Is it the Trying or the Achievement

Have you ever achieved a long sought after goal only to find it was the trying rather than the achievement that made it special? I have. Just recently, after five years of trying, I finally caught my first thirty.

Yes, I am thrilled with the fish, and yes I am quite proud of it, but I think the best part of this achievement is the people I’ve met and places I’ve been in my quest for a thirty. How many of us have the likes of Nigel, Quid and Pat Kerwin inspired? Especially Nigel. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was borrowing boilies from him at my first Washington DC fish-in, yet that was nearly five years ago. It was on one of those borrowed boilies that I caught a personal best of 26 lb 12 oz.

A thirty seemed so near. Having come close, my quest began. One thing I soon learned from regularly fishing Saguaro Lake back in Arizona was that you can’t catch a thirty unless there is one, or hopefully more than one, to be caught. For four years I fished and enjoyed Saguaro, only to catch three fish over twenty pounds. For a legitimate shot at a thirty, you’ve gotta go to the fish.

Many of the CAG fish-ins offer just such an opportunity. While I haven’t fished them all, I know thirty pound plus carp have been caught at the DC Fish-in, the Oklahoma Fish-in, and in and around the harbors of Lake Michigan following the Chicago Carp Classic. Based on Keith Thompson’s exploits, it would not surprise me to hear of future California fish-ins yielding thirties.

Aside from fish-ins I’ve had the privilege of meeting and fishing with some very fine fishermen. Wayne and Flip in PA really know how to make a visitor welcome. If any of you ever get a chance to join Oatmeal Jack on his River Swim don’t pass on the opportunity.

Maybe it is just the result of my years in the brown Arizona desert, but the green, tree-lined lakes and rivers of the North Eastern U.S. just seem to be an emerald paradise made for carping. And then there’s Dave Moore and Jack Rowe and that special lake they’ve found in Oklahoma. I can’t say the carp in Hominy Lake up in Oklahoma were the only factor in my decision to relocate from Phoenix to Dallas, but they certainly did play a part. Let’s hope my wife never discovers just how big a factor they were in “our” decision to sell our first home and move half way across the country.

The real danger of dropping names around like I have been is leaving so many out. Everyone on the various carp lists, and I do mean everyone, has contributed to my enjoyment of this quest. Where else can you converse with a bunch of anglers every bit as crazy about carp as yourself? How many times have the discussions resulted in more carp on bank, or new ideas, or simple gut busting laughter? Yes, the quest is every bit as enjoyable as the capture.

The way I see it, I’m young, in my thirties. I’ll be content chasing a forty into my forties, a fifty into my fifties, and a sixty into my sixties. Heck, if I live long enough, I may just catch the world record someday. And if I don’t, I’ll always enjoy the quest.

Craig, Dave, Jim, Stewart, and Al, the St. Lawrence beckons.

Brian 'Carpaholic' Nordberg