The Carp Crusades - Paddling And Learning

Regardless if the catching, battling, or skirmishing with fish is good or bad, I never try to sugar-coat the catching part of the adventure.

Today, Charlie and I went on our maiden voyage in his canoe, (which I think of as the USS Carpio), and it turned out to be much more of a learning than catching event - much more!

We didn't catch a carp.

Sure, there were carp to catch, but as it was today, we were right on top of them before we knew it. Yes... we spooked a lot of carp today with the canoe, or perhaps the oars, or perhaps with me wildly wielding my saber.

We learned some things however. The main thing we took away from today's experience is the time of day we chose to fish. The sun was absolutely impossible, casting a constant glare on the water. When it wasn't affecting us that way, it was directly in our eyes.

We also learned where the carp are holding... their homes if you will, and as it is with the both of us, especially Charlie, we make good mental notes. We also noted that the sink rate of our flies is going to have to be significant. If these carp are not surprised or attracted by the sudden offering... they will refuse the offering altogether.



The trip itself was awesome! I thoroughly enjoy fishing with Charlie and fell in love with his canoe. Now... he may very well have a name for his canoe already - such as Gracie or Sophie or something... I didn't ask. Traveling the creek in a canoe with Charlie is a blast, and with me not being much of an oarsman the entire navigation system was left to Charlie. In having to do that chore I feel like Charlie probably was cheated on the fishing opportunities today.



We paddled upstream, then downstream, then back upstream, over to a slack water inlet, and then back downstream. We were all over the place... simply enjoying the time. However, with each passing minute we knew we were burning daylight, but we were waiting for that damn sun to sink below the tree line.




In the last hour on the water we found a significant sandbar we could actually wade. There's a lot of wade-able water on Guy Sandy, as far as being shallow, but unless you like to wade quicksand like mud, it's best to stay in the canoe.



On the sandbar we had our best opportunities to battle carp, but again we were losing light and it didn't take long to loose all possibility of seeing the carp.

We learned much today and have another trip planned - much earlier in the day, and somehow I figure we are going to battle carp that day.