I got back to my carping roots today. I had an hour to fish with JJ along for the ride in the backpack. We hit our go to local pond and managed four carp. A pretty good outing, though the biggest fish was only 7 lbs. This is distinctly different carp fishing that what I have been doing the last few weeks. These small ponds don't require long casts and tons of backing, but they do up the need for stealth. I put the sneak on all 4 fish, hooking three of them with no fly line out my guides, just 5 or 6 feet of leader. My normal technique on tiny water is to sneak within a rod length of the fish dangle about 3-4 ft of leader out the top of the rod and literally set the fly next to a feeding fish. If you can get on top of them without spooking them, it is deadly. The best part about today? Every time I hooked a carp JJ would just bust out laughing. Good stuff...

What a great weekend with my parents and Elia. We stayed in their new RV and dad and I did some carp fishing, while my mom entertained Elia. My daughter was a trooper on the drive to and from the RV. She read books the entire way and she loved hanging out in the trailer. Elia really enjoyed herself this weekend, and is sleeping soundly right now!

The carp fishing was great. It was really windy both days, but that just pushed the fish to the shore. I landed over 20 fish Saturday, and another 10 or so this morning. My dad caught fish both days, but not quite in the same numbers. I spent some time farther downriver than he felt like walking, and was rewarded with some great carping situations. Big fish for the trip was 18-20 lbs...an absolute pig I landed with a san juan worm on a 40 ft cast. I got the fly close, the fish tipped up and when I lifted the rod the fight was on! I saw my backing so many times that it now has a tan line. A truly special weekend fishing with my dad and watching my daughter play with both of my parents. Here are a few pictures.

This was a double the "old fashioned" way. My dad hooked the fish on the left and while he was fighting it I spotted the fish on the right. His fish weighed about 7 lbs, mine was just under 12. I nearly had a very unique double Saturday. I hooked a great fish on a long cast with crayfish. I fought the fish in and he bottomed out my 14 lb scale (probably about 16 lbs). I removed the fly and turned to walk to shore to get a picture when I spotted another big fish just 20 feet away! I clipped the net with the big fish still hanging half out of it to my belt and started casting at the fish nearby in the shallows. My plan was to hook and beach that second fish and take a picture of a single double! Of course, I blew a cast and spooked the one still in the water, and when I reached for my net, the big boy had slipped loose. So it goes...plenty of targets in the water this weekend!

All along the bank you could spot nice tailing fish like this one.

And if you could find waves breaking over a gravel bar, the carp were stacked up feeding on the lee side. I'm still surprised I took the time to snap this picture before casting into that feeding frenzy.

A nice 12 lb fish from this morning. We hooked some big fish this weekend.

My dad with a nice carp. He took to carping with no problem...he was spotting, casting and hooking fish all week long.

This one didn't quite bottom out my scale!


My dad working a flat. The wind was a blessing and a curse. Today was a bit windier than I would have liked, but we still managed to catch some fish.

The worm was deadly all weekend.

Great weekend! I'll get some pictures of Elia and the grandparents up tomorrow. We all had a great time!

A few more pics from this weekend. I landed 2 fish friday, KB got another two but my client Chris couldn't get a solid hookup. He has some nice takes and near misses and overall, I think he enjoyed carp fishing. Chris and I will get back out together soon I hope.

Saturday was a good day for fish numbers, and we only fished until about 2-230. I landed 10 or 12, with KB and my dad both landing 4 or 5 fish each. The average size was 8 1/2 to 9 lbs and the big fish of the day was a 12 lber.


My dad had a few shots at some bigger fish, a really nice fish in the mid to high teens range, and a beautiful mirror carp that was only about 10 feet away, and had to be in the low teens. He just couldn't get a take though. We did see a few fish that might have gone 20 lbs, but they spooked before we got clean shots at them.

Great weekend of carp fishing with good friends and family!

I fished with my dad early this spring for trout on Duck Lake back in MT. His health was not good. After a walk of a few hundred feet he need to stop and catch his breath. My dad has congestive heart failure, and it was just difficult for his heart to get oxygen to the rest of his body. He didn't let it get him down and steadfastly fished most of the day, taking frequent breaks to relax and catch his breath. A few weeks later they put a pacermaker in to regulate his heart and improve his circulation. My dad claims he is now the bionic man, and feels better than he has in years. The doctors finally cleared him to do some phyiscal excercise, so he headed out here to chase some carp, telling me he had it "all figured out." I though this was particularly funny since the only carp I've ever seen him catch were all snagged in the dorsal fin!

KB joined us for the day and we hit one of our favorite flats. The fishing was good, the company better but the best part was the fact that my dad could get out and enjoy himself. He only need one rest during the day, and spotted fish and snuck up on them like a seasoned carp pro! The first fish we got a really good shot as was the perfect situation. A nice carp was tailing in 3 feet of water about 20 feet away. I pointed him out to dad who was already stripping line from his reel. The cast was true, dropping the fly about 1 ft from the feeding fish. The carp slowly lifted his head, eased forward and dropped his mouth to the bottom once again.

