Taking Fishing More Seriously

I'll try to keep this post as small as possible since a lot of things have been happening with my life.

First off I got a new job so I've been fishing a lot less lately but that's still not an excuse for the excessive SKUNK days. I've also been fishing with my girlfriend and the dogs just for fun, and not trying to catch anything at all; just enjoying the moment with her.

A lesson I learned about one of the skunk days is that I will never EVER use one of those dinky ice fishing rods filled with 6 lb test line for CARP FISHING. Long story short, I was fishing 2am at a spot that has produced MONSTROUS Carp. A big one took the bait and ran from the small two foot ice fishing rod, I picked up the rod, felt as if the Carp got tangled in the weeds, and broke the mainline. So my lesson is that I will never use any mainline less than 12 lb test as a rule of thumb.

Another thing that has happened to me is that I have been receiving free stuff from other fishermen. I think of it as a nice gesture from one fisherman to another, but my girlfriend calls it "fan mail".

One of these instances is this Carp Fisherman Guru sent me loads of stuff one day also, but I'll keep his name anonymous; so thanks Mr. Anonymous if you are reading this!!

I sometimes wonder if something great can come out of this like joining some Carp fishing tournaments, or even become some kind of Carp fishing guide and/or start charging people to fish with me; basically make fishing a way to earn some money.

You may think I'm crazy, but I honestly know a guy who has spent 1000 dollars on fishing licenses, and paying other fishing guides to help him catch fish. I'm going to let you guys/girls guess how many fish he has caught with all that money being spent, and I hope he doesn't end up reading this because it is pretty embarrassing.

Anyways here are some beasts from a more successful trip: