Finally, some tailing fish!

The previous two weeks I have stayed at the Carp Lodge for a few nights by myself. I have had work to to do here and I had some fishing to do too. Fishing the Columbia River has been challenging and very different this year. I'm very happy that I have caught some very nice Carp. Still, pitching, plopping, and dropping is not as fun as casting to feeding fish.

Katy and I came over late last night. There were so many bugs hitting my Carpwagon it sounded like it was raining.



I decided to revisit some of my stillwater Carp fishing roots this morning. It has been two years since I fished for Carp from my boat. I am so glad I did!



A tailing fish that is rooting around in the mud or the rocks is a prime target. A shopper can also be a very good target. I recently posted that "shopping" Carp are like my kids when they were teenages looking in the refrigerator or in the pantry to "see if there is anything good to eat." This next type of Carp behavior may seem like an "Internet distinction" and not something that actually happens but I believe it does. Shopping Carp can be caught because they are eating or getting ready to eat. I think some Carp are grazing, again like my kids when they were teenagers. They aren't throwing up a cloud of mud as they do what my friend Keith calls, "tailing violently." Grazers tail for a bit and then move and tail some more.

I am so glad I decided to try some of my old stillwater today! I saw a few spawning fish, a good number of sunbathers, AND I saw tailing fish! I saw shoppers and grazers also. What a relief to be making serious casts. It really felt so good.

I was able to get several fish well into the teens; seeing those fish turn on the fly was just so satisfying.

This was the best fighting fish of the day.



I caught fish on the Carp Carrot, Black Betty, and on a Chocolate Cherry Carp Woollie. I have enormous faith in the Carp Carrot but today it just didn't produce as well as Black Betty.

Katy has to go back into town to see a Dr. tomorrow. She is going to drop me off at the river on the way. She said she was worried I would have to fish all day and that if I wanted to leave I would be stuck. I guess I will just have to keep fishing. Even at my advanced age I think I can do it. I'm sure going to try.