Wind Blown Expedition

The wind just about blew me off Rock Creek today.  The gusts had to be somewhere in the range of thirty miles an hour and the steady riffle on the creek at times were more like white-caps. 

I spent an hour and ten minutes on the creek today, and the first hour didn't catch a thing.  But, in the last ten minutes the action heated up.

Upon arriving at the creek, I immediately went into a stalking mode.  I've learned much about stalking carp, but two things in particular seem to stand out.  One thing is that it's quite easy, when stalking carp in water that is twenty to twenty-five feet wide, to fixate on the open water or far deeper water.  However, it's always best to check the inland, near, or shallow water by the island, sandbar, or bank.  Oftentimes, when we don't check this water first, we end up spooking a carp that we never noticed.  This is particularly important this time of year with the creek being the color it is.  These carp blend in so very well with the bottom of the creek they are quite easy to miss.

The second thing when stalking carp is to slow down, and then slow down some more.  I think this has been the most difficult thing for me just because I tend to be a hyper-active individual.  So, to counter my excited self, I make myself walk backwards when stalking carp.  It doesn't matter if I'm walking upstream or downstream, I walk backwards.

My entire stalking adventure was a big disappointment.  The strong winds of today created blankets of leaves on the creek.  I started out with the Prizefighter trying to place it in the clear water between the tears of the leaves blanket.  I was getting no interest with the Prizefighter so I switch to a brown and orange Backstabber.  Same drill - place the fly in the tears.  No interest from this fly. 

Giving up on the stalk I go back downstream and decide to fish blind.  I change patterns to a black and olive Backstabber and put it on what I thought was a shadow of a carp.  The fly hit the surface and I waited.  Shortly, I thought there was some movement in the tippet, but with the strong wind I wasn't sure.  Then I actually felt a bump and the line started to move so I set the hook.  A nice twenty-five incher came to hand, but unfortunately I waited too long to set and he swallowed the fly way down deep, so I cut the tippet in hopes this creature will live.

Now I am left with an olive and black Carpola Charlie and again I put it on what looks like the shadow of a carp.  This second carp actually picked the fly up and ran with it.  These two carp came to hand in less than ten minutes after that hour of disappointment.

Carp number 125 on Backstabber

 

Carp number 126 on Carpola Charlie.

I gave thanks and left the creek.

Carp Crazy

The smallmouth of yesterday damaged the thread wraps on my last remaining Backstabber.  So, I went straight to the vise after work and created another one in the rust orange and black color scheme.  Now, Zimmerman, the man who created the Backstabber always ties his with a feather collar.  Zimmerman uses a hen feather, but since I'm out of said feathers I've been using a large partridge.  Actually, a lot of the Backstabber's I tie I don't even put on a collar and they seem to work just as well.  It's my belief that the success of this fly is in the simplicity and the marabou action.

I fished a newer stretch of water that neither Charlie or me ever named.  It's a fairly hard stretch to fish because of the position of the sun and the narrowness of the creek in several places along the stretch.  If you land a carp in one of these narrow stretches, then you need to get him to the beach or sandbar quickly.  There are a lot of downed trees here. 

The Backstabber took three more carp today and I'm thinking it's time to give it a rest.  Charlie has been concentrating on his newest find that he wants us to fish dry flies only.  As a matter of fact he named this stretch of water "Dry Gulch", so dry flies only it will be.

Think over the next several days I'll stay on the vise trying to create some dries the carp will be interested in. 

Here's today's pictures.

Been noticing a lot of younger carp lately.

Fall Foraging

My first thought today, after leaving work, was to take care of some of the stuff on the bunkhouse to-do list, which seems to be growing exponentially.  But... my second thought was that since the list has, and continues, to grow... it shouldn't hurt to wait one more day, and I could make a trip to the creek.

The time spent on the creek today was almost exactly an hour.  The fishing was most rewarding... one of those awesome experiences that come quite rarely.  I used one pattern the entire hour I was on the water.  The burnt orange and black Backstabber was the warrior that sought the echelons of fish today and he performed brilliantly.

In the short hour I was there, I come to meet three more carp - one Common and two engaging Mirror carp. The Backstabber was not selective today, also finding a smallmouth and a young Drum.  There was a mild cold front that came through today and I wondered how, or if, this would have an effect on the fishing.  From the observations made, here of late, the bass species seem to be foraging for the cold weather season that waits to arrive.

The leaves are really starting to let go now and many of the trees are starting to flame in colors that range from burnt orange to scarlet and dull brown to golden.  Nature is quite pretty in her harvest bouquet of colors.

Here are today's warriors.

