Issue #7 of CarpPro Magazine

Here it is, Issue # 7 of CarpPro Magazine.  Check it out; you'll be glad you did.  Dang, there's some cool carp flies in there!  



THE carp fly swap

I have participated in some fly swaps through the years for both trout flies and carp flies.  I organized a couple swaps myself. 

In May of 2004 I put my first carp in the net.  My (fishing) life would never be the same.  I purchased “Carp on the Fly” by Reynolds, Befus, and Berryman, shortly after that and read it twice.  They recommended carp flies in the book and I dutifully tied them.  I also experimented with my own flies.  A LOT!  Within a couple seasons I was getting a good sense of what worked and what didn't work here in Washington and Oregon. 

The point of this post is very positive, as such, I reference a couple other swaps only to make a positive point.  The first two carp fly swaps I was in had quite a variety of flies.  I felt at the time, and really realized even more as time passed, that most of the flies in the swaps had never been in a carp’s mouth and many of them had never even been in the water.  I was very open to the possibility that different flies worked in different water.  Through email exchanges we all realized that most of the tiers had fished for carp a few times or were hoping to start carp fishing in the coming season.  Hence, their carp flies were not field tested.  As a result I have stayed away from carp fly swaps preferring to exchange ideas, information, and patterns with people who actively fish for carp. 

I am so pleased that I participated in this year’s carp fly swap!  I look at the flies in the box and I read the posts that Dan and Trevor have made and I realize that this is not just A carp fly swap it is THE carp fly swap.   Man, fly fishing for carp and carp flies have come a long way!  Wow! 

Many years ago when I sent out the carp flies from a swap I organized I remember thinking I wouldn't fish with the flies because they weren't flies I wanted to use.  Now I’m kind of thinking I won’t fish with the flies from this year’s swap because they are flies I don’t want to lose.  I know I’m safe though fishing and losing these flies because Trevor and Dan have posted such good instructions and pictures. 

Dan and Trevor, thanks so much for your work on this; it was simply great.  Thanks Scientific Anglers, Orvis, and CarpPro for the extras and thanks to all the tiers for your cool carp flies.

Dreaming of Warm Summer Days--Video

When I started this video it was 22 degrees at the Carp Lodge.  It was stark and beautiful.  When it is cold like that I tie flies and dream of warm summer days fishing for carp on my river.

There are five takes in this short video.  Watch it in HD and on a full screen so you can see the fish.  The first fish isn't visible until I set the hook but the others are.  You will see three of them turn to the fly; it's very cool!

These Guy's Video is Very Impressive

Dang this is good!

Flats of the High Desert from GreenDrakeOutdoors on Vimeo.

Three New Carp on the Fly Videos

Katy and I were at the Carp Lodge for a few days last week.  It was 22 degrees; everything was covered in hoarfrost.  It was stark and beautiful.  

I'm working on three new videos.  The first one is "Dreaming of Warm Summer Days".  It will be finished this week.  It is only 2 1/2 minutes long.  It has five takes in it and a cool special effect.  I have had fun putting it together.  

The second one is "The Future is Now".  I have a long way to go on this one.  I have selected a couple video clips from my accumulated library.  It will have a futuristic special effect in it but I have to get better at using the effect before I can finish this one and I need to select more video.

I have selected 15 video segments from my library for "Lessons from the Carp Lodge--Episode #5".  I'm excited about this one as I have been working on it off and on for months.  "Episode #4" was just published about a month ago so that makes it sound like I was working on "Episode #5" before "Episode #4".  I was working on them at the same time.  "Episode #5--Casting and Fishing with Confidence" will have a lot fishing video in it.  I will write an article for CarpPro magazine in conjunction with producing this video.  

Stay tuned...

Lots of Good Information and Some Cool Pictures

Check out Issue #6 of CarpPro Magazine.  Good information supplemented by cool pictures sure makes for a fun read.  Enjoy!

Lessons from the Carp Lodge: Episode #4--Dragging and Dropping the Fly

At the center of this episode is a demonstration of how to use the drag and drop technique.  It is fun, exciting, and kind of sexy to make a long cast to a tailing carp and see him take the fly.  There are times however, when the water, the sky, or both are cloudy.  And when they are I can't see fish until I am very close to them so I end up dropping the fly in front of them.  It is always fun to catch carp but dropping the fly isn't as glamorous as making long casts.

There are times when the fish is too close to make a cast where I shoot line but too far away to just drop the fly.  In those circumstances I plop the fly out past the fish.  A plop is a short cast or lob where I don't shoot any line.  The fly hits the water first and it makes a plopping sound.  The plop sets up the drag and drop.  After the plop I drag the fly across the water and then drop it either on the carp's dinner plate or in it's path.  It is an extremely effective technique.  There are a good many fish that I would not have caught were it not for the drag and drop technique.  Mastering this technique will increase your hook-ups.

Episode #4 begins with some narration and video showing the joys and frustrations of fly fishing for carp and then finishes with a feeding fish responding to a Chocolate Cherry that has been dragged and dropped in his path.  The fish, the plop, the drag and drop, and the take are all very clear in this video.