It has been a strange week so far. Tuesday and Wednesday it was almost constant rain, which I should say we are quite thankful for. Rain however, in the amounts we received, does tend to blur the river Blue and shuts down fishing for sometime.
Today, it is in the mid 60's here on the prairie ocean and tomorrow is predicted to be even warmer.
The problem I'm having is that this time of year; at the window of an early spring; when the weather is so sublime; I, along with Charlie tend to start fixating on carp and trout season kind of takes a backseat.
It's a shameful thing actually. Trout are the pretty fish that bring us a tremendous amount of joy and pleasure and because of their existence in Blue River we experience spectacular sunrises and peaceful sunsets.
Carp though, have become our calling of sorts and after last year's slap-in-the-face by nature we are more excited than ever about this coming carp season.
On the local creek here there is cane. I guess that Charlie sometimes gets into a hunter-gatherer mode and one thing he looks for is this cane. He takes the cane and crafts wonderful gifts.
Today at the mercantile store, Charlie surprised me with two wonderful cane gifts - one being a walking/wading stick and the other being a fine cane flute.
I guess some will look at this as just another hand-crafted flute, but I have a different feel for this creation.
With me, since history was always one of my favorite subjects, I think there is a tendency to imagine and live in other times - times much more romantic than the time I have lived and currently exist. So, when I look at this flute I see a magical call - a campaign bugle that will sound to the grand and golden ones.
As you can see, Sir Charlie embellished the flute with the Carpolo Charlie fly and that serves as the standard to my belief that this is a carp flute.
Come around March, I will take this magical instrument to the fringes of the creek. There a few melodic notes will be played and those notes lingering and hovering in the air will be an attraction that the carp will not be able to resist.
Much like we can read in the Odyssey, this flute will serve like the Sirens that led many a sea-faring man to a fate they could not stop. The carp, just like the sailors of Odysseus, will not be able to resist the lovely, luring, voices - in this case the voices the carp flute will send forward.
The carp will follow the attraction of the melodic notes to the point they originated and it is there that the carp by fly fisher will stand with his offerings of marabou, chenille, rubber legs and flash.
Dazed and confused the carp will flare their gills and suck the offering where the lance will find their upper lip and the battle will begin.
Very artistic, I'm impressed. But nothing carpers can do is too out of reason. May it cast it's spell as you dream.
ReplyDeleteGregg
Gregg, Charlie wanted me to ask you something. When your fishing indicators for the carp do you concentrate on the bubbles. In other words is that where you aim your casts?
ReplyDeleteHello Barry,
ReplyDeleteIf the only visible indication of the fish are bubbles I do. Sometimes they will sit there and root for over a minute and I aim the cast right on them. Sometimes there are more than one, up to dozens, THAT is exciting! The toughest part is knowing the depth, and if in a current, that and the sink rate of the fly. If the bubbles stop and reappear you know his direction and can lead him. I have one small creek that I find this, unlike you, but it works here as well as stillwaters. And, sometimes the carp are in clear water and suspended. A cast with an indicator/fly at their level also works, as the fly won't sink past that level. I can lead a group moving and they simply come upon the fly with out the commotion of the cast. Or, visible fish with a breeze's chop or terrible glare. If the bubbles are very fast movers and the water is brown I use an indicator and a hook up fly and simply strip it through these aggressive fish, the float helps you from fouling the bottom too much. The takes are sudden and the indicator doesn't move as the fish attacks the fly. This was more than you asked for, but we use these things so much I though I'd add more. I use floats from Cormel Tackle Co. in Texas, they land light and are very visible. I'll find the exact info for you, though I know you have your own favorites.
Gregg