One Last Trip

Although Charlie and I may not be practicing carp by the fly as much as we were, we're still out there.  We fished together yesterday, for a short while, and fishing with Charlie is always a great pleasure and learning experience.  Charlie has found yet another pasture and it is a most beautiful pool of water.  Upon his suggestion, we plan on fly-fishing this new discovery by dry flies only, which will prove most challenging.  As we were wrapping up yesterday, I told Charlie my wishes to fish his Pasture one more time before trout season begins.  Today, I did just that and happy I made the trip. 

Charlie's Pasture is a most serene and peaceful place.  The carp that live there are magnificent creatures - probably the most striking of all carp in Rock Creek. 

I started out with a burnt orange and black Backstabber pattern, and the second carp I cast to would become carp number 114.  He was one heck of a scrapper and I had to get in the creek to land him, which really wasn't a good thing.  Once entering the creek, the rest of the carp community went on high alert.  I fished the remaining carp with the same pattern for awhile, but they were in a panicked frenzied.  I changed to an olive and black Carpola, but they also avoided this proven pattern. 

Deciding to give them some time to settle down, I went upstream to the shallows to look for carp there.  Carp were not to be found, but the bass were out in good numbers.  Deciding to target bass until the carp could get their nerves settled down, the Carpola took a pretty and feisty smallmouth. 

Thinking it was time to go back downstream, I tried the Carpola once again on the company of carp, but they seemed to recognize it immediately.  Wondering if they were indeed recognizing the fly and remembering the recent fate of one of their brethren, I decided to try a fly and get away from the black color scheme of the previous two flies. 

The Carp Carrot goes on.  Somehow I managed a long roll cast that fell within one foot of the far bank.  The water was clear as gin here and I watched a carp swim to the fly.  It looked like he ate it so I gambled with a hook-set and the gamble paid off.  This carp took me far upstream, which was good because that is where we would have to go so I could land him.  He became number 115. 

Trout season is only two weeks away and I'm ready for the pretty fish.  But, I don't think I'll be able to just simply walk away from these magnificent fish known as carp. 

Here are today's pictures.



Taken by burnt orange and black Backstabber





This guy liked the Carp Carrot



 

Carp Carrot found the upper lip.

 



Carp Carrot worse for wear.



The Mystery

After work today I went to the vise and tied up a Backstabber with legs.  The original Backstabber worked so well yesterday, I wanted to see what the addition of legs would do. 

I started out at the Beach at Rock Creek and with a cast sent the legged Backstabber on her maiden voyage.  Less than twenty seconds after the fly pierced the film I saw a significant jolt in the line and went for a hook-set.  Under my breath I said, "Number 99!", but it wasn't.  It was a catfish.

After releasing the kitty, I made the second cast of this fly's life and another jolt and again I said, "Number 99!", but again it was a catfish.  One thing for certain was catfish liked this pattern, but whether or not the carp would buy it remained unanswered. 

I decided to go upstream to a stretch of water that is always dotted with carp.  There's not a tremendous number of carp here, but usually every forty or fifty feet you will see one, two, or three carp.  I was in total stealth mode today because I desperately wanted two carp so I could reach 100 battled. 

In the first fifty feet I sensed something wasn't quite right.  I continued to walk ever-so slowly, with each step slower and softer than the previous.  The sky had darkened and was overcast which give me excellent vision due to the absence of glare.  I'd take a step and scan the creek; scrutinizing water in front of me, to both sides, up, down, beyond, and then by quadrants... but no carp were to be seen. 

My steps became even slower, my breathing quieter.  Wherever I could, I would leave the water and take to the bank, even if it was for only ten feet.  But... there were no carp to be seen.

I searched ever so carefully 300 yards of water and never seen a carp.  My brow had deepened as the question of why dominated by thought.

Continuing past Well Springs, I entered the stretch of the creek that is shallow and narrow.   After a short while I came upon a slough with two carp feeding.  However, it was impossible to cast to them for the brush and greenery.  I continued upstream to Shipwreck at the Boulders.  Here, Charlie has caught carp, but I have not. 

There are seven or eight carp available and I cast the new Backstabber to the first carp of choice.  He looks and turns away.  The second, third, and fourth carp do the same.  Out comes the orange and olive Carpola and on it goes.  Across the creek are two carp feeding in the shallows and the Carpola is delivered to the nearest fish.  He sucks it and I set.  He heads straight for overhanging brush but I pull him out and he becomes number 99. 

The battle sends pheromones through the water and the remaining carp scatter.  The sky has grown darker and my hour grows shorter.  I need to be home and haven't much time.  I leave my slow approach behind and hurry to another spot in homes of finding carp number 100.  However when I arrive there are no carp at this spot. 

It's time to return to the prairie schooner and go to my prairie home.  On the way back downstream, there is good chance for a carp and I send him the Carpola.  He sucks it right away and just like the previous carp he goes straight for the brush and tree roots.  Quickly trotting across the shallow channel to the sandbar, I try to heave him out and end up pulling the hook out of his grasp.  The carp that would have been number 100, was not. 

