Biggest January Carp

This has been a January to remember with the most carp I have ever been able to catch this winter month. However, I just made it even more memorable with the largest carp I have ever landed in January.  I got out on this beautiful Jan. 24th day.  Temperatures were in the mid fifties with a bright sun and blue skies.  I was a bit worried about ice since we have just come off a real cold spell with ice and snow.  But, yesterday's rain and a mild night broke up most of the ice along the shallow pond I was fishing though snow still covered the bank.  There was ice in coves to my right and left and I would say a third of the pond was still covered in ice, but it was ice free in front of me.  I prebaited a small amount of corn and then set up my two outfits with pineapple Pecaviva sweet corn fished ahead of a method ball.  First hit was a screamer (really a surprise in this cold water) and I landed a feisty carp about 10 lbs. An hour later, the other alarm went off and I knew I was onto a better fish by the drag screaming run. This fish was a beauty, a fish of at least 15 lbs.  It was gorgeous just laying in the snowbank in front of me. It was the biggest January carp I have ever been able to land in open water. However, I'm still looking for a January 20 lber.  Maybe this will be the year!