One of the great things about carp fishing is that it just doesn't take much to turn a rough day, into a successful day. Halfway through my outing today I was convinced that the last few successful trips had eaten up all of my good karma. I just couldn't get anything going. It took me until noon to even find fish, and once I found them, I had no chance of getting them to eat anything! I blew casts by putting the fly too far away, then blew casts by hitting the fish on the head. Once I finally started placing the fly where I needed it, I couldn't stop pulling the fly away from the fish! I do have to admit that carp are pretty funny when they just lost a meal. The second you set the hook to soon the carp goes into a little mini frenzy, swimming in circles, darting from side to side. You can just about hear them yelling "I was going to eat that!" After taking the fly from a few fish, and then leaving it much too long (and seeing that cursed eat/spook moment) I began to put it together. I think it started when I went to the San Juan, but not one of the new ones I tied last night. I should have figured that new flies tied intentionally for a trip NEVER work. The second I put on an old beat up worm loaded with good mojo, things flowed much better. I ended up hooking about 10 fish, but I lost most of them to the big weedbed about 80 feet off of the flat. Most guys would think 80 feet is plenty of room to stop a fish...most guys don't fish for carp. I brought 5 to hand, on a variety of flies, but the worm was center stage (and it looks even more disheveled...might have to retire that one to my hat.) The biggest fish was about 13 lbs, smallest was 6 lbs...I'll take that spread any day, though I did hook one much bigger fish (my first lesson in the location of that weedbed.) All in all a good day, and I made it home in time to put the kids to bed. Nice.
Two more things to note. First, the water was LOADED with these freshwater clams:
If anyone out there has a pattern, let me know. I'm betting all of the crushed shells were pretty a pretty good indicator of what the carp were chowing. Also, I found this stringer full of 10 dead sturgeon (and one salmon). What a waste. One of the sturgeon was at least 5 feet long. I called it in, but I'm not sure what good that will do.
2 comments:
Cool bit on the clams. I saw that pattern you sent... you'd better try that - maybe the next big thing. That seems like a really interesting place.
Were you chasing a fish you had just released in the vid?
Can't believe that stringer was left there - wonder about that stoyr...
Man what a drag about that stringer, just sucks.
Sounds like a fun time otherwise tho.
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