had one night so I wanted to stay close so I was looking at Ray Bob, Grapevine, and Joe Pool. I weighed those options and started getting ready for Ray Bob, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get Jake something special. He had traveled from Massachusetts and won't be back for another year. My mother-in-law let me know that she did not want me to take him to Austin, Fork takes too long to get going, so I decided to run them to Purtis Creek State Park and camp overnight. We loaded up the new Carpmobile and hit the road. We stopped at a feed store to grab some chum, got to the park, and surveyed the campsites. Our usual spot (#24) was open, so the boys decided on it. We got all set up- My boys are getting older and bigger, so they are able to help more on our trips. They broke out the tent and I helped them finish, then they sat up the cots while I got the rods and pod set up. I knew that Fishing would only be just one of the things we were do there, so I only took one set. I got the pod up, helped detail the tent and cots, then we pulled the lines in and headed over to the swimming hole to cool off. The swimming made us pretty hungry so we went back to the campsite. I spombed out some particles while the boys went to the shower, then whipped up some dogs. One of my buddies commented that that pic reminded him of a party that he went to recently. After dinner the boys went exploring and I chilled out- Just taking in the Nature happening around me. A couple of deer walked into camp, blue jays and cardinals were cruising around, then the raccoons started up. After our raccoon adventures on our previous visit, I vowed that I would be ready for them. I was not. I was sitting there enjoying the evening, and heard the rattling of the Doritos bag next to me. It wasn't even dark and the little monsters were already on the attack. I got up and secured the camp... Or so I thought... The boys came back and we tidied up camp some more, and we had a run!! We ran down to the pod and put Jacob on the rod. It was his first time handling a big rod, so we had some coaching to do. He played the fish for a while, but it popped off before we could get it to the net. We reset and retreated back to our chairs to wait for the next run, and it came fairly soon! Jacob was in again, and this time we landed the fish- A 15#8oz Common- His biggest fish ever, and one heckuva beauty. I let Trey net the fish; Jacob had figured out the rod handling, and Cameron helped corral the beast. I stayed on photo duty. Jacob had never been exposed to big fish like this, so he was a little timid about handling it. I just reminded him that he could wash it all off and that he was required by law to hold the fish in the pictures (also required by law). After some coaxing, he got into the spirit and we ended up with some nice shots. I told the boys to pretend they were big game hunters that had just taken down a lion: Darkness came and the boys went to the lighted fishing pier, then came back to wait with me. It was Trey's turn, and he was sitting right next to the pod when he got a screaming run. He fought the fish and ended up with his second biggest Common ever- 13#8oz. Cameron and I were sitting by the pod waiting for the next run, when I heard something in the water to my right. A headlamp scan revealed this: Between the endless raccoon sorties and the snake, I decided to call it a night. Cameron and I got up a few times for some runs, but were not able to get to the rods in time to hook up. In the morning we packed up, cleaned up, and headed out. Jacob learned what "Wore A$$ Out" means. We made it back safely and recounted our tales to anyone that would listen. Can't wait to do it again, and we will definitely get Jacob back out camping next year!!

Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody next weekend! Chad

Cool Deal!!

Just another week in the Texas Carp scene...

I got sunburned when I fished last Tuesday, Froze my Doughballs off on Saturday, and was running around in shorts today. Predictions for 10 days away? Chad

I selected 6-6, but why not go 6-7? Extended times for more time on the water. I also chose early because the fish are active early. If they start releasing water at 9:00, we'll have more time with the fish. That's the pattern I've seen- Fish crashing early, and solid catching until the gates open. Then the catching slows for a while until the release stops in the afternoon. The extra hour in the evening also gives us more time with the fish after the release stops. Chad

BRIAN!!

