I Regret The Neglect

No doubt about it... I have been terribly neglectful of this journal and my overall fly fishing life lately - a life that brings me tremendous joy. 

There are a number of factors involved as to why this neglect has come about.  But, I'll not bore anyone and mistakenly make anyone think I want to hold a pity party.  It's just life. 

This has been the strangest summer of my 55 or so years of remembering the summer season.  This past week we set, not only, a record low high for July, but also a record low low temperature for the month of July.  Since the month of May we have had a steady flow of rain events and one of the more significant events was this past week.  Even with all the rain events we've had come our way, the wonderful bounty has hardly made a dent in the level of our little carp creek or the large lake that it feeds.  I think this is a testament to Oklahoma being in a drought far too long. 

I did find a grand opportunity to visit the carp yesterday for a half hour and met two of the carp community citizens on back to back attempts with the Aftermath fly.  It was a good rush.  I need more waves of that kind of surge.

 

 

Out Of Desperation

This has been one of the most challenging carp by fly seasons Charlie or I have ever tried to deal with.  Challenging because of conditions, not lack of fish.  A little over a month ago, our little carp creek was in bad shape and deteriorating by the day due to the lack of rain. 

Then the rain began to fall and of course everyone that lives in this area was thankful and joyous.  For the last four weeks it has rained at least once during that week and it's been significant enough to keep the creek a brown blur. 

Sometimes those of us who angle get so desperate in our chase for a species of choice, we simply roll the dice and go for it.  Yesterday I was feeling quite desperate and decided to go to the creek.  Standing on the bank with fly rod and the Aftermath fly, I was staring at a dingy brown creek with no carp in sight.  Like I said, sometimes you just have to go for it.

 

I think the carp have been missing the Aftermath.  

Carp, Music, Art, And Brew

Most likely those that read my scribblings with some kind of frequent fashion have come to believe that I am one dimensional, with that dimension owned being catching carp and other species with the flies I tie. 

I will be the first to admit that I am far from being the most interesting man in the world, however I do have other interests besides fly fishing. 

When Saturday rolled around I will tell you that I had an itch to capture a carp by way of fly.  But, I also knew there was an event taking place on Saturday and this event held a number of things that draw and hold my interest.  Therefore, I decided to go to the carp creek and catch one carp and one carp only.

Before leaving the bunkhouse I decided to tie up another Aftermath carp fly.  On this fly though, I wanted to try something new by adding pink, more precisely cerise, to the pattern.  Cerise is the color that brought me hundreds of trout this past trout season using the Frenchie pattern.  Taking the cerise colored rabbit fur I gave the Aftermath a collar and off to the creek we went.

The pasture I chose to fish is called Big Well Springs.  The Johnson grass here is taller than I am and trying to wade through it is like being a jungle warfare combatant.  On the other hand, the tall Johnson grass gives the angler fantastic concealment and the carp can be approached undetected.  Upstream I saw movement in the water and it was telling me feeding carp in the shallows.

I saw a young carp and decided to target this lad.  The cast I made was less than spectacular with the fly going across the back end of the carp.  He immediately begin to move and I quickly pulled the fly past him and let it drop about a foot in front.  He swam straight to the fly and sucked it in. 

For a youngster he had a lot of fight. 

 

About the time I released the carp the event downtown was scheduled to begin, so fishing was done for me and it was back to the bunkhouse to get cleaned up.

 

 

The Artesian hotel, spa, and resort is one of Oklahoma's grandest destinations.  The Chickasaw Nation finished this recreation of the famous Artesian hotel about a year ago and since it's opening travelers have flocked to take in it's beauty.  On Saturday, the first Artesian Arts Festival was held. 

 

Native art has always been an attraction for me.  Perhaps it's because I'm an Oklahoman and Oklahoma is rich in may different native tribes.  Or maybe it was the time I spent on the artisan streets of Albuquerque and Santa Fe years ago.  For me there is something wholesome and spiritual about native American art.

 

 

 

 

The festival  was just art.  There was a lot of good food to be sampled and there was music.  I don't know the name of the band, but they were quite talented.  The music continue all day with different genres throughout the event. 

 

 

Festival activities were taking place downtown in historic Sulphur so I drifting that way to take in more.  First though I stopped at the reflection garden the Chickasaw nation has built.  The focal point of this garden is flowing water and of course that always catches the attention of an angler.

