Starting the 2017 Season

Thanks Kevin, Sam, Jessica, and Jeff for asking why I have been lazy prodding me to get back to the blog.  Here you go.

Starting the 2017 season near the end of May?  Well hell yes!  I'm talking about the carp season of course.  Normally I would have started sooner but it has been cold this year so the beginning of the season has been delayed.  Oh, and one more thing, I was distracted, or completely unavailable. Unavailable........because....................... I went fishing in Cuba.  What an adventure that was for this old guy!  More on that in another post coming soon.

My first fish of the day, and of the season, was a fully scaled mirror; I sure liked that.  It was nice to hook up just minutes after starting.  I thanked the carp for taking my fly.  The first fish being a mirror boded well for the day, for the season, and I think perhaps for all of my life.  Black Betty tricked this wonderful fish.  (I only fish the red tail version anymore.)

We don't see that many mirrors on the Columbia so my friends and I covet them.  If I see more than one fish and I can tell one of them is a mirror I will cast to the mirror.  Much of the time I can't tell if the fish is a mirror or a common until after they slosh or until I get them near me.

Well heck, my second fish was a mirror too.  He was nice and chunky and had almost no scales on his sides.  In this picture I have lifted him up with my left hand and am trying to use the camera with my right hand.  For an old guy like me, that's multi-tasking and it ain't easy.  



 

This same fish had two rows of scales down his back.  He looked a linear mirror with the scale lines moved up on top.

The "hog of the day" award goes to this next fish.  Lets pretend the reason you don't see the whole fish is because he was too big to fit in the picture rather than me not setting up the camera correctly.  Either way he's a porker.

I saw and caught fish in spurts.  I had a good number of shots and had three fish to the net within the first hour.  That makes me feel way more clever than I actually am.  I kept stalking and then didn't see a single fish for an hour and a half.  After that I got two shots and didn't connect.  I kept moving and started seeing fish again about 30 minutes later.  I put several more in the net and thanked the Good Lord for a wonderful day.

#blackbetty, #carplodge, #carponthefly, #flyfishingforcarp, #mirrorcarp

When Carp Fishing is Heavenly

There are days when turbid water, wind, and the devil clouds conspire to make carp fishing darn difficult. There are days when the water is clear, the wind blows lightly and the sky is blue; oh, but wait, there are almost no fish to cast to.  Heck that's even worse than the bad conditions!  I have to remind myself that if carp fishing was easy everyone would be doing it.   

There are days when the conditions are tolerable and there are still very few fish.  There are days when the conditions are tolerable but I'm still seeing a good number of targets and getting hook ups; those are great days.  There are days when the conditions are good and I'm getting lots and lots of shots.  When I can cast to those fish rather than reaching out and just dropping the fly in front of them, those days are heavenly.

On my last trip to the Carp Lodge I fished several days.  One of my days was heavenly.  It sounds like kind of a silly word to describe a session but when I got back to my carpwagon as I was getting my boots off I said to myself, "That was heavenly".  It really was.  I was getting so many shots and hooking up so often I just didn't want to get out of the river to take any pictures where I was holding the fish.  I was fishing a two fly rig with a Chocolate Cherry on top and Black Betty as the dropper.  They took both flies.  There were virtually no clouds, the wind was light and the water was clear enough that I was casting a fair distance to tailing fish.  

All the hook ups made me feel more clever than I actually am.  Lets be objective here--I don't have a 20+ fish day when I only see 10 or 12 fish.  It just isn't possible to catch more fish than I see.  On this day I was blessed to be fishing in a very target rich environment with receptive fish.  Indeed, it was heavenly.  

Not your typical carp

An ordinary Columbia River carp is a common, is about 28-29 inches long and weighs 8-9 pounds.  Some, not many, are smaller but typically not very much smaller.  Some are larger.  Some are way larger.  A Columbia River carp can be 29 inches and weigh more than 9 pounds because his tummy is fat.

An ordinary Columbia common.

This common has more girth so he tips the scale over 10 pounds.  

This Columbia River carp is not ordinary.  He is a mirror and he is longer than 28 inches.  When I see a group of fish and I can tell one of them is a mirror I will virtually always target the mirror.   There was a group of three tailing fish but I could not tell this one was a mirror.  He was the largest of the three so I cast to him.  He picked up Black Betty just like I wanted him to.    He was an extraordinary fish; he reminded me how very fortunate I am to be a carp fisherman.  Damn, I love my river! 

Nettin' Carp Like a Gunslinger, or, Carrying a Net Made Easy

In my last post I mentioned that probably the highlight of the trip was being able to easily and comfortably carry a net.  I had wanted to get video of me netting a fat Carp but I will have to wait until I am fishing with someone else for that.  For now here are some pictures of the net and the way I am carrying it.  Katy took video of me kind of "playing a fish" and accessing the net.  Okay, the line is wrapped around the leg of a table so I guess I playing a picnic table but bear with me until I can get some video of the real thing.  

