Got out to do some bass fishing yesterday afternoon and hooked into this beauty. Let me tell you, that was one good battle getting it in for a picture. One of the hardest fighting fish I’ve ever fought. Did not help that it was hooked on the dorsal fin. We did also manage 2 Bass that were over 20″. There has not been many of those this year.
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Another Photo of the beast
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suppose your grilling that bad boy up huh thumper!!!!!!! 
You took a photo of that thing and didn’t take photos of the 20 inch largies?! 
Gross
You took a photo of that thing and didn’t take photos of the 20 inch largies?!
Both of the largies were caught my my buddy. I don’t like to post pictures of him on a public site
Fighting fish that are hooked on the dorsal fin is always a bit more of a battel. When I was young and didn’t know better. I would put large trouble hooks on and snag carp. You don’t hear of many people targeting carp in MN. They are a popular sport fish in Eurasia and are fun to catch the right way. Well all fish are fun to catch. Some just suck to unhook. Like eelpout. If you don’t give him a Corona he will complain.
I once hooked a 40” sturgeon on the front fin. (not on purpose) Took 45 min to get in and was one hell of a battle.
Like eelpout. If you don’t give him a Corona he will complain.
Nice fish thumper, did you take that beast to the market to sell?
The beauty was released to maybe fight again another day. I say maybe because for some reason it was really bleeding out of the mouth. I have no idea why. Like said it was hooked in the dorsal fin. I believe it was in the dorsal fin right from the start. The only thing I can think of is the fight itself cause the bleeding. I noticed it early on when I got it close to the boat the 1st time. It seemed to be pouring out the gills.
Biggun 
I’m guessing the weight of this fish at the 25+ Lb. range. I will say they are a great fighting fish. It made several real long runs and that was with the drag tightened down rather tight.
My opinion it should be illegal to release a rough fish.
I’m guessing the weight of this fish at the 25+ Lb. range. I will say they are a great fighting fish. It made several real long runs and that was with the drag tightened down rather tight.
They are a great fighting fish. But anything hooked in the dorsal fin will fight good. That’s a huge carp. Should have been thrown on shore
My opinion it should be illegal to release a rough fish.
If that’s the case, the shores would be stinking of walleyes where I fish.
The carp is part of the biomass, taking one out or putting it back isn’t going to change anything. There are many more people that fish exclusively for carp in MN then most would know unless a person looks for them.
Nice catch Thump! All of them!
Agree BK, nowhere near enough people fishing them to make a dent. Would just be smelly landings and shorelines.
How about this (just for funzies) Maybe the govt should take some of that surplus money and put a $5/per fish bounty on carp. Hook & line or bowfish only. It would get people outside, have them EARN some of that money back, and maybe positively impact individual bodies of water in the process. I know when they mass-net them they either go to organic fertilizer companies or foreign food markets. Work with them to create a drop-off program – they pay per fish and govt re-imburses them.
Anyway – sorry, not trying to distract from the post – AWESOME fish, fishthumper!
My opinion it should be illegal to release a rough fish
Should have been thrown on shore
Everyone is entitled to an Opinion. Just didn’t see a reason to Kill a fish that gave such a good fight, and just was unlucky to get snagged by my Hook. Given the amount of Bleeding it appeared to have, It may likely have died anyways.
Nice fish thumper! Fished for Carp alot in Sibley Park in Mankato when I was a young lad. Always fun
Agree BK, nowhere near enough people fishing them to make a dent. Would just be smelly landings and shorelines.
How about this (just for funzies) Maybe the govt should take some of that surplus money and put a $5/per fish bounty on carp. Hook & line or bowfish only. It would get people outside, have them EARN some of that money back, and maybe positively impact individual bodies of water in the process. I know when they mass-net them they either go to organic fertilizer companies or foreign food markets. Work with them to create a drop-off program – they pay per fish and govt re-imburses them.
Anyway – sorry, not trying to distract from the post – AWESOME fish, fishthumper!
They did a bounty on Walleye on the Columbia River(still no limit of walleye on most parts of the River) a few years back, and it was quite popular. They also did a bounty on Lake Trout in Lake Chelan and I believe a Squaw Fish on Lake Cour DeLane. I know of people that made a very nice income just bounty hunting. But that’s WA state and they don’t seem to really handle their natural resources any better than MN.
Still an interesting concept. And likely debatable if it did anything to the population. As you can catch Walleye without much effort on the Columbia and Lakers just about anywhere on Chelan.
Turtles gotta eat! 
Turtles gotta eat!
Yes they do. I often say that same thing when I release a deep gut hooked Bass. I don’t feel great about it, but that is the life.
Seems like these days at least 90% of the emphasis is on the species and the photo and maybe 10% on the actual fight itself. In reality, in the moment, I think the fight is what we’re all after. Congrats thumper, bet that was a good fight!
The uglier the fish, the harder the fight! I think this pretty much holds true in fresh water, anyway. Carp, Doggies, Cats, Sturgeon – all a BLAST.
I think the fight is what we’re all after.
As Koonce always says “The tug is the drug !”
I’ll target carp on occasion. Kids who don’t fish much really get a thrill out of a big ol carp!
-J.
I’ve caught carp half that size and it was quite the battle. Can’t imagine it for that fish. They are fun. Especially when the entire time you have no idea what you are pulling in. Gets the blood pumping.
Fishing the river alot there are certain times a snagged carp really pmo. At night on mono, smaller carp that digs down, big tail makes it feel like big ol eye head shakes, and then they absolutely destroy ur line w taking drag….
Beaut of a carp tho 
Listened to a DNR talk in sourthern MN years ago about the commercial netters that would come in and net all the carp out of the lake. They said invariably even if they figured they got 90% or more of the carp out of a lake, the next spring would be a banner spawn. Said that happened every single time. They said it was pretty much a futile effort to reduce numbers of carp. Unless of course you poison the entire lake and everything else with it.
I always thought that was interesting.
For some lakes with a lot of shallow water, you can’t do anything about it. For for other lakes, carp barriers put at stream inlets, etc have blocked off major spawning areas and made it very hard for them to pull off a good spawn. There’s a few lakes in the Scott/Carver County area that this has benefitted, but again, it has to be a lake where the only ideal spawning habitat is adjoining wetlands in which access can be blocked. I recall Steve McComass writing about this in a few different occasions in the Outdoor News.
The face no one could love. The fish, not you fishthumper. 
Some of the best fighting fish I’ve landed have been carp either in the mouth or foul hooked. Congrats.
I’ve never fished it but I’ve heard the rub with the Horseshoe Chain is the Cats dominate the system and while the Walleye are still there, it’s hard to fish for them without the cats getting to your bait first? Is that true? Was thinking of taking the yak to the chain in a few weeks just to target cats for a day.
I often wonder what a bunch of flathead would do in a lake with stunted panfish like so many in the metro. But I’m thinking the Flats need current.
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