Big Head Carp on Kentucky Lake

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KENTUCKY LAKE BIG FISH TALE
by Steve McCadams
www.stevemccadams.com

Ready for another big fish tale? Last week I shared the boat with Doug and Les Collier of Memphis as we stalked the deep ledges of Kentucky Lake in search of hungry crappie.

Armed with light spinning rods and reels, we bounced live minnows around submerged stumps and brush at the mouth of Big Sandy River where crappie, bass, catfish, drum, white bass, and occasional sauger were nipping at our bait.

Then, Doug’s 6-foot rod suddenly bowed as though he had hooked a submarine. First it was a fish and then it was a snag. But then the snag started moving out to deep water.

The strength and weight of whatever was on the other end was almost unbelievable. Doug was fishing with a 12-pound test monofilament line so the drag system on the reel became a quick friend, as the huge fish moved at will.

We followed the fish out over the main river channel and hoped it wouldn’t find a snag to tangle the line. The journey was some 300 to 400 yards from the initial bite.

Some hour and twenty minutes later we finally got the fish up toward the surface, after four or five attempts to just get a glimpse and a photo. The water churned and the huge profile appeared in the dingy water.

The end result was a specimen known as a big head carp, a non-native fish that tipped the scales at 52-pounds! It was 49-inches in length.

We thought it might be a state record or perhaps a line-class record for sporting tackle. However, it was a few pounds shy but still quite a feat for the Memphis angler who landed the lunker on relatively light tackle.

After all, when was the last time you caught a fish weighing over 50-pounds on a crappie rig?

Steve McCadams
is a professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area. He has also contributed many outdoor oriented articles to various national publications.

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