Nets, Slings, and a Tape

In 2004 when I first started corresponding with Euro-style Carp fisherman a whole new perspective opened up to me. In 2005, after being told by a gentleman, John, from the U. K. that he was "...mistrustful of American Carp fisherman because of the way you treat the fish..." I was a little wide eyed. After exchanging numerous emails we talked on the phone several times. At that point John had fished for Carp for over 50 years. He had lived in England most of his life but was now living in eastern WA. John was pleasant but really had only passing willingness to talk with me on the phone until I answered several questions to his satisfaction. He asked how long I had fished, what kind of fish I liked to target, how long I had Carp fished, why I fly fished for Carp, what I did with fish after I got them to shore, if I weighed them, if I photographed them, how I weighed them, how I photographed them, and how I released them after "capture." (his word) John made me give him my word that I would always treat Carp with the utmost respect worthy of such a great game fish. I said, "You have my word." And he said, "You have my word, for what?" I answered, "You have my word I will always treat Carp with respect."

That first phone conversation lasted 45 minutes and it was the beginning of an education for me indeed. Truly, I felt that I handled fish carefully and treated all species with respect. After our second conversation John offered to send me some of his VHS videos and DVD's on Carp fishing. Carp fishing for John and his friends is with bait. John ended up sending me 10 different titles to watch. I was overwhelmed and thought I couldn't slog through them all and thought I would lose interest after just a few. I mean come on, it was bait fishing after all. It took me awhile; not only did I watch all 10 of them, I watched them all twice. The videos featured Mattie Hayes and Max Cottis primarily and were all set in U. K. The dry, English humor made me laugh but I was truly astounded with everything I saw. As I watched the videos I wrote down the vocabulary that was new to me along with a few comments. Here is a link to my notes from watching the videos. I read those notes a few mornings ago; I hadn't looked at them in years and they made me smile. There is so much to say that it warrants other blog posts.

It is important to me to point out that the reason I knew what a Carp weighing sling was, is because of seeing them in the videos John sent me. The ones in the video were more like cradles and they were hanging from expensive scales that were hanging from tripods. It was all very, very interesting to learn. Those slings were not at all suitable for the wading, Carp fly fisherman but seeing them got me started on tracking down a suitable alternative.

This blog post is about nets and slings so I will stay focused on that. Okay, just one diversion. A couple of the guys in the videos carried, "Carp care kits." The kits had antiseptic in them. They applied the antiseptic to the spot where the hook had been removed and on any sores on the Carp. I could hardly believe it. No wonder John thought Americans were primitive and disrespectful.

When I first talked with John my Carp fishing was about half from my Zodiac and half wading. I do more wading now.

My nets:

For decades I have had a laminated wood net that I use for Trout fishing. I still use it when I fish from my float tube or kickboat. I have attached a magnetic link and stretch cord to the net so if I drop it, well, when I drop it, it doesn't sink to the bottom of the lake. This is my oldest net and I really like it. It is not suitable for any of the Carp fishing I do.

The wood handled net:


Before I started Carp fishing I had a collapsible mesh net that I used for both Pink Salmon and Trout when I was fishing from my Zodiac. It was the net I used to net my first Carp. After just a couple more Carp trips I realized that net was just not sturdy enough to handle some of the Carp I was catching. When I fish from the Zodiac I still use this net at places like Banks Lake where pretty much all of the fish are under 10 pounds. This net is great for those situations..

Light Collapsible Net:



As a result of trying to net some larger Carp and struggling with it I ordered a new Solvkroken net that was much more stout. The handle and frame were great but the bag was not satisfactory. The holes in the net were too big which caused the dorsal rays of the Carp to get tangled in the material if the fish was large. I did some research and found a guy who makes nets for aqua-culturists. He agreed to make me a soft nylon mesh bag for my net to replace the cord bag that the net came with. Since then that net has been perfect for netting Carp when I am in my boat. The bag material is great and the net has performed well with fish just over 20 pounds. The fish can still be in the net, I can attach the scale to the frame, lift the net, and have a weight in just seconds.


