Carp Anglers Group
PO Box 69, Groveland, IL 61535 USA
Call us at 309-387-2277 (CARP)
Call us at 309-387-2277 (CARP)
Wed.....
checked into room....found Wackerbaits....met Paul Pezalla (busy bottling
a fresh batch of "Obsession"); who in my view was the backbone and
untiring host of the CCC whom I can't say enough good about for his time
spent and efforts put in to make the event happen. Left there to see if
I could "find" the Chicago River....an adventure in itself :-))....let's
see...is it upper, middle or lower Wacker that I want? Anywho...found it
and walked the river....shoot...boat traffic doesn't look too bad.
"Found" my truck and paid $11.70 for just over an hour parking in a
building "330 Wacker Drive"....I had gone into the first parking lot I
found once I knew I was close to the river...didn't want to "lose" it.
:-)) then went to Kmart to pick up a few items and back at the
hotel...organized my gear and freshened my packbaits; falling asleep
thinking of all the carp I was going to catch the next day.
Thurs....
didn't go real early...as wanted to fish the same time of day that the
Classic would be fished. Found the "right" place to park....no
cost....and Paul Pezalla, Schalk, Mick (both from South Africa) and Jim
Foster (editor for Total Carp) were there. The rest of the day was just
fantastic. Got to fish and enjoy the company of Schalk (South African
top carp angler and tackle store owner...he even uses the same reels I
use :-))...break out the wallets guys n gals....he's got some great stuff
that I understand PPP will soon be handling with Wackerbaits. A most
educational and enjoyable day watching a knowledgeable angler fish. On
top of that...even managed to land quite a few fish myself; largest being
10 lbs...fishing peg 17. I now had a feel for the river..confidence in a
couple of my baits....and....had my initial plan of attack, had made some
new friends, and learned a new technique.
Thurs night....
"The Maize Boil"....great time....met some "list" members that I'd not
met before and got reacquainted with others that I had...the comraderie
was great. Also got to meet the guy who posed for all the pictures in
the 1999 issue of the Fox tackle catalogue...Max Cottis....a good down to
earth individual and as we were all to find out...he knows what to do
with all those items he poses with. While all of us were having fun,
Paul P was busy helping folks get fishing licenses on line, selling
tackle/bait, boiling maize and hemp and carving the makings for some
great BBQ sandwiches. Shoot...Frank and Narda even brought me a 50 lb
bag of "Made in Nevada Only" feed that I had liked so well and couldn't
find elsewhere......carpers.....what better friends can ya have.
Fri am......
went fishing to Ping Ting Park...Chicago River in China Town. Narda
Walters caught her Illinois fish, and got to meet Mike Keyes, Bud Yancy,
and Bait Boat Charlie for the first time. Even bought an Official CAG
t-shirt and hat...almost like getting your first secret agent spy ring
:-)) Had a great lunch too....in the middle of China Town...Todd managed
to find some great Mexican food and brought it back to a few of us.
BTW folks, Jim Foster not only knows how to edit a carp magazine....he
knows how to catch carp too. One thing that I noticed about him....he is
a very open minded individual about the different techniques used by many
anglers....not a "UK method is the only method" type individual. I will
say though that I can now see a place for the "2 - 3 oz" Bolt rigs that
to this point I had shied away from (love the hair...just didn't see the
need for the BIG weights). There is a time and place for all rigs....and
he who adapts will catch fish consistently.
Schalk gave a superb presentation on the South African
methods/baits....and to prove they work...he even caught a fish in the
middle of his presentation....perfect timing. At this point I want to
mention that his normal rig is a two hook setup and even though he was
faced with only being able to use 1 hook during the CCC...he
adapted...with a smile and no excuses.... and still hooked a large number
of fish during the CCC.
Well, to close out "China Town"...when I got back to my truck...I found
my passenger side window shattered and my reel bag missing. Kinda upset
at first....but....when I started to think about this crackhead who
thought he had found a gold mine opening a bag (with a hole in it)
containing only 3 empty Shimano cardboard boxes and 3 spare spools of
line.....I got a smile on my face knowing he was still going through
"withdrawals" and having his pawnbroker laugh at him. Anywho...within 2
hours it was fixed as good as new....right in the Holiday Inn parking
lot...in time for me to attend the CAG meeting. Took a $10 tip to the
maintenance man (to find someone) and the offer of a $30 tip to the
installer (to get him to come out)...but, it was fixed. :-)) and I had an
evening in front of me to spend with fellow carpers.
