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Angler's Profiles
by Mike Lanni
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (From the July, 1998 Newsletter) PAUL KARCZ |
When I think of my good friend Paulie Karcz, I am filled with mixed emotions.
On the one hand, Paul is a great friend - the kind of guy that everyone
likes to be around. But, let me warn you about "Mr. Nice Guy" - stand
next to him on a boat anywhere that tautog, flatfish or fluke hang out, and
he will, without mercy, outfish you to the point of humiliation - with no
apologies. Some friend!Anyone who knows Paul knows that he is a bottom fish's worst enemy. A perennial winner of fluke, flatfish and tautog awards as a former West Bay Angler, he concentrates mainly on these species. Having fished with Paul on numerous occassions, I can honestly say that he is the most productive bottom fisherman I know. His success is attributable to a number of factors. First, he knows how to locate the bottom structure where these fish feed. Secondly, he knows how to "fish the tides." He uses only baitcasting or conventional tackle, which clearly outranks spinning gear for this type of fishing. While most of these elements are common to most good bottom anglers, Paul's uncanny sense of when to set the hook, as well as his ability to concentrate on fishing for extended periods of time seem to set him apart from most other people I've fished with. Concentration is something rarely discussed amoung anglers, but one thing I've noted about Paul is that he always stays focused on what he is doing, even when the fishing is slow. He rarely misses a strike, and when all factors are combined, the result is usually a cooler of fish. If fishing is a combination of skill and luck, Paul posesses no shortage of either. Take, for 
instance, the day this past May when Paul and I decided to fish Conimicut
Light for tautog. His first cast resulted in a 7 lb. blackfish. His
second cast produced a double-header on the tandem rig - one four pound fish
and one 10.66 pound monster. In about 3 minutes, Paul had boated
nearly 22 pounds of tautog! Can you see why I get so frustrated when
I fish with this guy?Another of the more memorable times we fished together was December 10, 1995. Two weeks before Christmas, and we are still fishing for tautog. We had 63 fish that day at Coddington Cove, and I was even managing to hold my own against Paul, when suddenly we noticed a fast approaching snow squall. The sensible thing to do at that time would have been to pull up anchor and full-throttle our way back to Warwick Cove. But the fish were still biting hard, and we weren't moving until that tide ran out. We must have looked like a couple of wackos in that boat fishing in the snow, when most other people were out doing their Christmas shopping! Then there was the day we ran my boat down to Watch Hill. Since Paul dosen't do much bass fishing, I figured I could show him up pretty good for once. Well, we had 16 keeper bass that day, and guess who had 10 of those? If the weather wasn't so cold, I would have made him swim back to the dock! If Paul had his way, he'd probably fish 7 days a week, but like the rest of us, he has to work for a living. Paul is the owner of Ocean State Lawn Service, a company that he started on his own about 5 years ago. The business has steadily grown due to Paul's strong work ethics and good business practices. On rare occassions when he is not working or fishing, he likes to play golf. Knowing Paul, he probably has his own special group of friends that he likes to repeatedly humiliate on the golf course. Paul's a single guy, but I'm sure that his girlfriend Chrissy would want it to be known that he is NOT an eligible bachelor! He's really a guy worth getting to know, but if you are a competitive individual who doesn't like to get "smoked," you might think twice before fishing with Paulie "Lawn Boy" Karcz. |
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PROFILES
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