The Solvkroken Net:




Just a couple years ago I purchased the Measure-Net for my Trout fishing. I replaced the mesh bag with a rubber bag and am very happy with this net. I am using it in my Zodiac and I carry it with me when I fish Monkey Forks Creek. I point this out because even if I do a lot of walking on Monkey Forks it is still not nearly as much walking as I do when I am Carp fishing. Also, you cannot get in the water at Monkey Forks; you have to fish from the bank. Monkey Forks is a spring fed creek with cut banks. When I am Carp fishing I am almost always in the water. Though I have done it at times, I don't often cast from shore when I am Carp fishing. That said, there is no where to set a net when I'm in the water stalking and casting to a tailing Carp.

If a person was fishing only from the bank and the fish were not too large this could be a good Carp net for smaller Carp.

The Measure-Net:





All of the nets together to give size perspective:





The Sling:

I have tried carrying a net a couple times when I am wading and fishing for Carp. I had it fastened to my hip pack. I found this to be very cumbersome and damn annoying. Lacking a net in which to weigh fish that I have caught when I am wading, I looked hard for an alternative. As a result of watching the videos John had sent me I was aware of weighing slings and looked for a "fly fishing version". There was no such thing anywhere. Again, because of John's videos I had become aware of other "kit" that the Carp bait fisherman use. One of the things they do is "sack" a fish. I looked at various sacks and finally ordered one from a shop in the UK. I knew it would be too big for a weigh sling but I also knew I could get it altered. The cleaner we use is also a tailor. He does alternations and he got a good laugh out of what I was using the sack for.

I have weighed fish over 20 pounds in this sling. It works for me as a fly fisherman who usually covers miles of water in a session. It fits in a zip lock bag and the bag fits in my pants pocket. Mr. Diep, the tailor, sewed cords on the sling to accommodate the scale. After a fish takes a ride in the sling I rinse it out before putting it back in the ziplock bag.

Okay, I have to confess that sometimes I don't bother putting the sling back in the plastic bag, I just stuff the sling in my pants pocket. That means that my pants smell fishy but once I'm catching fish I kinda don't care if I stink like Carp. I might even like it. Yeah I do. So what.

It was 28 degrees out when my wife took this picture in our family room. These are the clothes I wear most of the time when I am Carp fishing. The weighing sling is in my pocket in this picture.



My patient wife is holding the sling.



Here is the sling on the floor. There is a size 12 running shoe to give size perspective. It's my shoe. My joints no longer tolerate running very well. I walk briskly and sort of alternate walking with some shuffling. More accurately, there is a size 12 shuffling shoe next to the sling.



I hooked and played a beautiful 15-16# Mirror into the shallows this summer. It was such a wonderful fish. I was going to photograph him in the water and then send him home. I let the line go slack while I reached in my shirt pocket to get the camera. Just like that the fly just fell out and the Carp slowly swam away. I swore. It was a time when momentarily I wished I had a net. I still think about carrying one when I'm wading but I haven't found one that I feel is worth the hassle at this point. I did see a new one (new to me) online a few weeks ago that I might consider. Time will tell.

The tape:

Sometimes I just can't be bothered weighing fish even when they are large and I have the sling with me. I just measure them and call it good. I do this with several species actually. Here is the vinyl coated tape measure that is always in the pack I wear when I'm stalking Carp. In fact sometimes I can't be bothered measuring them or even taking a picture regardless of how big the fish is. I just say thanks and release them.

Tape measure:


Epilogue:

John and I continued our conversations over a period of a few years. He invited me to go Carp fishing with him. He was absolutely convinced that if I experienced Euro-style Carp fishing with him I would never go back to fly fishing for Carp. He said, "Why on earth would you use flies when bait is so much more effective?" I told him that I would fish with him and do what he did but he should know I would always be a fly fisherman. I was very respectful of him and his methods and anxious as heck to watch it all work. We scheduled a trip several summers ago. Three or four weeks before the trip John called to say that he had a brain tumor and was going to have to cancel the trip. He moved to California for treatment. He survived the treatment and took a new job there.

