Catching carp with Cherry

Elite Series angler Hank Cherry loves fishing the carp pay lake tournaments that are so popular in North and South Carolina, but practically unknown in the other 48 states. This photo shows part of the attraction, as Erick Arnoldson nets a big carp for Hank Cherry during a night tournament in October.

Hank Cherry appears proud of the carp attracting mixture that he’s created for the evening. Some anglers use special formulas that have been handed down for generations. Cherry tends to rely on his instincts when mixing carp bait.

Hank Cherry’s carp “tackle box” doesn’t look anything like the ones in his bass boat. Yep, even toasted habanero pepper mustard has its place among flavors that attract carp.

R&W Carp Juice Flavoring is one of the most popular products for attracting carp.

There are hundreds of R&W carp flavorings and other brands as well in the Pop’s Lake bait shop/office.

Chris Southern prepares the drawing for pegs on the two three-acre lakes at Pop’s. There are 47 pegs total on the two lakes. They are illustrated on the board hanging over the office window to Southern’s left.

Golf tees mark our pegs â Nos. 5 and 6 â on the Pop’s Lake map.

This announcement of a past Pop’s Lake tournament is an example of a special event, where the entry fee is higher than usual and the payouts are accordingly.

These rod holders, which are made from rebar, are another example of the specialized equipment needed for carp pay lakes.

Most carp anglers don’t have Abu Garcia Veracity rods and Ambassadeur C3 reels, like Cherry does. Abu Garcia is another of his Elite Series sponsors. Otherwise this is a typical rig for bottom-feeders like carp, with a half-ounce lead weight anchoring two six-inch leaders attached to snelled hooks.

Hank Cherry takes a handful of fish chow that has been soaked in various flavorings and places a single Kellogg’s Corn Pop in the middle. The Corn Pop holds the business end of a fish hook.

Cherry pushes the Corn Pop into the middle of the fish chow mixture before packing the bait tightly around the hook.

Cherry begins the packing part of making a pack bait by squeezing the fish chow mixture around the hook. If you don’t pack it firmly enough, the pack bait will come off the hook during the cast. If you pack it too firmly, it will be slow to disperse and attract carp on the lake bottom.

Cherry prepares to cast the pack bait into the lake, where it will gradually disperse and begin luring carp.

This a view of the lower lake at Pop’s. Cherry claims the two three-acre lakes have different personalities, with the upper lake, where we were, fishing better as the night got later. That seemed to be the case.

Two men settle at peg No. 26 for an evening of carp fishing at Pop’s Lake.

A work van makes the perfect vehicle for pay lake fishing, with rod holders added to the driver’s side back panel and plenty of room for tackle.

Across the upper lake from our pegs, it appears that big carp are jumping on the bank. Actually, this fish was being put back in the lake.

After catching a carp big enough to take to the scales, this angler placed the fish in a “carp tote,” the hard plastic cylinder on the back of his bike, and pedaled to the scales.

The bicycle saves both time and effort in getting a carp from the opposite side of one lake to the weigh-in scales. Some pay-lakers use small motorized scooters to accomplish the task.

Brandon Dishman caught the first carp of the evening out of our group and his friend Josh Cook nets it. Sturdy, long-handled landing nets are a crucial piece of equipment at pay lakes.

Pay lake carp fishing is strictly catch-and-release. By using a molded plastic “carp tote” it’s easier to get a fish to the weigh-in scales and back into the lake.

Fortunately for Brandon Dishman, the scales were only a short walk away from our pegs at Pop’s Lake.

Hank Cherry is hooked up with his first carp of the evening.

Brandon Dishman is ready with the landing net as Cherry battles the carp to the bank.

This carp weighed about 16 pounds, but a 22-5 had already been weighed-in, so the fish was immediately released.

Cherry lands our only “trash fish” â a bluegill â on this night when carp were kings.

Adding to the list of unusual tackle used for carp fishing is Play-Doh. That small round ball of Play-Doh functions as a strike indicator after the pack bait settles on the bottom. Cherry forms the Play-Doh around his line just past the last rod guide, then slides it down the line a few feet. It starts bouncing when a carp sucks up the bait.

Erick Arnoldson wields the landing net for Ricky Espinoza, as he catches our big fish of the night â 20 pounds, 10 ounces. Arnoldson and Espinoza work for Livingston Lures, one of Cherry’s major sponsors on the Elite Series.

Chris Southern prepares to weigh a carp, which registered just over 18 pounds on the scale, but that wasn’t enough to take an hourly jackpot on this night.

After a cloudless day with bright sunshine, Pop’s Lake takes on a completely different character under mercury vapor lights and a big moon.

Josh Cook nets another carp for Cherry, who says these tournaments serve as a way to keep up with some of the guys he grew up with.

Josh Cook displays another one of the double-digit carp caught at Pop’s Lake. Nineteen of the 29 carp caught by our group weighed between 15 and 20 pounds.

Josh Cook lands another big carp with help on the net from Ricky Spinoza. Cook fell just short of the last hourly jackpot of the night with this fish.

This aerial view from Google Maps shows the layout of the carp lakes that the late Boyd “Pop” Gantt built on his farm in 1984. Read more about Cherry’s carp fishing exploits.