Before it was Cool to Like Carp

Top Lip...Just how I like it.

I like to think that my brother, our friends and I started the carp fishing trend before it became mainstream and "cool".  We grew up in Rapid City.  There was a pond by the Rapid City speedway that we so lovingly referred to as "the pond down by the racetrack".  Some of my fondest fishing memories come from a time where we were armed with nothing but spinning tackle, a can of freshly dug worms from the garden or canned corn, an egg sinker, a gold aberdeen hook, and youthful anticipation.  Back then, it wasn't about catch rates, size or bragging rights, it was just a grudge match between us and the most powerful fish to swim in fresh water.

While we were only in pursuit of the common carp, to us it felt like a hunt for a mythical creature with extraordinary powers.  They broke lines, eluded the net, dragged rods and reels to a watery grave, and filled our dreams with excitement and wonder.  We had names for many of those fish that got away, hoping that someday we'd feel their fight at the end of our line again.  Fishing was more simple back then, and seemed a lot easier.

Fishing for carp never got boring or went out of style.  Today it's similar only on a national scale.  Magazines, tournaments, television shows, websites and blogs all devoted to the "slimy" and "ugly" nuisance species.  I'm quite confident that I won't be fighting off fishing traffic for this terrific fish in my neck of the woods anytime soon.  Until that day comes, I'll enjoy roaming my home waters with pup in toe, reminiscing on a time before fishing for carp was cool.