Carp Parts--Scales

I called this Carp "Tommy Two-Tone".  He had the most interesting scale coloration of any Carp I have caught.  

Nice scales on a fat Common

Taking the "long view"

 Love the Mirrors

 Their scales are so unique.

Ha ha.

I understand this scale pattern on a Common makes it referred to as a Muddler.

Is it summer yet?!!

Up close the rays on the scales were very visible.  What a cool animal!

A one scale Mirror.

I bet he bragged to his friends about his scale.  

Summer will be here soon.

I have a post I am going to do on "dead ones".   These next two pictures show the scales from a dead fish very well.  There was so little left from this Carp.  

Back to play with his friends

Three Commons with different color scales

Such a cool Mirror!

Another Muddler

A stomach with a handle on it.  

Carp Parts--Faces

A face that only a mother could love?  I don't think so!  Anyone could love these faces.  

An early season Carp

Fell for the Carrot

A stillwater fish

A gorgeous day on the Columbia.  The sun was shining and so was this Carp's face.  

A day on the Columbia that wasn't windy.  (That's not normal.)

A reservoir Carp

Early season on the river

A windy day on Banks Lake

Carp Parts--Eyes

This is Part II in a series of posts on Carp parts.  

It is the winter; I choose not to Carp fish now and I feel very good about that.  It really helps me to savor the past year and to look forward to the coming season.  The waiting is good for my heart.  The soft Carp porn helps get me in the mood for next season.  Seriously.  The intensity of Carp fishing during the season is more enjoyable if I take things more slowly now. 

The "Carp Parts" series is a celebration of these magnificent game fish!

Proportionate to the size of its head this Carp had the largest eyes I had ever seen.  I left the Carp Lodge for just an hour or two of fishing and was traveling very light.  I didn't have a camera.  I wouldn't have cared about taking a picture of this fish at all except its eyes were so darn big.  I took the pictures with my phone.  

This is one of my favorite Carp pictures.  

I intentionally took this picture with the weed blocking the Carp's eye.  

I don't catch a lot of Carp every session but I caught a bunch of them this day.  

Another favorite picture

This fish looked grumpy when I got him in and he looks grumpy in the picture.

There is a wave coming in on this Carp.  

This Carp had no left eye.  Here is his story.  

A stillwater Carp

A muddy water Carp

I don't think these Carp were as happy to see me as I was to see them.  

Not cropped--just a very close exposure.