I have to blame Rob Woodward for my current carp addiction.

The Lebanon High School graduate, former Boston Red Sox pitcher and current Saturday morning radio co-host is the carp king. He loves to go after the bottom-feeding giants that can be found in Mascoma Lake. After I recently observed him catching one that was pushing 30 pounds, I became obsessed.

Like Woody, I love to catch big fish.

I knew about the big carp in Mascoma. I had seen them from shore, and I knew that other anglers had caught them. I had also heard the story about the Shaker carp pond that had been washed away in a hurricane, thereby populating Mascoma with the species.

Worldwide, the carp is the quarry most sought by anglers. An internet search reveals a variety of the species that sometimes weighs in at more than 100 pounds. The carp in Mascoma don’t get that big, but they are definitely the largest fish to be found locally.

Woody educated me on how to fish for them. Start with at least a 10-pound test line, something that I found out the hard way. A 30-pound fish can snap a light line in a moment.

Whole kernel corn from a can is the bait of choice. There are dozens of baits used all around the globe, but Mascoma carp seem to perform corn.

Woody relies on a simple presentation. He attaches a split shot below a bell-shaped sliding weight. The split shot keeps the bell from sliding down to the hook. He leaves a long leader, attaching a No. 4 hook covered with yellow kernels.

The fish forage fairly close to shore, so corn can be used to chum them into the area. The corn-covered hook is cast into the chum where the carp can find and ingest it. The strike isn’t forceful. After the fish takes the bait, it moseys along slowly until the hook is set.

But carp aren’t exactly easy to catch, so I had to invoke my angler’s patience.

After fishing several times from shore and coming up empty, I decided to use my rowboat. I figured I could control the placing of the chum, making sure my hook fell into the layer of bait. I also thought that I could let a big one pull me around without breaking my line.

Finally, I got my first bite. My bait-runner reel began to hum as the carp peeled off line. Holding my breath, I set the hook. But my line was too light. The fish didn’t even feel any pressure. The line snapped instantly.

I was distraught, but I didn’t let it deter me from fishing for them. I invested in 14-pound Trilene, a premium line used by a lot of professional fisherman. I was on a mission to catch a big carp!

Cut to July 15. I hit the lake around 7:30 a.m., following the conventional wisdom that carp bite better in the morning. Fishing from shore, I staked out my bait and threw a couple of handfuls of chum into the water.

The overcast morning was cool with a gentle breeze coming out of the south. The wind rendered a light chop on the surface, which was good. Fish are spookier in calm water.

My mind began to wander until I saw a carp swimming in the shallows over some submerged rocks. I started paying attention to my line. If there was a carp feeding on the chum, I had a good chance for a strike.

A few minutes later, my bait reel began to hum.

Grabbing the rod, I let the carp run for a moment so I could see where it was going. The fish was swimming along rocks that angled down to the water. I set the hook, and the fight was on.

At first, the carp kept moving away from me. I managed to turn it so it made a powerful run into open water. I manage to turn it back toward shore.

I hadn’t seen the fish yet, but when I did I held my breath. It had to weigh at least 25 pounds. After another run, I was able to steer it toward the shore again.

As I was wondering how I was going to land the fish, it make a third run, and my line snapped. I had made the mistake of setting my drag too tightly.

I didn’t mind that I had lost it. I was going to let it go anyway, so I looked at the line break as a quick release. I had experienced the thrill of fighting my first big carp and that was enough.

And I intend to keep fishing for them, because I like to catch big fish!

Coleman Stokes can be reached at stokecoles@gmail.com.