Bagged a 39-inch, 30 lb. Tonka carp

[stick500]

Sorry, but I gotta do a brag thread- worked too hard and long for this one!

Two years ago when I first started freediving with Popolarbear and his son JJ, the boy bagged the biggest carp of the summer at 37". I've been trying to beat that ever since and never thought it would take this long, but monster carp are hard to get!

Got this 39-incher, estimated 30-pound carp while hunting boat docks in Tonka about a week ago. Typically the really big ones kinda seem to know what's going on and keep their distance from me but this poor bugger didn't see me sneak up behind the dock post.

I had all day so I just stayed on the surface and hid behind the post with only my mask and the point of my gun sticking out and waited for the carp to wander over for a for-sure shot. Came in perfectly below me and I got it, but no stone shot and it put up quite a fight but the spear went through. Sharpening my spearpoint with a grinder this year has helped significantly over how it was performing with no mods.

Fun day! Had a nice crowd around as I struggled to pull it out on shore and even the local policeman thought it was pretty cool.

Even though I'm a bowfisherman, too, I'm kinda glad Tonka doesn't allow night bowfishing anymore (I think they banned it about 3 years ago). There's a healthy population throughout the lake it seems and we spearfishermen pretty much have them to ourselves now. Takes a long time for 39-inch bad boys to get that big- wish I could have done a catch and release with him!

I am now officially going to cut back on doing stupid things like diving in weekend boat traffic and under dark docks- too nerve-wracking!

Now it's JJs turn....

[popolarbear]

yes stick.legit 39 incher is very rare. there used to be a carp contest every spring at coon rapids dam. the winner normally would go 37-39 inches. thats with litterally thousands of fish being caught. any bigger than what you got, and you would be pushing state record class size.

that is a big fish stick. i doubt any one of us will beat that soon.