"He's on it!" I said just as my dad lifted the rod tight and the carp exploded out of the shallows. I took one look at my dad's face and let out a loud whoop. KB came running to take some pictures and we both watched as the fly line flew from the reel in seconds. My dad reached for the reel to slow the escaping fish, only to pull his hand back and yelling "ouch!" as the carp wrapped his knuckled hard with the handle. Dad tried another tactic and jammed his fingers into the spool, putting pressure on the rapidly dissapearing backing..."ouch!" he yelled again as the backing burnt his fingers. Eventually the carp slowed and dad fought him back to us. The fish made a second run into the backing, but with much less enthusiasm and on his return Dad was able to lift the head to the surface and I got the net on him.



We caught more fish today, with some great takes each. None of us went home without seeing our backing multiple times, and like my dad, I went home with burnt fingers (like father, like son I suppose.) I could have been skunked today and still drove home with a smile after watching my dad hook that first fish. It was simply a perfect moment, and thankfully, we have many more to come.

The San Juan Worms are lined up in my flybox like a little army, flanked on both ends by a batch of carp wooley's and a handful of peacock hacklebacks. I'm off tomorrow to fish with a client, and then meeting my dad for some time on the carp flats Saturday.

Those worms are just itching to be thrown into the fray...I can tell. Hopefully some pictures and a report will follow!

JJ and I were driving back from a short and unsuccesful carp outing when we spotted this crazy car on the freeway. I pulled up alongside and I'm pretty sure it was Darius Miles in the driver's seat. JJ sure liked this car!

I know that posts have been few and far between this summer, but we have had a lot going on that simply hasn't involved much carp fishing. I'll get one of the kids out soon. Here is the latest video of JJ, he decided now was a good time to start walking. I think we are trouble.

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Sunday I had the pleasure of fishing with Scott T for carp. It had been a while since I fished with Scott, and just catching up over breakfast and having some time on the water made the day worthwhile. Conditions were far from ideal. The wind was moving pretty good, and the high, white clouds cut visibility from feet, to inches. If the fish was more than a rod length away, we couldn't see it. Scott had some near hookups and I caught one while he was there, but he had to leave around 1 or so. As is usually the case, once your fishing partner leaves, the fishing picks up!
That wasn't actually what happened this time, but I did start moving around more, and I found some fish feeding on the edges of the shoreline. In super stealth mode I could get close enough to see them and managed to get into some fish. For the day I landed about 12, with the big fish being about 15 lbs...it just bottomed out my weigh net. The interesting part of the day was that it was a tale of two flies, fished in different manners.

For most of the day, and most of the fish I hooked the go to fly was the San Juan Worm. I've never been a huge fan of the worm fly, but my last couple of times out I've started to see its merits! The fish do like the fly, but you have to fish it just a little differently than most nymphs or other carp flies. First, you have to be really accurate with your casts. With the worm, the fish needs to see the fly sink within that 1 foot or so cone of vision. If they see it sink and hit bottom, you are in business. Secondly, you can't move the fly. With most flies I fish if I overcast I just pull the fly into position along the bottom with short strips or hand twists. With the worm, the fish have got to come to the fly. You cast it right near their head, let it sink and let it sit. If the fish saw it fall, they'll eventually ease up and eat the fly. If you move it, the fish spooks. I saw this many times a few weeks ago, and again yesterday. When I just let the fly sit it was extremely effective coupled with an accurate cast.

The second part of my day was spent chasing fish that were hanging around the mulberry trees. These fish are without a doubt, the easiest carp I've ever caught, but catching them is a complete reversal from fishing the worm. For starters, they are all serious about eating. You can see them cruising in slow circles just downwind of the trees. They look like packs of bikers circling around a group of kids in a bad movie. Every time a berry falls in the water, one or two fish rush the berry like it will spoil when wet and the first fish to the berry chomps it down with an attitude. For these situations, the carp wooley has produced. I tie mine heavily weighted as it is a fly I often use on the flats as a general nymph imitation. The weight isn't a problem, though most of the berries float for quite a while. The fish near those trees seem to be so keyed on berries, that they charge any plop they hear, and eat just about anything that resembles a berry. I have had a few fish turn completely around and change direction to chase down a fly. It makes for some exciting, and relatively simple carp fishing.

All in all, it was a great day on the water, as any day with a fly rod in hand usually is. I enjoyed spending time with Scott, we really need to get out and fish more often. One lesson I took away from Sunday's outing was to pay really close attention to your presentation. With carp, it isn't enough for them to see the fly. They have to see it in the manner in which they expect to see it. In other words...they expect to see a crayfish run or act defensive...they expect to see a leech swim...they expect a berry to plop into the water like it fell from several feet above...and they expect to see a worm sitting in the bottom sediment, easy pickings for a meal. The next time I'm out I'm going to pay much more attention to the specifics of the presentation, rather than simply focusing on the accuracy of my cast and stealth of my approach. I think the details can make the difference between a skunking, and a some burnt fingers from palming your spool.

