04-02-2009, 09:00 AM
Yesterday I got a phone call that I have waited about 2 years for! My friend rantoole called and said that he knew where there were some BIG carp working and that I&#39;d have a very good chance at catching a Tennessee trophy (34&#43; inches) if the weather didn&#39;t storm too bad and put them down overnight. I jumped into the car first thing this morning and hit it for Cherokee lake.<br /><br />Now, it may seem a bit strange to some of you that a man would get all excited about driving 275 miles round trip for the chance to catch a couple of carp, but I have been unable to catch a big enough carp to qualify for the Tennessee Angler Recognition Program over the last few years. I&#39;ve worked some shallow coves when they start to warm up, using corn and dough balls, but I just didn&#39;t put enough hours into trying for a monster. Well, today was the day and I was thrilled for the help!!<br /><br />Rantoole didn&#39;t even try for a carp today, he left them to me while he played with an ultralight for crappie and bluegill. He did, however put me on 3 carp today, one of which qualified for the TARP program at 34-1/4&quot;!!!!! Rantoole netted the big fish and we measured it, but when I tried to pick the fish up for a nice picture, I didn&#39;t get a good grip on it (no handles!) and it wound up back in the water without a pic or a weight. Wow, they are STRONG! What a hoot!<br /><br />Really sorry &#39;bout not having a nice picture to post, but at least we got the measurement!! emoDance emoDance