 





 

 

I continued to drift westward into downtown and then there it was... like a shining beacon in a dry desert.  It was a watering hole.

 

 

There went the rest of the day.  



 





Hola Carp

Charlie has returned from Mexico and wasted no time at all in saying hello to his favored carp.  Charlie tells me the Mirror actually chased down a red-tail Creek Critter.

 

My trips to the carp creek have been few and far between primarily due to the business of life and a struggling creek.  I did make a trip two days ago and found a carp that drew a fancy for the Aftermath.

 

 

Although things are quite bad as far as the creek, I hold great excitement for the next ten days where we stand a chance of receiving rain each day.  Then, Charlie and I can get after the carp on a more serious note.

 





All Important Observation

Quite often those that make the decision to pursue the art of fly fishing for carp are overflowing with excitement and exuberance.  Far too often this enthusiasm leads to not taking enough time studying the water before them.  First of all it should be suggested that the fly angler for carp should always give his or her eyes enough time to adjust to the water and surroundings.  Carp have a mystical way of blending in with the bottom of their watery abode and there are times they seem to appear like specters. 

Not all of us are eagle-eyed and thus it is even more important to take our time to observe and evaluate the water.  It is also important to not make a rash decision on fishing the first carp we see.  Too many times has an angler cast a gift to the first carp encountered and in doing so blown the whole community that was basically at the feet of the angler. 

In North Carolina guide Ken Hardwick with Davidson River Outfitters is as eagle-eyed as anyone that I've encountered while fishing.  Ken's ability could be God-given or he has simply trained himself over the years and knows what to look for within the riffles, seams, or in the pockets. 

Admittedly I have had to force myself to slow down, take time, carefully peruse every square foot of water before placing the fly in the drink.  In doing so, more carp have come to hand.

 

 

 

 

Sharing The Thrill

I came to know Dusty Gilles several years ago through fly fishing at Blue River.  We both love the trout season at Blue, but once that ends we seek out other species.  About a month ago Dusty made a trek to the North Canadian to see if the sand bass had begin to run.  Instead of finding sand bass he encountered carp at a confluence of smaller creek with the Canadian. 

Dusty wrote me afterwards telling how he threw what he had at the carp but they weren't buying it and asked for a little information on fly fishing for these grand ones.  Writing Dusty back I told him how Charlie and I approach the carp, what their nature tends to be, and how to present a fly to this ever-so-smart fish.  Then, I went to the tying bench and churned him some flies and got them in the mail.

Dusty took the flies to the river with him yesterday and sent the results shortly thereafter.  He wrote that the first carp he caught took him into his backing and that was something he'd never experienced before. 

I would suggest that Dusty is the one that got hooked.

 

 

 

 

In Love With Pretty Tail

I loved pretty tail as a young man.  I love pretty tail now as an older man.  I own this fascination for pretty tail.  My philosophy, when it comes to tail, is that it would be insulting to not look at pretty tail and therefore I have always tried to do my best and look as much as I can. 

On the creek yesterday I was facing a quite stained waterway due to the wonderful rains we received recently.  As I stared into the coffee I saw what looked like a small orange flag waving in the water.  Almost as soon as it appeared it also disappeared from sight.  However, there were bubbles and with a thirty foot roll cast I place the Aftermath at the head of the bubbles.  A count of five and slow lift of the rod tip, tension felt, hook-set made, and I got my pretty tail.

 

 

Long live pretty tail. 

 

Carp Campaign - On My Knees

One of our favorite pastures to pursue carp is called the Honey Hole.  There are three sections at this stretch of creek - the main body, the upper shallows, and the lower shallows.  Normally, carp can be found on each outing either in the main pool or the upper shallows.  But yesterday that wasn't the case.  It was completely overcast and seeing anything at all in the water was next to impossible. 

Looking downstream a 100 feet or better I could detect a most faint wake riffling upstream and that told me that the carp were active.  Making my way to the lower shallows there indeed were carp and the problem that faced me was approaching them since they were at the tail end of the shallows.  Standing on the bank ten feet above them I made my way down inch by inch.  At the bottom of the bank I got on my knees and knee-walked out ever so slowly to a small sandbar.

About 15 feet above me were two young carp eating to their hearts content.  A flip cast put the fly, a black Aftermath, beyond the carp I had targeted.  A lift of the rod tip brought the fly in proximity of the carp, a single strip called the carp to action.  His tail wagged, he moved forward, and then the gill plates flared.  The hook set was good and as he sliced through the water like a launched torpedo I watch the rest of the carp community suddenly explode.  The explosions were like cluster bombs going off underneath the surface.  It was a most wonderful thing to watch. 