Carp Bait Fishing Vocabulary

An English gentleman who used bait to fish for Carp loaned me 10 videos in 2005. This is a copy of the notes I took while watching the videos featuring Matt Hayes and Max Cottis. They fish for Carp with bait in England. It was humorous at times but incredibly illuminating in terms of how serious these anglers are and the great effort they take to care for the fish they catch.

Swim: where you fish

An awkward swim: a difficult place to fish

Leading and plumbing: using the marker rod to figure out depths etc.

Topping up: fish rising

Shorted up: wearing shorts

Umbrella: tent

Winter skin: rain fly

Syndicate lake: pay lake, actually a membership lake

Day ticket lake: This is the pay lake

High double: over 15#

Margins: right up next to the bank

Deck: the bottom of the lake or the bank.

Kit: gear as in a “Piece of Kit”

Boilies: bait balls that come in a jillion flavors

Glugs: Flavors for the bait. (I wonder if Carp like chocolate?)

Pod: holds three rods parallel to the ground

Robust: sturdy

Marginal snags and weeds: stuff near the bank

Goalpost bank stick: I think this is two single rod holders set up next to each other.

Pop over: go to

Fishing at range: casting farther out

2 ¼ -2 ½ Test curve: rods that are 12 feet long. They cast 80-90 yards. Up to 3 ½ pound rod to get out to 130-140 yard class which is considered ultra long range.

Shock leader: heavier than the main line to absorb the hit of a carp suggested to be 18-22 feet

Rod rings: rod guides

Bivvies: tents

Brollies: umbrella or canopy, shelter from the weather

Bite alarm: an alarm is attached to each of the three rods on the pod and sends you a signal when you have a take. They fish during the night this way.

Braid blades: scissors that cut braided line

Take poundage of rod and add ½ to ¾ ounce and you get the optimum lead weight for casting.

Feature: structure or something out of the ordinary on the bottom like a gravel bar or plateau.

Max prefers four foot of drop from the tip ring to the weight

Compress the rod: load the rod

Bait runner: I think it is a reel

Drop back take: buglemouth takes and runs towards you baby

Fishing at range: means fishing at long range whereas fishing at short range means just that and margin fishing means fishing near the bank

Catapult: a very large sling shot. Hilarious to watch.

Throwing stick: Used to fling chum.

True stalking: looking for patrolling fish and lowering the hook bait in front of them.

Ambushing: prebaiting swims with hemp etc. then putting a hook bait in front of them.

Key to this is staying mobile 1 ¼# 12 foot model

Hookbaits and freebies. Hookbait is the one on the hook and freebies are the chum. They’re in the same cooler as his food. They’re more nuts than I am.

Super bit of kit: good gear

Hemp and pellets to prebait: chumming

Crystal waggler float is locked onto the line with lock shot. It appears to be split shot you can squeeze.

Unhooking mat: A padded mat to keep the fish off the ground while it is being unhooked and photographed.

Weighing sling: Check into this. I need to get something like this that I can carry easily.

Tripod: Set up to weigh fish. The scale is at the top of the tripod and the weighing sling hangs from the scale with the unhooking mat below the sling.

Specimen hunter: It’s the scale.

I strike: I set the hook

Mattie said, “If I had to catch a Carp, if my life depended on it, then boilies would be well down the list of bait.”

Uses Hinders Mega Hemp as his best prebaiting material, then uses trout pellets, then live maggots. These guys are crazy!

Red strawberry pescaviva sweet corn is a high choice for these guys.

Mattie “rates worms at the top of the tree for stalking bubbling and patrolling fish.” (Tailing and shopping fish)

Bag up: I think it means catch a lot. But then later I saw them bag fish for the night so they could take their pictures in the AM. I didn’t like that but at least they are in a soft mesh bag.

Bait band: a small rubber band

Crack off: break off a fish

More hectic sport: catching more fish

Floater cake: “a boalie on the surface” He made these in his oven. These guys are WAY into this.

