Contest!

Head over to my Facebook page for a chance to win a few flies.

Slab of the year voting is up at Moldy Chum!  Vote early, and spread the word...this carp:

Could win slab of the year!

Awesome

I couldn't resist ordering a couple of decals from Boneyard Flygear. Check these guys out, all kinds of great designs. I am pretty partial to the carp (duh) and the smallmouth bass. These decals are so cool, they even make my Honda Ruckus look bad ass!

Incidentally, I now have awesome decals from Simms, Orvis, Bad Axe Design and Uprising adorning the Ruckus. Pretty nice collection.

 

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2012

No fully featured year end review from me, mainly because 2012 was such a mixed bag for my family in general. Fishing wise, it was an excellent year. The best count I can come up with has me at 19 carp over 20 lbs for 2012. I am pretty sure that is my second best "big fish total" ever, but who knows. Other things this year stand out, with the passing of my dad, the "Reel John Montana" as he liked to call himself, front and center in my mind on a daily basis. I miss him, but mostly I hate to see my mom and sisters sad. I have said it before, but my dad would have wanted us all to get back up after being knocked down...and follow so many of the examples he set with his life for toughness and love. "Keep living, keep fighting, and keep together" he would have said. So Happy New Year to those that matter most in my life...my wife, my kids, my mom and my sisters. Keep living, keep loving, and keep fighting. I am here for you all...always.

For the rest of you that occasionally follow this blog through my words and pictures a brief apology. I know people come here to read about carp, look at fish pictures and hopefully laugh or maybe learn a trick or two, but the past few months have been tough here at Carp on the Fly. I am not a professional angler...not a writer, nor a photographer. I am a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend and occasionally a guy who likes to walk in the waters and be a part of the world rather than a spectator. Who I am dictates what I do, and as such I may occasionally veer off the path so to speak. Life happens. I can't promise to stick to the straight and narrow, and all I can say is that it will likely happen again. If you love carp, stick with me...spring will be here soon and with it the warm waters and tailing fish....adventures will be had and I will tell some of those stories. For now, know that I wish you all the best...tight lines, and screaming reels. Happy New Year, and may 2013 bring you all something that you had no idea you were looking for.

 

 

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Merry Christmas!

Quick note to say Merry Christmas to everyone. Be safe with your families, smile and hug those around you. Wishing you all the best...

 

 

 

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Hybrid

Catch has a few prototypes in hand, and before too long they will start to sell a few of my go to flies. I am more than a little nervous, I hope they actually sell some!

Hybrid worm/soft hackle

Granted, it ain't too pretty, but it works!

 

 

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Carp Pro

Issue #1, the all fly fishing issue is out!

 

Check it out at Carp Pro!

 

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CATCH Fly Fishing

Big thanks to the crew over at CATCH for saving a spot on their fly design team for me. They have some serious talent on there with Gregg Martin, Adam Hope, Mark Erdosy and Trevor Tanner...so I suppose they could afford to add me!

Looking forward to a series of great carp flies! CATCH has also partnered with Carp Pro, lots of good things in the works.

 

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Carp Pro Podcast

Another great episode. Don't miss it, click here:

Carp Pro Podcast

Great discussion about stalking fish with a few gems like "I spend a lot of time on my knees". Some nice tips on how to get closer to those big fish, something I try to do whenever vaguely possible. My personal rule is I won't cast until I can see the carp's head...so I do quite a bit of stalking.

That is Wendy Berrell, getting it done. Believe it or not, we are both in knee deep water in that photo. And yes, he stuck a carp.

And a video from this spring with Wendy...note, no fly line out the rod tip on this one!

 

 

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Thin

My dad once wrote, "My resolve is thin veneer, chipped and worn to nearly nothing. When you are alive this can happen you know."

While I wouldn't point to my resolve as the focal point for me currently, I understand the sentiment exactly. Of late, I have simply felt...well, thin. I enjoy my kids and family, and had a good day on the Deschutes today but I just don't feel right about anything. When I smile, it is for a short while and doesn't reach down deep. When I laugh, it seems to be only on the surface, and the underlying sadness is simply there, frequent and sudden and somewhat overwhelming. When you are alive this can happen you know.

My sister Darby once told me she likes the way I write..."you always go full circle, and bring things back to center" she said. Well, right now, I have no point in writing these first few words. No circle, no center, nothing to come back to in the end. I feel thin. Stretched out and knee deep...this is good on a carp flat, but in the cold of winter when missing your dad and unable to find the peace and joy you once found so easily on the river...it hurts a bit. I know this: I am still fishing, but the joy isn't there right now. And I miss my dad.

 

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