 

 

 

 

After The Aftermath

The carp are still favoring the Aftermath pattern primarily the one with the chartreuse body.  However, one with a black cactus chenille body was born and this pattern has taken the last three or four carp.  In wondering what is so enticing about this fly - the color of the body, the worm tail, or the partridge feather, I would now say it almost has to be the worm tail. 

Great dividends will come to the carp by fly angler if they have ownership of three things - keen eyesight, the patience of a heron, and steely sharp stealth.  Too many times have anglers not given their eyes time to adjust and find themselves walking past carp because just like the muckraker in Pilgrims Progress they are fixated on the wrong goal.  Crisp eyesight and stealth go hand in hand and the patience we must learn enhances both these fine qualities in an angler. 

The carp creek that Charlie and I fancy is in a bad way.  Currently the creek is choked with algae on it's bottom and tree tassels on the top.  Hardly a cast can be made without drowning the fly in some kind of sticky entanglement, which requires the fly to be clean with each attempt. 

However, carp to the hand have been managed.  But, it's been hard going my friends.

 

 

Carp Campaign Neglect

I have been quite neglectful to this journal and to the carp that I so savor.  There is more than one reason, but primarily my work-life has gone from a somewhat manageable state to an almost impossible one.  My time on the carp creek has been quite limited and coupled with the condition of the creek when time is possible has led to this great neglect and regret on my part.

I have been out somewhat, however, and those trips have been productive.  The Aftermath fly continues to entice carp after carp.  Conditions have made this the toughest carp by fly season this angler has had to deal with.  The wind has been absolutely insane and now the creek is choked with tassels that the wind pushes upstream into blankets.

 

Yesterday the carp were feeding on the tassels on the surface.  Upon seeing the surface feeding I was inclined to tie on a dry pattern, which would have certainly been a Stimulator.  But, the wind was howling and it would have done little good to try and get that dry to a target.  Instead, I took the Aftermath and targeted surface feeding carp by putting the fly directly in front of them as they sipped the surface.  The carp would absolutely dive bomb for the fly and suck it mid-column.  It was a beautiful sight to watch. 

 

My last four or five outings have been dominated by chop on the water.  The last two days the chop has been more like swells on this sea current of this prairie ocean.  It makes for a most difficult day.  The carp still somehow come my way though and I am quite thankful.

 

To get caught up here are some pictures of some of the latest carp and they all came by way of the Aftermath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Carp Here... A Carp There

Capturing a January or February carp here on this prairie ocean is a rare and rewarding experience.  So far, 2014 has been very kind this this fly angler with both January and February carp coming to my hand by way of the fly rod and Aftermath fly. 

March 28th is the official opening of our carp season.  It's a date established by Charlie and me years ago once we decided to get serious about fly fishing these wonderful creatures.

Although we are still two weeks away from our official start date, I've been venturing to the little creek we have the last couple of afternoons. 

The water is still a bit cold for a lot of activity.  The big guys seem content to hold by their dens near the far and undercut banks while the youngsters come out to play.  I'm content with the big guys holding and the youngsters on the go because it doesn't matter what size carp I catch.  I like them all. 

Monday, I went to the creek about 1:30  in the afternoon.  The weather was sunny and there was a stiff breeze.  The creek is a really odd color right now - a really pale green and it makes seeing the carp difficult.  Since sight fishing was out of the question I simply started blind fishing to shadows in the creek.  Before too long, one teenager latched onto the Aftermath and I employed a solid hook-set. 

 

With that one carp I was satisfied and left the creek.  On Tuesday I returned to the creek at the same time.  Again, it was sunny.  However, the wind was howling this day.  The chop on the water was so severe it almost became nauseating after looking at it for ten minutes or so.  Once again, I was resigned to blind cast.  After what seemed like two dozen or so casts I hadn't even got so much as a love bump.  Walking upstream I could see the silhouettes of several carp across the creek so I decided to do something I rarely do and that is enter the creek.

 

Our creek is quite thin and it doesn't take much movement at all to push a lot of water.  Normally, Charlie and I stand at the edge of the creek and roll our flies out to the carp, but today that wasn't working so I went full stalking mode.  It took a long time to inch up to the carp and then an overhand cast was made.  I missed the first eat, but on the next cast the Aftermath struck gold. 

