Air Temp: mid 80s
Weather Conditions: Mostly Sunny, scattered clouds
Wind: Gusty, from the north
Clarity: Aprox 3 ft
Approx CFS: 47
Rig(s): Orvis Helios 905-4 Mid Flex, Hardy Demon 5000, Sci Anglers Mastery Textured GPX taper, Orvis Clearwater 704-4 Mid Flex, Orvis Battenkill III, Rio Grand 4wt WFF
Leader: Mono combo with a 2x Fluoro tippet. Approx 7 feet
Flies Used: Barry's Carp Fly (Olive, brown), Carp Bomb, Barry's Carp Bitter (Olive and Tan)
Hot Flies: Barry's Carp Bitter Tan, Barry's Carp Bitter Olive
So, we had a damn good day today. 5 species caught, with a sixth hooked and broken off. Taking into account last outing (one week ago, very short) thats 7 species in the same stretch.
We started in the normal put in spot, seeing nothing but suckers in the first leg of the stretch. Julie laid out a nice cast with the Helios and a tan Carp Bitter into some rocks and came out with a nice white bass that she had been watching terrorize minnows swimming in the pile. 10 minutes in, and we got rid of the skunk. This was her first river caught fly rod fish, and it was a beaut.
She looks legit. Designer shades might be a bit suspect, but a girl's gotta look good
These are just damn pretty fish. It took us a solid ten minutes to shake off the pump from Julie landing this guy.
We moved from there to the second leg of the stretch, which is my favorite carp flat (well used to be. I found a new one. We'll get to that).
There were a couple of carp milling about, not really looking too happy. We made some casts to them, not getting any looks. We did notice the big suckers were going absolutely ape shit on nymphs popping out of the current seem. We decided to rest that flat a bit and push north into new water we have not fished before.
We got above the falls, and Julie told me she saw a spot she wanted to take a crack at. She got in great position in the shadows above the pool, laid a few casts in and came out with a nice rock bass
Eyes so red, he looks like he's been hitting the wacky tobacky
At this point, I am wearing the skunk scent pretty hard. This does not even take into account the Bluegill she took off my carp flat. So I am three down, and I leave her to fish the hole she picked. Don't get me wrong, damn proud of her for sighting, and stalking a killer hole perfectly, but still...getting my ass kicked.
I pushed further north, and found what I could only describe as a smallmouth mansion. If you could build habitat for Smallies it would be this spot. A nice rock shelf with some oxygenated water, a big deep pool. Needless to say, I was excited.
I picked a couple prime ambush points, and finally, got on the board with a fun little smallie on the 4 wt
Barry's Carp Bitter comes through in the clutch
After that fish, relieved to get the skunk out, I laid another cast parallel to the rock face and connected again.
This little guy gave some nice jumps
I'm on a roll, this is a great hole, I got the right fly. I'm dialed in. Then This pops up on my phone
This is why you keep your phone on you while fishing
Let's be clear here, I'm overweight, I smoke, I love pizza and beer, and generally don't like green food. I work in a fucking office all day. Theres only a couple things I can think of that will make me run. Being chased by a mass murderer, a tornado, godzilla, a 70% off sale on all Bell's Brewery beer...and texts like this.
I met her down there,and she was not bullshitting, moving between a couple deep pools was a pack of pretty content fat ass carp, they didn't look happy, but they looked fishable.
I dropped the pack and net, moved to some lower rocks, and crouched to make good stealthy presentations.
A few casts in, basically dead drifting with slow twitches, my fly gets thumped. I set with the little four weight and nothing happens. Shit. Im hung up. I stood up and started to move to a place where I could free my fly...and then the line starts swimming.
FINALLY! CARP! I'm pumped up at this point, rod high, just maintaining tension as the fish booked it into the current downstream. Once I finally turned him, I realized something. Those aren't carp fins. Then it hit me. I just stuck a catfish for the first time in the 15+ years I have been throwing flies.
Just a little background. I have been after cats for a while, but never had any luck. Just two days ago planning today's trip, I told Julie "we got to go somewhere with lots of cats sometime. I need to get one on the fly".
Well now was the time. Thats when "the shakes" hit. The point when your brain realizes something pretty fucking awesome is happening.
Of course I am standing out on a rock with no net, so I tell Julie to get the camera and get ready. I finally tamed this bastard and got him in hand, and then SNAP, a big cloud of mud under the water, and I am left holding a fly-less 1x leader in one hand and nothing but disappointment in the other. Shit. The one time I actually connect on a fish I have been after, I can't even get a picture with it.
Julie tried to help out. "I fuckin saw it, you touched it, that counts. You got a witness". I felt a little better, and turned my attention back to the carp in the pool. A few casts later, I got a consolation prize
Not a carp, but this fish hit that fly like it owed him money
I told Julie about Smallieville just north, and we spooled up and headed out.
The whole way I couldn't help but mutter, "wish I had the fuckin net". Julie just reassured me that it was still pretty damn cool, and began casting into the next hole. A few minutes later, she came out with a nice whitey
Now she's getting cocky, rocking the Buff like a fuckin pirate and throwing up fish counts
Then we found it. Carp city: Population, too damn many to count. They were literally everywhere. I felt like how I imagined a pilot feels when outnumbered in a dog fight. The fucking bastards were two feet in front of us.
The only problem was that they were primarily cruising. I managed to feed two carp, but got a bit trigger happy on the hook set and pulled it away before they had a good chomp on it. There might not bee a worse feeling than feeling tension, seeing the tip of your line go taught on a slow strip, making the hit, and then just seeing your line in coils 10 feet in front of you.
I managed to tag a smallie, and have another one throw the hook before moving on.
Wading up to the next spot, I saw a fantastic hole. Bugs on the surface, deep enough to lose sight of bottom, right off oxygenated water.
I got to the bottom of the pool and positioned myself behind a rock to be more stealthy and started making casts.
A few strips, and hooked into another Whitey. Not content that there was only that little bastard in the hole, I kept at it.
About five minutes later, I felt a thump. I set, even though I was pretty sure it was a rock, but I was wrong. A catfish came rocketing out of the water...and this time, I had the fuckin net
Redemption
Death grip. This little bastard wasn't leaving until I said so.
The fish gods had mercy on me, and I got the cat. I fought off the shakes for a bit, and we headed back to the car.
On the way back, I told Julie "I'm going to take another crack at that pool from before".
I got into position, crouched, flipped the fly out in front of a happy carp. Strip....striiiiip....strip.....tail goes up, head goes down...line comes tight strip set CARP ON! He comes straight up, jumps, and SNAP. Gone faster than you could blink. That catfish had beat my leader to hell with his gator rolls.
The fish gods are sadistic motherfuckers.
No comments:
Post a Comment