Just your typical day of carp fishing. Knots were tested, hooks were broken, backing was exposed and stealth was needed! With the near perfect conditions today I just had to leave the office and spend a few hours at a couple of carp hot spots. This was really the first day in months where my expectation were high. Fortunately, the carp did not disappoint.

Almost immediately upon reaching the water I saw carp...tons of carp. They seemed to be everywhere in pods of 2-6 fish, mostly holding near the top of the water column soaking in the sun. The first hour proved an exercise in humility as the fish ignored, and spooked at most of my offerings. While the high sun helped immensely with the visibility, it also made the fish skittish, and even the shadow of a bird on the water was enough to send most fish bolting for deep water. After a fruitless hour that included one heartstopping change of direction from the infamous Highway Cone Koi (for a split second, I thought I had him) I headed to my second go to place. The fish were not quite as spooky there (probably because of all the dog walkers, mothers with strollers, and general every day foot traffic...heh heh) but they were also clearly enjoying the sun, and not much interested in eating. Eventually I spotted a nice "high and happy" fish about 15 feet out from shore. I put on a size 14 hares ear with a small bead as the only weight, and plopped it down just inches from the carp's nose. The lightly weighted fly did its job and sank at a tantalizing pace. The carp's fins moved ever so slightly, then it opened its mouth and sucked the fly in like a vacuum cleaner! I quickly lifted the rod and the fight was on!

After figuring out the trick with that first fish, I stalked around the pond ignoring all but the "high and happy" types. The numbers for the day, 8 hooked, 6 landed, 1 poor tippet knot, one broken hook, and 40 lbs of fish. Not bad for 3 hours.

You just gotta love carp fishing!