My lovely wife sent me out today, not specifically to fish but to take Panga out for a few hours to get some exercise. Of course she knows full well that to do so involved me carrying a fly rod and looking for something to catch. I was torn all day yesterday. Part of me was itching to grab the 4 wt cane rod and head up into the upper reaches of the Clackamas and catch a billion tiny trout on dry flies. The thing is, trout are easy to catch. Especially small trout. I could put on a march brown pattern right now in July, fish it along the seams of that beautiful free stone stream and catch as many 7-11 inch fish at I could release. It sounded very appealing, but the real intention was to let Panga run, and the boulder strewn clackamas river, while beautiful, isn't the kind of ground where Panga can get up to speed. I hit Sauvie Island instead.

Well, I was reminded that Sauvie Island is one of the premier locations for carp around Portland. There are fish in literally every inch of water on that big island, and there is a ton of water from which to choose. I did have two problems though. One, the water I fished was all colored up and visibility was maybe an inch. Two, the sun hid for 2/3 of the time I was out. When the sun peeked out around 1200...I could finally see fish in catchable positions. During the morning, I saw mostly things like this:

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While that is indeed a great sight if you are a carp fisherman, try catching one of those fish! I did everything including feeding them a fly directly into their open mouths, but they wouldn't look at an artificial. It was still a great moment watching those cloopers go nuts on vegetation and cotton. As the sun came out I ran into these three fellows.

Nice guys. This marks the first time I've actually run into bow fisherman. We chatted for a bit and I think they were pretty surprised to see me stalking the edges of the slough with a fly rod in hand. One fellow mentioned that he had shot carp in that area as "big as a fireplug." Interesting way to put it, and while I have yet to see a fish that big out there, I'd love to meet one! We went our separate ways and I finally started getting into some fish. The trouble was that I simply couldn't see the fish well enough to know when to set the hook. I was making great casts again with that fiberglass 7 wt fenwick (LOVE that rod) but I simply couldn't spot a take. Instead, I'd wait too long with my fly near a cloud, some bubbles, or a shadow and then feel a quick tap, tap that ended with me missing another carp. I finally did put it together and landed this one fish...a small guy, probably 5-6 lbs.

So with one fish in to hand, I called it a day. Panga was tired. She had run herself out and for the last 30 minutes I fished had dug herself a little hole and was just sitting there, watching me miss fish after fish. Smug little dog...

This report is a few days late, but I did manage to get out after some carp twice this week. Once for a few hours on Tuesday, and then again Wednesday morning for the 4th. I fished with KB on the 4th, hence the nice picture above of me and JJ. Always fun to take the kids out, and while little JJ did fall asleep, he was sure excited to see me land the small carp I caught Wednesday!

On Tuesday I caught this tiny carp. Probably the smallest carp I've ever actually seen in person. A few interesting items from the two day report. First, this tiny carp was in a cloud of carp that had maybe 300 baby carp in the mix. I dropped the fly in there just to catch one and look at it, then left them alone. Tons of tiny carp, kind of a neat sight.

Second, in one of my local ponds I was stunned to see a monstrous fish roaming the shoreline about 20 ft away. This was a big fish, about 30 some inches, and as I snuck closer I realized that it was a Sturgeon! Unbelievable...I was shocked and watched the fish mill around for a minute or so before it headed off to the deeper water. That was not something I expected to see.

Third...I spotted and chased a 5-7lb white koi in another pond that I don't often visit. People teased me last year about Highway Cone being my "white whale." Well, I have an actual white fish to chase now...I really want to catch this koi, and of course it spooked at every feeble offering I could muster. I'll hunt him down eventually.

Speaking of Highway Cone brings me to number four. KB hooked that monster Wednesday morning! She swam by me with her usual disdain, moved into perfect position near Kim and he dropped a hares ear right on her. To his amazement...she ate it! He got one really good run out of her but that wily fish threw the hook after blasting out of the bay. I didn't see the run but I bet Kim enjoyed watching an orange bullet shoot through the water.

5th and final...I had one carp actually "taste" my fly while I watched. I dropped a carp wooley on a small carp only to have the line hang up slightly on a stick in the water. The fly was effectively hanging there about 3 inches down in 2 ft of water. The carp wasn't bothered...it nosed up and gently sucked at the fly. It touched that fly at least 4-5 times with its lips, but not once did it actually take the fly inside the mouth enough for me to set the hook. Finally, the fish gave the fly an interesting look, and swam off...

One more item...I fished a 7 wt Fenwick Fiberglass rod both days and really enjoyed it. I'm still undecided on the whole glass thing, need to hook a bigger fish on that rod but I was casting like a Rajeff brother both days...well, in terms of accuracy, not distance!