# grass carp at Lake Anna



## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I took my daughter to Lake Anna in Barberton yesterday for some easy bluegill fishing. She loved the maggots but was afraid of the fish(only 2 years old).
Someone caught a nice grass carp sliced it's gut open and tried to cut off the tail and left it to rot and stink on the shoreline. The thing had to be about 30+ lbs. 
I bet that was one heck of a fight.

While on the subject of Lake Anna, I used to watch a guy fish for channels that regularly topped 20 pounds. He would catch the bluegill with a small hook with a piece of colored Wonderbread plastic bag. Then put one or two on a hook with about a 30' leader attached to a 1/2 gallon bleach bottle for a bobber.
Then some kid would hold the bottle and hook and walk around the lake to the other side and put it in the water. He would reel in the line till the bottle and bait were in the middle of the lake.
I never seen channels that big, even out of the Ohio River. These fish could even pull that bleach bottle underwater.
I tried it a couple of times but do not have a reel with enough capacity to make it to the other side of the lake.
Anyone with Abu 7000 cat reels or bigger want to try to catch some of those monsters one evening?


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

I have done a similar thing with masons line and jugging rig. It works out well most times, occasional tangle in retreival line can be a pain. Use a windshield wiper fluid jug for a "reel" for the masons line. Tired arms though after a good reelin.

Huntinbull


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

They say the lake is 1/2 mile circumference. That would make it 840' across or 280 yards. To make the walk around the lake you probably would need 325 yard+ of line.


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

I bought 1000' of line this spring to replace the battered stringline I use for fencing and concrete projects. Sounds like something I may have to do soon. Haven't jugfished in a while. Used to jugfish Hodgson some a few years back. No 700 lb carp though. I would troll out to the windward side of the lake and drop the jugs, then fish around til I got to where the jugs were waiting. Or ocassionally go to a dancing jug if I noticed it. Fun stuff, and turtles galore as well as decent catfish and the ocassional surprise.

Huntinbull


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## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

Interesting. I never thought of fishing Lake Anna. It seems more like a leisure place than a fishing spot. Im amazed they even have fish in there.


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## PAYARA (Apr 7, 2004)

Lake Anna is an lake of suprises!There is all kinds
of fish in there.I fish for the carp in there every
now and then.I've mainly fished the lake at night
as the locals are out in force in the day and they
are really a pain in the ***.Many are down right
strange and some are even stranger!

There is some big cats in there as Lewzer states.
I had about a 10lber last year while fishing for carp.
I have never had a grass carp from the lake yet.
I have seen them and I know there is at least one
fish in the 50lb class.We estimated this fish to 
have about 22-24 inches between dorsal and
tail base.I also had a bowfin around 6lb while
freelining bread one night and a guy fishing 
with me had a white sucker about 5lb.Theres
a few big goldfish as well.Its full of suprises!


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## FlashMan2702 (Jun 2, 2006)

Wheres this lake at?


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## Huntinbull (Apr 10, 2004)

"Downtown" Barberton, just west of Akron Ohio

Huntinbull


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## CatmanOne (May 16, 2007)

Fished Lake Anna for 30years and Payara is correct it is full of suprises! Years ago I used to catch so many bass from there you would get tired of catching them. Every winter and spring used to fish swiming area with large minnows and catch bass and cats. Lake used to have extensive weed growth which bass hung around, I still walk down there regularly and have been seeing alot of 20-25 inch pike being caught. When I was a kid took a large spool of line and hook baited with a bluegill ran it around the lake and tied it off to a flag pole in front of old memorial. When I came back in the morning I started pulling line in, soon found out what a large fish and fishing line could do to your bare hands, hurried up pulled my shirt off wraped it around my hands kept pulling the fish in got it about 10 feet from shore and broke my line. Oh bye the way did I forget to say I was using 40lb test. That was probably about 20 years ago and my pointer finger on my right hand still has the scar from the line cutting into my hand. That lake is full of suprises.


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## guppygill (May 8, 2004)

Surprises? I grew up fishing that lake! Years ago I watched an old man real in a 5 1/2 lb walleye. Go figure. We figured someone let it loose in there or something. They stock it with trout every spring. Also, the big thing was that it was bottomless in the middle of the lake. It is not, but there are many springs that feed that lake.

Rich


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## ncraft150 (Apr 5, 2004)

I've heard the Jaycees stock it with bass every year for a kids fishing contest. This lake has many stories about it though. I've heard there is some good structure in the way of a fire truck at the bottom of the lake.


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## williamonica0214 (Aug 1, 2006)

I fished it alot as a kid also . got alot of nice bass there . I will have to try it again sometime


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## PAYARA (Apr 7, 2004)

There are some awsome bass in there.I've seen them.Walk
around that lake with some polaroids on,you might be amazed
at what you see.


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## lucky1 (Jun 6, 2007)

I was fishing with a shallow crankbait when I snagged this giant carp. Fought it for about 25 minutes, didn't have a scale or anything to measure it. Released it right away but apparently it washed back in if someone found it the way you've stated. My suspicion is snapping turtles and not someone cutting it's gut open and trying to cut it's tail off. If they wanted the tail they would've taken it, sounds like bite to me. Didn't think the fish would die because it was hooked in the lips, as if it struck as my crankbait.


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## ill be on the water (Jun 5, 2005)

Wow, I live like 5 minutes from lake anna and would have never imagined stuff that giant in there. Ive caught small channels and bass but nothing amazing like that though. I really havent fished there in a long time due to the Barberton low lifes that hang around down there......


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## PAYARA (Apr 7, 2004)

That fish probably weighs in the mid to high 20's at the very most.
Nice healthy looking fish,but if any of you guys are familiar with
grass carp,they are very fragile fish and long battles really take
a toll on them.Its not uncommon for a grasser to go belly up and
be seen floating on the surface a short while after release.Most 
of the time they will right themselves and behave normaly after
wards but other times the shock may be too much for them.

There are some larger turtles in that lake that are fully capable
of making sort work of a dying carp.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

That's where I found it on the shore. It definately had a 5" slit in it's gut from a knife and a clean cut clear around the tail. Didn't see any bite or turtle marks on it. I inspected it pretty close since I never seen one out of water.
I was wondering how you caught that fish. Thanks for letting us know.




> I really havent fished there in a long time due to the Barberton low lifes that hang around down there......


You can say that since you are from Barberton . I agree with you though. My wife will no longer go there to walk because all the weirdo's with the Thorazine look on their face and the foul mouthed, smoking 10 year olds.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

What day did you catch it? I saw it Monday evening.


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## AkronBass (Mar 17, 2007)

a firetruck??? thats intresting, I think we need an OGF outing at Lake Ana!!!! lol


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## Agent47 (Jun 27, 2006)

I spent a few months in barberton years ago and seen a few of those "weird ones" hanging around...lol
I went to the lake 1 time. seen a gazeebo I think..?? but didnt know you were allowed to fish it.
Wow, what did I miss ?


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