A damn good shake: a damn good shake

Bang on: do well or done well as in “this floater cake is absolutely bang on.”

Knick the hook on the floater cake: barely hook it:

Absolutely spot on: damn good

Talking about particle colors etc. They said that carp can get used to a certain color and it’s good to change. I wonder if this means only in the pay lakes where the same fish see the same bait.

The margin rod went a bit quiet: the rod I’m fishing near the bank ain’t doin’ nothin’.

Distance rod: the one you cast way the heck out.

Mid rod: the one you cast between the distance rod and the margin rod.

This fish is a little chugger: nice and steady.

Blastin’ into the margins: a fish running towards you.

“Izzy Wizzy, let’s get busy, pull a few strokes on Mattie routine”: how the hell do I know what that means?! Mess with Mattie’s gear, talk some smack to Mattie, catch more fish than him, who knows…

The temptation to bully them too hard: puttin’ too much wood to them

A little bit dodgy: a bit difficult

A good stamp of fish: I guess above average size.

Dead easy to do: damn simple

A little bit of jiggery poker: Hmmm… does this mean shenanigans?

Boilie punch: cores a boilie to insert foam so the thing sinks slowly or maybe not even all the way. Yes, he just showed pop-up boilies—maybe they float. These guys are maniacs. I’m thinking they make fly fisherman look tame.

Check out snake skin and snake bite as leader material. He uses it as “hook link” Well, now he’s talking about “Caspar (as in the friendly ghost?) Soft Link”. Good grief, it’s flouracarbon.

Hook link: tippet

The Carp just comes along and hoovers up the whole damn lot: Eats everything.

Boyer Leisure owns Harefield Haulin’ A season permit lake established in 1810. (Darn near 200 years, wow…)

Plummin’: determining water depth for ground baiting.

Net handles detach from bag. They roll up the sides of the net to move the fish to the unhooking mat.

Capture: catch a fish

Session: a day of fishing. Or a night.

They walk in the mud barefoot in the lake. Ain’t happenin’ for this cowboy.

Some of the fish have been in the lake since the late 70’s and early 80’s. How old do they get?!

They say that the fish move down with the wind.

Barrow: a gear cart

Bait boat: sounds like a remote controlled boat to drop off chum.

A lump: A phattie

Specimen: I think this means a big fish too.

Untidy anglers: said with disgust he means shitheads who litter

Carp care kit: Holey Crimeny, they have antiseptics in this little bag to put on the Carp where it was hooked or if it has any sores on its body. That does it; these guys are crazier and more in to this than any trout fly fisherman. No wonder John thinks Americans have no respect for Carp. I had no idea…

Blanket: mucky, whispy looking algae, weeds,

Underwater they put their hands on a Common. Very fascinating.

When One Fish Makes a Perfect Day

With each step, crunching mud confirmed why my ears hurt so quickly. The cold meant I would have the creek to myself most of the day.

I always hope to catch a lot of fish when I go fishing. Doesn't everyone? I think I do; I'm actually not even sure anymore.

Seeing no rises I put on a Mayfly Emerger. Yes, I did. Because I wanted to. Not because there was any good reason. I like seeing the takes.

The creek was down and there was no wind; I could see fish holding. I could see them ignore my fly with studied indifference as it floated over them. Who knows, maybe it was disdain or contempt, either way they weren't about to take my small dry.

After five hours of floating that Mayfly over fish I finally changed to a Scud.







Thirty minutes later a Trout took my Scud; he just rapped it. What a great surprise. I had cast most of the line so saying he took me into the backing isn't as impressive as it is when the take is close in. He headed straight across the creek. I reeled him in near to me and he took off upstream. Getting into the backing the second time was much more impressive since he had to go through all of the line. Dang that was nice. Since there was virtually no wind I could hear the fish splash and the reel peel out line. Dang that was nice too. There was no one else on the creek so the splashes and the reel seemed louder.