1 x XL 1 x XXL

I’m as guilty as anyone about not posting about my blanks, but when I do it on such a massive scale, I figure I’m obligated to share. I had been planning on heading down for the WCC tournament for a while, but needed a ride. Al shot me a text on Thursday and asked if I wanted to ride with him, so we set it up for him to pick me up on Friday afternoon. I encountered my usual list of things that put our departure back- I was repairing my toilet, and couldn’t get it to seal right, my wife wouldn’t be home until later, so I couldn’t leave the boys until she returned, and I did next to no packing. When all the pieces finally fell into place, we were able to get out of town. We decided to fish the 360 Bridge Friday Night and head over to LBL for the tourney in the morning. We fished from 9PM until 5AM, and only had one run- I swung on a weak run and the fish was not fully hooked. The night was fairly uneventful, and we made our way to LBL. We met everyone at the I35 bridge and drew our pegs for the day. I pulled the Baseball Fields- I’ve fished it a few times with limited success, but two weeks ago when we were there, I saw two nice Buffs come out of that swim, so I wasn’t excited about it, but I wasn’t too disappointed either. All dropped me off, I started Spodding immediately and kept it up for 30 minutes, then set up. I was very happy with my setup- I had all 3 rods baited with Method and ready to go 5 minutes before the start. 7:00 rolled around and I was fishing all 3 rods by 7:02. I continued my baiting- I threw out Range Cubes, a pound of Boilies, and some Method Balls. I felt confident my swim was in good shape, so I grabbed my Powerade, hit the chair, and started my wait. I got up around 10:00 and gave another light round of baiting, checked on Brid next door, and went back to my chair for a nap. I had a nice doze- Off and On for a while, then got back up to lay a fresh bed of bait around Noon. I also moved one of my rods over to the mouth of the Lagoon to see if I could get any action from that area, then rested some more. I continued that pattern all day- Bait, Re-Bait, Check on Brid/Net his fish/Harrass him about Catfish, then back to the chair for a few ZZZZs. I went the whole day without a run.I was disappointed that I didn’t catch, but didn’t mind too much- Al & I were going to fish The Rocks overnight, so I figured I’d catch my fish then.We attended the awards ceremony- Keith had torn everybody up with his two big Buffs and his itty bitty Carp, Brian scored a really nice new PB, and Josef let everybody know who he was. We BSed with some of the guys for a little while, then headed over to The Rocks for the night. After hearing all the horror stories about overnighters at The Rocks- Cars getting broken into, Crazy Cracked-Up visitors, and the family that lives there- I was leery about our safety there, but the lure of the fish that have been caught there was more appealing than the fear of getting messed with. We removed everything of value from the truck and hauled our gear down in shifts so that the truck would not be left alone. We got all set up around 9:30, and were excited about what we thought we had ahead of us. After we got our pods ready, baited out, and tidied up our camp, we started to get to sleep. Right as I was beginning to doze off, a MASSIVE fish crashed about 6 feet from shore. Al & I looked at each other and got ready to reel in some fish! Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. We ended up getting a full night’s sleep, with only a few beeps during the night. We fished from 9:30PM until 3:00PM and never got a full run. Our lines got popped a few times, and I had one steady pull, but never a real run. I hadn’t blanked at LBL in about 3 years until two weeks ago when Roach and I went down and fished our mini ATC. When you figure all of this together, I have put in 41 straight fishless hours at LBL. This trip was 38 Blanking Hours between Lake Austin and LBL. I don’t really mind blanking (except for a tournament setting) because I’m really just out there to get some relaxing in. But when I bait up, adjust rigs, try different hookbaits, work my swim, and put in the hours… I kind of expect SOMETHING lol. Al & I racked our brains Saturday Night and all day Sunday- Trying to come up with a reason for our lack of success. We really couldn’t come up with anything. My best guess would be that the crazy heat this Summer really threw them off, and they haven’t settled into a Winter Pattern yet. Combine that with the pressure these fish have been seeing lately and the fact that they may be getting used to how we fish for them, and you’ve got a recipe for fewer captures. I really don’t know. I didn’t catch any fish, but (unfortunately) I got really close to getting caught up on my sleep. I had fun hanging out with Al and seeing everybody on Saturday. Although I didn’t catch any fish, I looked back to see what I learned. One thing that I am going to move back to is cooking my Corn for my Method. Being ever so lazy, I had stopped cooking the Corn, and just soaked the Corn and Birdseed that I use in my Spod Mix and Method. When you cook the mix, there are oils and sugars that are released and make the bait more effective. I’ve always know that, but when I found the mix looking good after just soaking it, I took the easier route. Here's a picture of me blanking at the Baseball Fields: Here's a picture of me blanking at The Rocks: Al threw a plastic worm for a little while: One of Brid's Carp (I will not post the Catfish Pics lol): I wish I had more Fish to share with you, but sometimes… That’s the Way Fishing Go. Chad

Yesterday I had a phone interview. I've been going to the park to have some peace and quiet for the interview. After the interview was over, I slapped a piece of bread on, casted out, and caught this guy- My Second Koi. This is THE KOI that I first saw there about 2 or 3 years ago. This is the one I was originally after at this pond. I think there are 2 more; maybe 3. I'm going to go for them all. I didn't even have to dress up for this one! Chad

Very Nice! Chad

After 6 years of hoping and trying, I finally landed my first Koi. I've known for a while that this little pond had them, but I haven't been able to put all the pieces together to get one on my line. Finally Today it happened. Classic Duck Pond Tactic- Throw Pieces of Bread in the water, then Freeline some bread to catch the fish. I started out doing what I've always done- Wad the bread on the hook and leave the point exposed, and fish on the bottom under my chum bread. I did that and caught a Common and 3 Bullheads (You know if I'm there, the Catfish will find me). I decided that I needed to get my bait on top. I thought about grabbing some Popups, but figured that they were too different from the Bread to try. The Koi had been checking out the bread pieces before eating them, so I thought they would reject my offering. I peeled off a piece of crust, compressed a bit of it, but left the "sides" fluffy so that it would float. Well, That worked. After a few near misses, and chasing the fish around my chum area, I finally got him. Here's the Common I started with (about 4-5 pounds): Here's My Koi (About a Pound and a Half): The release: Special Thanks to the lady the was walking her 3 Chihuahuas for taking the time to take my pictures- I told her how special that fish was. Chad