The Beginning
by
Jacob Nuzum
Hello all, my name is Jacob Nuzum and like all of you, I love carp. I live and fish in West Virginia and am lucky enough that my home state has such a wide range of fishing opportunities. Large reservoirs, farm ponds, big and small rivers are all less than an hour’s drive from anywhere in the state. Like many other anglers in America, I grew up fishing for bass, sunfish, and catfish.
Fishing was a way for the family to get together and enjoy the beautiful outdoor recreation West Virginia has to offer. However, I was always shocked and intrigued when a large carp would mosey on by our lines, completely ignoring our bass/predator type baits. So, as a child, I simply thought they could not be caught.
Fast forward to 5 years ago, I was at a fisheries biology college course trip and we electroshocked two 20lb commons. I was astonished to have these fish in my hands, it was by far the largest fish I’d seen in person at that point in my life. From that day on I knew I needed to figure out how to catch them on rod and reel.
Luckily, I stumbled upon a very small park pond that was chock-full of juvenile commons, mirrors, and fantails, along with about ten low-double adults. After some trial-and-error I was finally able to land my first few (tiny) Common Carp on fries from a nearby McDonalds. I spent the next few years fishing that pond to catch the larger fish, working on top and bottom presentations and really just switching my brain from bass/predator fishing to carp angling.
Once I was able to hook into those larger fish, I really discovered what a heart-racing fight this species puts up. At that time catching an 11 pound carp was mind boggling to me and by far the largest fish I’d ever caught – I knew I had to keep targeting carp. Even though I still visit that little park pond every now and then, I had outgrown it and waters with larger fish were on my mind.
It seems silly now, but at first I did not know about hair rigs and would simply put corn or bread right on the hook, but once those first few hair rigs came in the mail I noticed an immediate improvement in my hookup ratio. Then, after some simple research I began to use American style pack bait using a base of oats with various flavors and particles packed around an in-line lead. Finally, my rods had went from 7’ bass rods to running two 12-foot Diawa “Maddragon” euro style carp rods which I fell in love with immediately. I would highly suggest these rods for anybody who is carping on a budget as they are very cheap and have been reliable for the price.
Like many anglers, the quarantine caused by Covid-19 gave me the chance to really get out and fish hard for the past year. During quarantine, I was fishing at least 5 days every week which really gave me a chance to practice new techniques, locations, and baits. By the beginning of summer 2020 I had turned into a full-blown euro style carp angler and was loving it.
While carp are great and I love targeting them, I think it’s important we take a minute to recognize a native species us carp anglers regularly run into…Smallmouth Buffalo. Some may enjoy them, some may despise them, but with my fisheries biology background, I have to give my native species some love. Up in my neck of the woods we catch a lot – I mean a LOT of buffs.
It’s not too uncommon for us to have days with 5 fish in the high teens or low 20s, along with plenty more in the low doubles. A couple buffs have even come in at the high 20s, beating my carp pb. I know those aren’t the size of the monster buffs caught in the southern states, but they’re still way bigger than any bass….heh. Perhaps it is because I’m still new to the game, but to be able to catch so many native fish at that size was enough to scratch the fishing itch. Plus, how can you not love their dumpy head, deep black eyes, and beautiful iridescent scales.
With all of that being said, I’m relatively new to carping, with oceans more to learn and explore. The members of American Carp Society and various social media pages are always very helpful and often more than willing to answer any questions one may have. It’s such a great feeling to see the online community of carpers being so positive in a place where carp aren’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea. Anyways, thank you guys for reading my blog. May you all have a very carpy year!
Tight lines, Jacob.