MONTE VISTA, Colo. — Holy carp!
A Colorado man got lucky this week when he caught a huge, 30-pound grass carp at Home Lake State Wildlife Area in Monte Vista.
Ramiro Fuentes said he’d just cast his first line of the day April 30 when he snagged the fish, which measured 40 inches long.
“I’d just cast my first line and I was setting up my second rod when I saw the line start to run out,” Fuentes told Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials. “I had to get to it before the rod went into the water.”
Fuentes said he often fishes at Home Lake after work and usually goes for catfish. He snagged the 30-pound carp on a worm and luckily had 50-pound test line on his reel, officials said.
The grass carp Fuentes caught is part of a stock of 300 fish that were added to the lake in 2008, CPW said. At that time, the fish was just 11 inches long.
Fuentes said he plans to have the fish mounted so he can hang it on a wall at home.
“It’s the biggest fish I’ve caught,” Fuentes said.
Officials said the state record is 47 inches and 47 pounds.