USA Record Koi

Jerome Moisand shows His American Record Koi.

New associate member Jerome Moisand is no stranger to the carp world. He holds the current US record koi at 24 pounds. So with rods in hand Mar-e and Elmer joined with Jerome to chase winter carp in the Charles River. Originally from France, and now residing in Arlington, Jerome has a vast knowledge of the carp waters in the US. You will find him a wealth of information if he thinks you are a serious fisherman or woman. Carp fishermen, like Jerome, are often tight lipped when asked where they caught their big fish. This is to protect the fishery from those that may not respect this important game fish. "Catching the koi was definitely one of my top days on the water." he smiled. "I went through the verification process with the help of some excellent witnesses" he laughed. "Now we fish together." As we waited for our bite alarms to go off, we chatted about carp fishing in the "Charles". There are many places to fish along the bank from the Science Museum to the Newton Yacht Club. Pre-baiting is always a plus. Spring and early summer are the top times to wet a line for some good sized lumps. Winter carp fishing is a little tougher but certainly not impossible. Fish the areas near warm water discharges which can be found along both sides of the river. We struck out near one on the Cambridge side but then we moved to the Boston side and Jerome caught his first of 2008. Due to parking problems Mar-e and Elmer were unable to fish the "honey hole",  but Jerome landed 11 fish and had another 8 runs and hookups. Plans to revisit the swim soon are being made. We are glad to call him friend and fellow fisherman. Oh yeah a little ice just makes it nice!