I carried the plastic chair a little further today.  This chair is heavier than it looks and I can only carry it a couple of hundred feet before tiring.  So, each time I go to this area I work it downstream a little further and eventually will make Well Springs, where I can take it up the hill.

On the trip back downstream, never did I think of the carp I lost that would have made 100.  My thoughts were on why that stretch of water, the one that always has carp, had none today.  In my fly-fishing life, this question and answer will always be a mystery.

The Carp Crusades - Back In The Saddle

With a little help from nature, Charlie and I should be back in the saddle this weekend riding on the great carp trail of Rock Creek. We'll have our lariats in hand... ready to lasso the herding and sometimes stampeding carp. So hopefully, nature will let us cowboy-up, saddle-up, and ride once again in the crusades.

Today, I had pretty much set my mind to not go to the creek since it's been so compromised of late, not to mention this morning's rains. However, a ten o'clock telegram from Charlie reporting the rains had no effect and the creek continued to clear, changed my mind about fishing.

When I got to the creek it was noticeable that the fringes had cleared quite a bit but the main part of the creek, at least for me, was not fish-able remaining a milky color. But it didn't take long to turn my attention to the grazing beasts just upstream in the shallows and riffles, and these creatures were having quite the feast on tree blossoms.

Early on in describing surface feeding carp I caught myself, when talking with Charlie, referring to them as risers but carp really don't rise like trout do. Surface feeding carp, or slurpers as I call them, stay near the surface all the time and simply raise their bugle shaped mouths through the film and slurp. If you listen closely you actually hear the slurp sound they make. Across the big pond in England and Europe they call them cloopers.

To fish the shallows and riffles you almost have to be on the opposite side of the creek which requires you to make a painfully slow and methodical wade so you don't set off any miniature tsunami's which I assure you will put the carp down and away quickly.

The slow wade was made and as I got into position to make a cast there was a tremendous splash just upstream. I knew it wasn't a fish and upon looking behind me and up at the football bleachers there stood the perpetrator. A schoolkid had tossed a boulder the size of a quart cooking pan into the creek trying to hit one of those carp. Of course the carp scattered lickety-split. I decided to hold steady and see if some would come back.

Yesterday, fishing this same spot it was the same situation with slurpers grazing like no tomorrow. I already had a San Juan Wormball tied on so I cast it into the thick of them and one jumped on it like a duck on a June Bug. I got a good hookset and as I told Charlie it seemed like a rather good-sized carp. The battle was short lived and I lost another San Juan to another tippet break.

Today, I spotted that carp and it turns out he wasn't all that big to begin with... maybe four pounds and he was swimming around with that San Juan in the upper corner of his mouth. Really wanted to hook him again today to get that fly back but it was no dice.

Having a heck of a time seeing anything I concentrated on the water directly in front of me and managed to see the shadows of the carp. A toss of the San Juan to a shadow and leading the carp into shallower water I saw the suck and set the hook. He wasn't a big fish, about two pounds, but what a fighter he proved to be, making the old Okuma sing like a barber shop tenor. It was a lot of fun.



Tied a new pattern last night and hope to use it this weekend. Since both the Clouser and Backstabber have battled carp, I married the two taking elements of both and blending them together. We'll see if carp are interested in this pattern I call the Cloustabber.



The month of May is only a week away and I predict it's going to be one heck of a rodeo for two fly-fishers cowboying for carp.

The Carp Crusades - Numbero Uno

For the last three warm water seasons I've caught one carp per year on my fly rod but this year with sparked enthuiasm and inspiration from Charlie Wright, I decided to get serious about carp on the fly.

Now... I can't scream to the world that I'm a fly-fisher for carp with this prize today, but I am on the way I feel to a fun-packed spring and summer.

Not all fishermen are liars and I'll tell you straight up I must have made fifty casts before getting a hook-set with this carp today. As a matter of fact I was quite frustrated at the point when this rodeo begin. The sun kept ducking behind the clouds which made it extremely difficult to see and the wind was riffling the water once again which added to my problem in trying to sight fish.

I have to say Charlie is spot on with his observation that these creatures are extremely sensitive to sound in the water. When the black Backstabber pattern I tied last night would hit the water the carp would spook. I kept trying to cast directly to the carp and getting the fly down in the column quickly but it wasn't working so I put my casts about six or eight feet upstream and let it bounce along the bottom.

I was fishing a trio of carp with the largest one being in the lead and he was the one I was trying for. However, this fellow decided he liked the fly better and before I realized it he had sucked the fly up. I never saw the actual take but did see my leader jolt and that's when I set the hook.

It was at least a good ten minute fight and each time I would try to beach the creature he would sense the shallow water and launch to the deeper water... again and again.

Think I'll tie up some more of those Backstabbers or at least my version. I'm nowhere as good as Zimmerman is with his Backstabbers but at least now I know mine will suffice in attracting carp.