It was in so many ways it was a perfect day. At the end of the day I could say, "I caught a fish! YES!" I felt so good about that. I realized I didn't need to say, "Well I only caught one fish today but there have been days when I caught this many or that many, or ones that were this big or that big or whatever." I didn't feel good in some sort of conceptual or philosophical way. I wasn't forcing myself to be satisfied with less than hoped for results. Even though I was fishing water that is often heavily fished I was there alone. It was all very solitary. That added tremendously to my enjoyment. I caught a fish and I felt very good. Period.

The fish was strong and healthy. After taking me into the backing twice and posing for a short video he swam away.



There was probably still two and half more hours of light. I could have kept fishing but I didn't. I felt that if I caught another fish it would actually dilute my experience. All that it took was one strong fish to take my fly, run into the backing a couple times, jump, slosh, splash and then come to the net, and I was happy. I probably shouldn't say all that it took was just one fish for me to be happy. It took one fish for me to be happy and that's a lot.

A Carp Sized Trout

One of the good things about the Carp moving out of the shallows this time of year is that it reminds me that I do enjoy fishing for other fish. Monkey Forks is close to the Carp Lodge so Rich and I headed up there to see if any fish would be kind enough to slurp our flies.

Monkey Forks is one of the few spring creeks here in Washington. Mostly we have freestone rivers. The water in Monkey Forks stays much the same temperature the whole year. It is just a very different venue than we are used to in most of our moving water. It is different in many ways. The water moves slowly and the bottom is weedy and muddy. The regulations prohibit you from getting in the creek for any reason. That means you cast from the edges and need to carry a net. The fish that live, work, and play in Monkey Forks look down for their food AND they look up. That means they will take a dry fly. Well now, as the take is the premier moment, dry fly takes make my face smile.

Oh, and one other thing that makes Monkey Forks different is that there are some whoppers in that creek. Six and one half pounds is the biggest one I released last year.

Here is a picture of Rich playing a fish that was 18 inches.



This fish took my #14 May Fly



I weighed him in the net and he was 7 pounds 3 ounces.



I think I will be returning.

The Premier Moment

My earliest efforts at keeping a fishing journal basically included the date, where I fished, what I used, and how many fish I caught. I often didn’t use complete sentences. Just notes. Simple and to the point. In the second year I started including weather conditions, water temperature and a few other details. I exercised brevity and saw no need to do otherwise. I did, however, advance to complete sentences and paragraphs.

In the mid 70’s, when I got so I was catching fish on the fly with consistency, I began including a good deal more information and commentary in my journal. It got so easily half of what I was writing was not directly attributable to how many fish I caught that day or what I used.

My journal increasingly had commentary about packing, traveling, taking pictures, variations on the flies I tied, the rods I built, other gear, etc. In the course of writing more and more about my adventures I eventually started posing questions; some of them were profound questions of the universe. At times I answered the questions I posed in the same journal entry and sometimes I just posed the question. Occasionally an answer evolved over a period of many journal entries or even over a period of years.

I wondered age-old questions like what is the meaning of life, what is my purpose here on earth and where will I go after I die… Reviewing notebooks full of decades of my musings does not shed the smallest amount of light on any of these important questions. As important as these profound questions are, alas, I must confess I never really got to any of them.

I care about those questions and know I really ought to spend some time thinking about them but I never answered them because I never had time. I never had time because there were other equally profound questions of the universe to which I gave my most willing and enthusiastic attention. Questions like: if my life depended on catching fish what 6 flies would I want to have, what was the best way to photograph a fish before release, how long should I fish a particular pattern without a take before changing flies, how far will I drive for a “one day” trip, what material is best for gluing to the sole of waders to keep me from slipping on my posterior, how much gear is too darn much, how long after sunset can I still be wading and not drown, could I really fish every day and not work and not get bored… Ah yes, now these were the kind of questions to which I happily devoted many hours of journal time and fishing time.