The meeting went well and I got to meet many more carpers to include the
infamous Becky Byla (pronounced Beela as in bumble bee)....shoot always
learning something new. Got a CCC 2000 T-shirt and Bait Boat
Charlie....hearing of my vehicle break in.....wouldn't let me buy 4 of
the weighted spring feeders he had come to show.....his comment..."you've
had a rough day....take em and enjoy." It just don't get no better.
Sat...the CCC
Well, you've all heard the results and yes it was a tough day. I was
tickled to death with my draw as it was only 2 pegs down from where I had
done so well on thursday....I had a plan...and was very confident. Then
within 5 minutes of getting to the peg I had, at least 5 locals came up
and told/asked me if I knew what I was sitting on top of (a discharge
pipe and probably the best peg on the river)...they all offered advice on
how to fish it....and I tried them all (even drifting/jigging single
kernels of corn in and around the current the pipe generated....don't
think I've ever worked as hard carp fishing as I did that day....but, by
about 2 it became apparent that what Schalk had said to me earlier in the
day was true...."Bob, the winner has already been determined...and it may
be you....just go out and do your best and have fun." Just for
clarification....he was not talking about "being determined" by anyone
with a physical presence at the CCC. And as it turned out...it wasn't my
turn.
...but, it was my "turn" to watch 2 fantastic anglers at work....Max and
Schalk...both within my view.....and both within each others. Never
once...did I see them sit...never once were they still...motion was
constant...and each motion was for a reason and executed with precision.
Max was actually totally soaked from perspiration at one point....these
two were working.....and I've never enjoyed myself more. The winner
between these two skilled and intense anglers had been determined by
"fate"....boat traffic....it could have gone either way...as they both
knew how to get the fish.....but could not time the bite with boats with
courteous drivers. A shear pleasure to watch.
There were many prizes raffled off...rod pods, rods, reels, line, bait,
subscriptions to Total Carp.....shoot I even won a "Large Fox Tackle Box"
with all the little boxes to go with it....then everyone was told to just
line up and walk through and pick up what they wanted....and if you
didn't pick up enough as far as Paul Pezalla was concerned....he went and
got more and stuffed it in your arms.
Sun.....
Great day at Belmont harbor (north side)....not a lot of fish caught (7
for 15 anglers)...but saw saw 2 over 20 caught...one was WAY over 20.
Zac Yancey (Bud's 15 year old grandson) caught a 33 lbr. Me???? well
Tommy Riley came up to me and said nothing under 15 lbs was ever caught
here....within minutes my left bite alarm went off...I landed a whopping
8 lbr. :-)) I planned on fishing it again Monday with Brian Nordberg
and David Moore but.....the wife reminded me of the carping trip this
coming weekend and figured I'd better get home....get some honey-do's
done...and get ready for it. Going to Tappan Lake...here in Ohio...with
a fellow Polock from Ohio...met him on line at the FishingWarehouse
site.....and gonna fish with him for the first time.
Closing:
Many people knocked the location, knocked the boats (as if the winners
didn't have the same obstacles).......I walked away with a wealth of
knowledge and Chicago River exposure....even used backleads and my spod
for the first time (both my lines got cut off by boats on a couple of
occasions before I started using the backleads)......
Some said they wouldn't be back.....I will....I may not win...I may not
catch a fish....but, I'll walk away a smarter carper and have spent a
great time with great people. Sometimes you learn more when you don't
catch fish than when you do. Something tells me Max, Schalk and other
successful anglers got there because they persisted.....not because they
walked away or knocked the organizers of the event.
Finally (sorry for the long windedness) many thanks to Paul P. and his
helpers for this event...and to Bud Y, Mike K and the others for having
the vision and strength to persist in making this organization what it is
today. The success is the fact that it's still here.....the dotting of
the "i's" and the crossing of the "t's" will come if the finger pointers
and moaners/groaners get involved and do more than just complain. Keep
up the great job.....and hope to see more of ya there next year.
Buckeye Bob
Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Have a Great Day and Better Tomorrow