I am using a large Solvkroken telescopic net.   That link is to the manufacturer in Norway.  The net is widely available in the UK.    The handle telescopes but more importantly the net easily folds down to a small package. As near as I can tell the only place to get this net in the United States is the Red Rock Wilderness Store in Minnesota.  Talk to Jackie; she is very helpful.  

I believe I first purchased this net 8 years ago.  I was concerned that the cotton string bag would not work as well as as a soft nylon mesh bag so I had it replaced by a guy who makes nets for professional aquaculturists.  I always use that net when I fish for Carp from the Zodiac.  You can see a picture of it here; it has the white bag.  With the nylon mesh bag the net no longer folds as compactly as it does with the cotton string bag.  I love this net.  It is strong and durable.  It opens and closes easily.  I have weighed fish over 20 pounds in this net by simply putting the scale hook on the frame of the net.

This is me standing in the gravel by the Carp Lodge.  I'm wearing my new Patagonia Stealth Atom pack.  I'm also wearing a new Solkroken net.  You can't even see it.

The net is in a scabbard.  The scabbard has a belt loop at the top so it slides smoothly around the pack strap.

The net in the scabbard up close.

For wading I purchased another Solvkroken net and left the original soft cotton bag on it.  By itself the net is great.  On a 1 to 5, I would give it a 5.  I was already completely sold on the net.  For wading and stalking Carp now I have a way to carry the net easily and comfortably.   The scabbard was only $21.95 from Yellowstone Angler.  When the net is in the scabbard it doesn't catch on brush or weeds like it would if it was open all the time.  The scabbard is nylon mesh so it drains easily.  The net slips in and out quickly using just one hand.  This is the large or maxi size net.  It comes in a smaller size for Trout etc.  


I have only used this setup two days but know that it has now become a part of my standard Carp gear.  

A 16 pound 6 ounce fish that I netted with my new setup and weighed in the net.  

A smaller fish in the net

Catchin' Carp and Nettin' 'em Like a Gunslinger

In the video I only open and close the net.  The handle also telescopes farther out.  

Up next will be a post about my recent results with flies from Chris at Missouriflies.com

After that I am working on a post about estimating the size of Carp.  Stay tuned.

My Farting: An Outside Expert's Opinion

Very recently I made a blog post titled A Tale of Three Farts.  It was from a magazine article I published a few years ago. I said that the introduction may have been slightly exaggerated but all of the rest of the content was accurate and true.  The article speaks to how sensitive Carp are to noises.

This past Tuesday I had a colonoscopy.  At my age, 61,  this kind of screening is a good thing.  Preventive medicine you know.  I had my first one when I was 50.  Actually I was scheduled to have only a flexible sigmoidoscopy.  For a colonoscopy they insert the camera 4.5 feet.  Seriously.  For a flex sig I was told they only insert the camera about 1/3 of that distance.  I hate the anesthesia/sedative because it takes me a long time to wake up and  I am groggy all day so I elected to have the procedure without the sedative.  After the doc had reached the scheduled distance he asked me how I was doing.  I told him that this really wasn't fun at all.  He asked if he could go a little farther.  I told him, "Yes".  He asked me that several more times and eventually I had a colonoscopy without the sedative.  I decided that the next time I had this procedure I would have the sedative because like I said it just wasn't fun at all.  

To prepare for a colonoscopy you can't eat any solid food for about 36 hours.  You can eat Jello and clear liquid.  Oh, and one more thing.  You take a diuretic in the morning and another one in the afternoon.  Let me tell you, by the evening you have nothing left to give; I mean NOTHING.  I should mention that you get kind of dehydrated.  

I had another colonoscopy when I was 55 and my third one this week.  When they do the procedure they blow oxygen in your colon so they can see better.   They watch on a color monitor and give your pictures when you are finished.  Again, seriously.  I found myself thinking the first time that it was like Splash Mountain at Disneyland where they take your picture as you come down the last drop and then they offer it to you for $20 dollars or whatever it is.  At least with the colonoscopy they don't show you the pictures and then offer them to you for an extra charge.  Its' good to know the pictures are part of the package.  

After the procedure is finished they wheel you out into recovery.  You have to have someone drive you home.  Katy was waiting in recovery for me to wake up.  When you report for the procedure you are hungry and thirsty.  Remember I hadn't eaten for 36 hours and I had defecated (crapped) more than I thought was remotely possible even though this was my third time having the procedure.   

When you wake up the nurse has you roll over into the "farting position".  Again, I am serious.  Okay, I know that doesn't sound dignified to have the nurse say to you, "Okay, its time to get into the farting position."  But what is she going to say, "Its time to roll over so you can expel some rectal gas."  That would be ridiculous.  I suppose I could say, "Hey, you guys put oxygen in my colon and now I feel kind of bloated."  And then the nurse could say, "Yeah, so what...l blow it out your ass!"  Okay that wouldn't be good either.  So I think the middle ground is the best.  "It's time to roll over into the farting position" probably makes the most sense.  