The question:

A question to which I gave considerable thought and one about which I actually wrote often was, “What is the most enjoyable aspect of fishing?” I broke down the whole experience into pieces or steps. I pictured a fishing trip in a way starting in the winter when I was tying flies, building rods and daydreaming. One year I tied close to 1,800 flies. On some of those cold winter evenings I started wondering if I still enjoyed fishing as much as I did fly tying. Perish the thought, but I was enjoying the fly tying so much I did at least ask the question of myself.

Anticipation:

In my fly tying room I planned the coming year’s trips. I poured over maps and wrote out lists of places to go. I cleaned and maintained my gear and lusted for new gear. I made and revised lists. I tied flies and I built rods. I tied more flies. I learned and practiced new knots. I read and reread my old journal entries and they would transport me to actually being on the water. The lines between remembering fishing trips and anticipating them would blur. When I was planning and preparing for trips I was in heaven, or maybe I was in La La land, I don’t know which, but either way I often felt that the anticipation was the best part of fishing. Oh, those first weekend trips of spring; I packed all week whether I needed to or not. Sometimes I unpacked a bag, knowing full well everything was there, and then packed it again.

Other considerations:

Late Friday afternoon or early Saturday morning I would head to the central or eastern part of the state where the fish were bigger, more plentiful, and hopefully more willing to eagerly snatch up my humble offerings. As tired as I might have been at the end of the week, I always found renewed energy and vigor when it was time to go on a fishing trip.

I traveled alone sometimes; on the first trip of the summer I actually craved the solitude. There was one trip back in the 70’s where I parked my car next to a lake, pitched my tent and proceeded to fish from sunup to sundown for three days. Even though this was not a backpacking trip I never saw another person for those three days and never spoke a word out loud the whole time. When I needed it, the solitude seemed like the best part of fishing.

Much of the time I traveled with friends of mine. The conversation while traveling, the good natured chiding while fishing, reliving the days adventure at dinner (usually eaten after dark) and, on occasion, actually talking about a few of the true profound questions of the universe, all added a special dimension or flavor to the experience. At times the camaraderie became more important than the fishing.

I took hundreds and hundreds of pictures each year. The pictures became an important part of the blur that existed between remembering and anticipating. Sometimes I felt the most enjoyable part of fishing was looking at a particularly satisfying picture that documented memorable catches or special places.

Did I go fishing to fish or to catch fish? In the early years I only went fishing to catch fish; I counted religiously. Certainly there were times when I thought the best part of fishing was the trips when I got over 50 fish in a day. As I brought a few more fish to hand over the years I often wondered if the best parts of fishing weren’t actually catching fish. I dug the gadgets. I loved the smooth rhythm of casting. I loved the challenge of fly fishing. (I still love all these things.) At least in passing I wondered at times if the gear, the gadgets, the casting, and the challenge were the best parts. I wondered whether the best part of fishing might be the solitude, the camaraderie, the pictures and memories, the fly tying, the planning, or the anticipation.


The Premier Moment:

After considerable thought, I wrote in my fishing journal way back in the early 80's that "the take is the premier moment." I compared it to many other parts of the overall fishing experience and decided it was the best. I wrote that anticipation (for all parts of the experience) was second.

I had fly fished for decades before I discovered the World’s Greatest Sportfish. There are so many aspects of fly fishing for Carp that are enjoyable but stalking feeding fish in the shallows is the best. Casting or stripping the fly on to the Carp's "diner plate" and detecting the take visually is so engaging. Planning, memories and anticipation, fly tying, casting, and the overall challenge converge in that split second when a tailing Carp decides ever so casually that my fly looks good enough to eat. The take is the premier moment and that premier moment is only enhanced by a willing Carp.

