Carp Redux 2011 - Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Carp

Some countries that border the Mediterranean Sea are in turmoil currently in the pursuit of fairness and freedom.  The revolution seems to be growing by the day as the people of these nations look for relief from tyranny and insane rulers. 

This great country of ours had it's own revolution at one time and that led to the freedoms we enjoy today.  Jefferson drafted most eloquently the words life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Today on the creek I felt better than I have in some time and therefore I celebrate life.  Today on the creek I enjoyed a privilege known as fishing and therefore I celebrate that liberty.  And today on the creek... I chased carp and thus I celebrate the pursuit of this wonderful creature that brings me so much happiness. 

Good boy, good boy.

Charlie brought some new dry creations this morning that look remarkably like fallen blossoms.  At the creek I tie one on and give it a toss.  On that first toss a perch comes up and grabs it.  After releasing that little thief, I make the second cast with this tantalizing morsel and five or six more perch swarm it.  So... I give up on trying to attract the few sipping carp that are present.

Leaving this particular pasture, the pasture known as the Beach is the next stop.  My goodness is the moss ever a problem here - large islands of moss floating down the creek.  But, there are carp.  I quickly tied on a Crazy Charlie pattern.  It was one of a batch I tied last night for my friend Charlie.  Now... no association between the crazy part of Crazy Charlie and Charlie... even though he does seem crazy sometimes when it comes to fly fishing for carp. 

The fly seems a bit heavy for shallow water and the plop seems to un-nerve the carp.  Patience shows me a carp feeding on the surface in water I know is as much as three feet deep, so I deliver the Crazy Charlie just upstream from him and watch him follow it down.  The leader or tippet never move, but I slowly raise the rod tip and feel the pressure.  Hook-set!  That's the fellow in the picture above.

I decide to go to the bunkhouse, but once I get there Miss Carol tells me of her desire to go play bingo... so hey... I'm go back to the creek.

At the pasture known as Honey Hole I patiently wait twenty minutes or more waiting on sipping carp.  The cloopers are far and few however, so I go downstream.  Once again, the Crazy Charlie goes on.  I see four or five feeding carp in the shallows and even though I'm crouching they seem to sense my presence and leave... with the exception of one.

As it is with fly fishing for carp.. it's sometimes, or oftentimes, smart to target a single carp and as the Crazy Charlie sank in the water column above this lone carp he went straight to it.  He put up a really good battle for not being all that big of a beast.

It was a good day.  Life, liberty, and the pursuit of carp.

Crazy Charlie patterns.  I kept one to use today.

Carp number two of the day on his way in.

Favored the Crazy Charlie.