Carp Fishing Bald Eagle Double!

Mixing it up. That's what happened during a recent carp trip I took while our toddler Bree napped. We have been on a carp quest ever since I noticed things starting to heat up at our local spot, and today I finally got my first stinky fish to the net for 2013! Thankfully Jim Browning decided he would join me to watch, so there are photos making today's adventure more than just another fish story.

Jim got to be a part of the full gamut of experiences that can happen during a carp hunt. From feeling the excitement of sight fishing to 20-40 lb fish, the crazy people that live in our fair city, and all the zany nuttiness that is carp fishing. The defeats, then finally the victory. And the arm swelling from playing tug of war with a Volkswagen Beetle with fins for 20 minutes. 

What made this trip so insanely cool --other than the reward from a lot of hard work-- is that I had a bald eagle double. You read that right! A french'n bald eagle swooped down and snagged a fish out of the water half way (about 10 minutes) into the fight! I've never been a big fan of using the word epic for experiences because I think it gets over used --especially in fishing circles, but... It was EPIC! On a stinky pond right in the middle of Colorado Springs a bald eagle nabbed a fish while there was a 20 pound carp on my line. 

Before that during the fight there was a guy walking down the street who was screaming loud angry rock music to himself. Jim at this point is probably thinking "what have I got myself into?!" Right after I land the fish there was a photographer who was taking photos of the bald eagle who walked up and saw the fish and went "holy crap! I mean holy CARP!". 

For a second time in a week we would like to thank Jim for the amazing photos, and for being a nice person. That might sound a little silly, but that's important with all the bad things happening in the world. All of the photos were taken by Jim with his iPhone so if you would like to see what he can do with an actual camera follow this link. Be sure you check out the carp porn before you go!

Look just above my head and you can see the bald eagle!

Cool sepia shot.

Dear Lord God please let this fight end! 20 minutes into the battle...

The stinky smell of victory!

Sore arm and big smile.