What is the "farting position" you might be asking.  From experience I can tell you that they have you roll over on your left side.  You extend your left leg straight out and then pull your right knee up towards your chest.  I have to tell you it works.  I knew the routine so I got into farting position fairly quickly.  I was thirsty as heck and they won't give you water until you fart a few times.  

The nurse said, "Okay, good, you are in position.  Now go ahead and fart."  (You young readers will think I am making this up but I'm not.  You just wait.)  Then the nurse said, "I'll be right back; you go ahead and fart."  She went over to check on another patient.  Well I had two rounds chambered so I did what I was instructed to do.  And a damn fine job I did!  She came back and asked me if I had farted.  I said, "Yes, twice."  She said, "Was that you?"  I said, "Yes."  She said, "Can you do it again?"  I said, "Sure," and I proceeded to rip off three more particularly robust ones. She said, "Wow, you're good at this."  I looked at Katy and she just shook her head.  What was she going to say?  

I asked the nurse how many procedures they do in a day.  She said they usually do 10 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon.  Let's say the nurse only works one day a week.  That would be 20 per week and 80 per month.  Let's say she takes vacation.  That still means she rolls over 900 people into farting position per year.  And what if she does this a couple days a week?  Let's just stick with one day a week.  If she has just 5 or 6 years of experience she has heard somewhere in the vicinity of 5,000 people fart on command.  Let's say she has 10 or 15 years experience.  Dear God, how many people has she heard fart?  

I think it is safe to say that even conservatively that nurse has heard 5,000 different people fart on command; heck she may have heard 10 or 15 thousand.  I think that qualifies her as an farting expert of sorts.  And to think, she told me, "Wow, you're good at this."  It sort of makes me feel warm all over.  

Well, I think it is time to revise my commentary on my blog post, "A Tale of Three Farts."  The narrative is all true but I said the introduction was possibly slightly exaggerated.  Given the expert opinion rendered on my farting this past Tuesday I am now going to have to say now the whole darn thing is totally true.

I should add, no wonder the Carp swam away.   

Episode #3 is Coming Soon

I had hoped to have episode #3 of Lessons from the Carp Lodge published this week.  I didn't make it.  It is almost finished now.  I'm planning to finish it up, render it this weekend, and the post it to YouTube.  Episode #3 focuses on the transition from early season, close quarter fishing to some distance casting.  It shows some of the problems, well one anyway, that I have when I make the transition.  There is no pitching, plopping, or dropping in this episode.  It is only casting and stripping.  There is also some discussion of when to set the hook and video demonstrating it.  One segment has a Carp making a decided move to a real bug and then doing the exact same thing for the fake.  The Carp in this episode fall for the Chocolate Cherry.  Somewhere, I have a picture of a box of Chocolate Cherries; alas I am still looking for it.  I wanted to put it in the video. Episode #3 is  almost ready.

June 24, 2009--Time for Changes

I have changed careers. After 36 years in the classroom I have retired. Retired from teaching, not from working. I left education with a deep, profound, and enduring sense of gratitude for the privilege of having been a teacher. My heart was very conflicted but my mind was made up. I was ready to do new things in several parts of my life.

I wanted a different schedule. I wanted to be able to write in the mornings and work later in the day and on weekends. Working on weekends forces me to fish during the week; oh yeah! Besides writing in my fishing journal, writing short stories, and writing articles, I was ready to start blogging. I have been a licensed real estate agent since I as a college kid and I was ready to be a full time agent. I wanted new challenges; I like that this market is difficult.


I had been (pleasantly) caught off gaurd by how busy I had been with customers and clients. So busy I was concerned I may not get to go on this trip. I had been anticipating it for days, well more like weeks.


Instead of leaving early in the morning like usual, I left home well into the afternoon. I spent the night near the river, was up at 6:10, had a big breakfast, and was on the road. The sky was clear but the wind was blowing so dang hard, Max, my Carpwagon, was shakin' and rockin'.


On the river at 7:53, looking at white caps everywhere, I reminded myself that I would rather have wind than cloudy skies when Carping. I tried to act grateful that the sky was clear and ignore the hurricane. The wind was blowing so hard it was affecting my balance. I had to step more tentatively, even standing still, a good gust could knock me off balance. The wind and rough water made visibility fair at best and probably closer to poor. Three hours of wading and I didn't see a single tailing fish, just two fast cruisers escaping the thumps of me slipping around on the rocks.


When the first tailing fish appeared I was so surprised I didn't even need the wind to knock me over, I just about fell on my butt of my own accord. Lo and behold, he even took the fly. He would be the first of several and the smallest fish of the day. He is posing at the top of the post.


An hour passed before I saw another tailing fish. As the wind calmed a bit visibility improved and some fish moved in to the shallows. I didn't get a touch on the SJW. Three fell to the Chocolate Cherry Carp Woollie and the rest to my Carp Carrot. Three of them were in the 13-15# range.


Life is good.

A fat owl

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