Carp presentation?

So I have a note on my calendar about a carp presentation in Eugene, or in July...but that is it! No info or contacts etc. if you contacted me about this please let me know...I can't find any contact info or dates etc. thanks!

Smallmouth on the Fly

I admit it...after Lake MI last year I briefly considered changing the name of the blog to smallmouth on the fly, moving to the Midwest and spending my days tying bunny leeches and poppers. Smallmouth are addictive. In the end though, I am a carp guy, and let's be honest and brutally upfront here.

Smallies cannot touch carp as a fly rod quarry.

Don't get me wrong, they are great fun, and as Wendy put it, a perfect complement to a day of carping, but they simply can't touch carp. I was reminded of that fact on this trip. Every evening, as the light went bad I changed up to a big bunny leech and peppered casts off into the distance, picking up smallies with regularity while Wendy snuck down the bank searching for the ever elusive low light carp. He got a few, and each time he hooked up his carp would rip line off his reel and scream by me headed for the main river while I stripped in another bulldog smallie. Yes, the bass tug hard, and jump...but nothing in fresh water runs like a hot carp.

Nothing.

Still, I now consider myself a bass guy, and will never again walk the flats of the big C without a handful of heavy headed bunny leeches. There is something hypnotic about booming casts out into the river. It isn't sight fishing, but when I targeted rock piles and structure, I was usually rewarded with a bass and for a hard core sight and visual memory hound like me, the strange sensation of a bass picking up your sinking fly was new...and newly savored.

No worries for the three (maybe four now) people who read this blog...I am and will remain first and foremost a carp angler. Only now instead of cursing the onset of low light and the end of a day of fly fishing for carp I will simply tie on a big nasty fly, stare up at the fading sun and cast without thought.

I won't be the only one.

 

The one and only

Wendy Berrell

"Those would be the skills: recognizing fish at a distance, finding best angle, making the right cast and getting the flies in front of the fish. Then comes what can be called a skill but can also be described as an act of faith: understanding and/or believing that it’s time to set the hook. These fish don’t hand out cues. Sometimes some subtle hints but nothing emphatic in most cases. You absolutely cannot fish with a lack of faith."

I haven't read his entire post yet because I had to get a link up over here. Do yourself a favor and read this shit now!

Thanks for another great trip man.

 

The Guitar Pose

After taking a load of crap from my dad, the "Reel John Montana," Wendy and I decided to attempt to duplicate his famous fish holding pose. So here is the famous "Guitar Pose" made popular by my legendary old man.

Note the careful 45 degree angle...the "hugging" of the fish as if it represents a hard fought trophy (which it usually does) and most importantly, the blank look on the face indicating neither boredom nor excitement. Yes, just another day on the water slaying carp left and right with my "cat-like reflexes". Those that know him will agree...

My dad is one in a million folks.

Run of the mill 15 lber

As we slipped into the bay our feet were hurting, but it was our eyes that were the most exhausted. Staring into the mirror like waters under heavy cloud cover can do that to you, and we had been dealing with clouds for at least an hour or two. The bay was a welcome relief from the softball sized cobble that we had been slipping and sliding through for the past couple of hours...firm sand underfoot, and the water temperature took a notable tick upwards. We looked at each other, knowing there would be tailing fish around. As we peered into the water, searching for shapes, colors, and motion...the sun peeked out and everything opened up. We could see out in front rather than right at our feet, and the fish were there. I hooked and released a small fish quickly, maybe 9 lbs. A moment later I spotted another tailer and hooked up in short order. With the glorious light coinciding with the warm bay, these fish were in trouble.

After releasing the second fish I looked up to see Wendy intensely focussed on a target. His posture had changed, slightly crouched, a grimace on his face as he laid a short cast to what I could only see as a dark spot in the water. He stripped in some line, let it settle...then set the hook hard and fast. The fish blasted from the bay and headed out to the main river. After several minutes Wendy brought the fish back under control and slid him towards the net.

Did I forget to mention that at this point Wendy was fishing with a fully free spooling reel? The click and pawl on his Ross had given up the ghost about one carp back...Wendy had ended that fish with the pile of line below.

Somehow he palmed the reel without slipping and managed his line with skill. The fish slid into the net, a beautiful 15 lb fish.

Well done Wendy...

The Agony of Defeat

That was a very big fish.

Day Four

Saw lots of sunshine, lots of water, and lots of wind. But we also saw lots of this:

And lots of this:

More to come over the next week, and I am sure Wendy will have a report up as well. Another great trip...nothing like good friends and time on the water. Thanks for a great trip J!

Day three

You cannot underestimate the importance of direct sunlight when carp fishing. Today, we had none. Still, Wendy and I are nothing if not persistent so we walked along looking for tails breaking the surface, and we put the stalk on some fish. Tough, but rewarding fishing. We learned a couple of things. First, you can "one hand" a 20 lb carp...it just isn't easy.

Second, in tough conditions, it is less about the fish, and more about the experience surrounding the fish. We will remember some very specific incidences from today.

And third, I don't swear as nearly as much as Wendy.

 

For those keeping score, that is video of the hook set on two 20 lb fish.

Praying for sun tonight.

Day two

Or, "Wendy sticks a big one."

Semi tough day...clouds at the wrong time, winds big consistently, but you can't complain when you stick a 20 lber...oh, and I got it on video. Fair warning, there is some language here (born out of exuberance).

 

My best fish was this 17 lber...about as big as you can go with the one hand pose.

Having a good time, and two days to go!

 

What do you do?

When you fly all the way to OR and the water is high, the wind is howling, and the sky is covered in clouds?

You get your ass in the water and stick a bunch of fish anyway. Day one is in the books.