I submit that in all of life, "the take is the premier moment." In the rest of life I so much DO NOT mean "the take" in terms of tricking someone like we trick fish with our offerings. I mean when your intentions are honorable and a girl who has caught your eye says she'll go out with you. I mean when you apply for a job and you get it. I mean when your young son or daughter beams when you walk in the door and says, "Hi Daddy” or “Hi Mommy". I mean when you deliver a speech and the response of the audience exceeds your expectations. I mean in the classroom when a student's eyes are a little brighter or his/her back is a little straighter because he/she has grown in skills and confidence. I mean when that pretty girl says “yes” when you ask her to marry you. I mean when your teenage son or daughter has an identity of his or her own and you marvel at who she has become. I mean when you plan a project that has never been done and you have to elicit cooperation and support from a wide range of stakeholders and the darn thing works. I mean when you take a chance on yourself, yes yourself, and you are successful. That’s the take. When you risk loving someone, that's the take. When you risk letting someone love you, that's the take. When you risk loving yourself; that's the take, oh baby that's the take. Taking a chance on yourself is like casting a fly to a feeding Carp; sometimes the take can be so subtle. In fishing (particularly Carp fishing), and in all of life, the take is the premier moment.

I wrote this article for the North American Carp Angler magazine some years ago. This article is copyrighted and all rights are reserved.

Epilogue:

When I asked Katy to marry me 34 years ago she said, "Yes," without even telling me she needed time to think about it. That's the take. When I kiss her she kisses back. Still. That's the take. When she kisses me I kiss back. That's the take. Oh, baby, that's the take!

End(s) of the Season

Would I really want to Carp fish all year? As the season winds down I want to fish, "just one more day..." There are other fish to chase of course and they are fun. Carp are special. Probably they are more special because they aren't available to me all year. I don't want the season to end but its good that it does. I am not resigning myself to it "being good for me" in some sort of stoic way; it is genuinely good that the season ends. I don't want it to end and I'm grateful that it does. Not being able to fish for Carp some of the year heightens the anticipation; it makes me savor the days on the river even more. It helps remind me how important it is to work at having a gratitude attitude. That's not just some fortune cookie crap; having a gratitude attitude is something I work on every day. Often I think saying, "Thank you," is the most profound form of prayer. I'm better at it some days than others.

During the last week of September my work plans changed so I was able to get away to attempt some Carp fishing. I fished stillwater the first day and had a surprisingly enjoyable time. The next day I headed to the river; I just had to see if there would still be some fish in the shallows.

I had to do a fair amount of wading before I saw a tailing fish. Move into place...one very good cast...the fly was stripped to his dinner plate...he turned... and moved away. Keep walking...

For the second fish I really didn't think my cast was all that good; the Carrot landed (I thought) too close to the plate. I got lucky. The Carp didn't mind the fly hitting the water. He picked it up just like it was real food. Dang I like that! With almost no wind the slosh the fish made on the hook set was visible and audible. Heading for deep water he got a good ways into the backing. I really tried to savor that fish thinking it might be the only one I would catch that day and probably the last one of the season. I was very grateful.






They came in spurts. I went more than an hour without seeing a single fish. Then I got four in just over an hour.










At the end of the day, with eight to hand and a couple lost in the weeds I was extremely grateful. Grateful for the mild weather, grateful for just the chance to cast to feeding fish, grateful for the takes, grateful for the golden grass, grateful for sunrise and sunset, grateful for friends and family, grateful for so many blessings. It seemed a perfect ending to the Carp season.

Almost.

I just had to try one more time. If catching fish is the measure of whether or not I should have gone again then I should not have gone. But I still should have gone. I went with my friend, Rich, and we walked the river last Thursday for a few hours. In all that time we saw just one fish swimming near the bank. Was he lost? Did he not know the season was over? What was he doing? A single cast was all he allowed me and he swam away. It was as if he was looking up out of the river at me and thinking, "Is he lost? Does he not know the season is over? What is he doing?"

To the Carp's queries I say, "I am not lost. I am very 'found' when I'm on the river. Yes, I know the season is over. I am fishing. I am grateful."

Looking west from The Carp Lodge with the sunrise behind me.



Sunset at The Carp Lodge

Scientific Analysis of Carp Fishing with a Fly

Both the left side and the right side of my brain work just fine; I think pretty well actually. (Especially for a guy) The information provided in this post is seriously analytical and like really, really left brained. Having fly fished since 1971 and having worked at accumulating bucket loads of carefully researched and well documented data I provide for you a detailed summary of my personal research. Click the image for a better view