 

 

Again, this one carp seem to satisfy my appetite for a little interaction between this man and fish and I left the creek. 

 

Sometimes I like to just sit on the bank and watch the carp as they live.  I know that the flies we use, the rods the lines, the clothes we wear are all important elements when it comes to successfully capture these creatures.  However, I think our attitude toward the carp is all important and I will speak more of that later. 



No Camera Blues

As of last Thursday it had been a better part of a month since I had last fly fished.  I could feel myself getting sick from the situation. 

A Thursday trip to Blue resulted in a nice Rainbow trout to my hand and a wonderful meeting with a gentleman from Sherman, Texas.

I was on the river Friday, and then Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday I lost my camera to the depths of the Blue River.  No, I wasn't distraught or mad or anything like that.  This certainly wasn't the first camera or other electronic device I've lost to the waters I fish.

Sunday, I fished Blue in quick fashion and made a mad dash back home to go to Rock Creek for the carp.   Upon getting on the banks of the creek I spotted a really nice carp holding under a fallen tree trunk.  The tree trunk was dead, but still had live limbs sprouting from the trunk.  The fish was at the tip of the tree trunk so I decided to see if I could cast close enough to draw him out.  The first two casts were a little off the mark, but the third cast was dead on.  What a joy to watch a carp swim to a fly and suck it up. 

There I was with one of the nicer carp that I've caught by way of fly rod and fly and I didn't have a camera to take his mug shot. 

One camera coming up later today. 

A Matter Of Attempts

When conditions are tough, then getting the carp to eat is also tough.  Right now the water in our carp creek is still quite cold and for the most part the carp are static.  Of all the carp I saw yesterday in the hour on the creek there wasn't a single one of them eating. 

Even though they weren't in the feeding mode, I still believed I could entice one of them to eat the Aftermath carp fly.  And, it would simply be a matter of attempts. 

I must have made thirty casts to the carp and out of all those attempts I may have had one suck.  Now I don't know how I knew, but I did.  I'd been watching this one carp and he was slowly cruising almost in a circle - like he was on the prowl.  I told myself that carp would eat my fly on my next cast so I made that throw.  The fly landed beyond and slightly upstream from him and I turned my attention to the fly line.  He slammed the Aftermath. 

 

 

 

It's in the numbers sometimes.  Persistence pays off. 

 

January Fish

Van Stacey introduced his brother Marty to fly fishing this season at Blue River.  All in all, Marty has probably been a half a dozen times or so.  He has taken to fly fishing like a duck to water and it's easy to tell he's hooked and now in love with the art. 

Saturday morning the two of them had a planned trip to the catch and release area at Blue.  They invited me to go, but the mercantile store had my early ownership and since I was at the catch and release area on Wednesday, I politely said, "Thanks anyway". 

At the end of their day they had landed twenty-seven trout.  The flies that produced for Marty and Van, were brown and black buggers, the Frenchie Pink, and I think maybe Van said a midge pattern.  Also, out of simple curiosity Van tied on a pink bugger to see if it would catch trout... and it did.  The pink bugger landed four trout.  Sure a lot of pink floating around on Blue River these days. 

Marty netting a rainbow.

 

I did have plans to go to the campground area of Blue on Saturday.  Ralph Fullenwider and Steve Wolf were both camped for the weekend and I hope to sit around their camp drinking coffee or cold beer - whichever presented itself the best to me at the time.

 

However, I became bogged down at the mercantile store and instead of making a rushed trip to Blue, I decided to stay around home and the local creek.  Over the years, I've made plenty of rushed trips to the river. 

 

Several days ago I caught a rare January carp.  Around mid-afternoon on Saturday I decided to hit the creek and see if I could repeat the rarity. The water is still quite cold and carp are generally not active when the water temperature is in the 30's or 40's. 

 

Rock Creek is as clear as Blue River right now - gin clear.  I could easily see the carp bunched up together and they could easily see me.  My roll casts sent them packing long before the line ever hit the water so I had to think of something else.

 

 

 

With a low profile side arm roll cast I got the Aftermath carp fly to the carp without spooking them and while employing a slow retrieve a rather nice carp slammed the Aftermath.

 

 

 

This fellow had some spunk in him and wasn't lethargic like I expected him to be.  The battle lasted a good long while, but finally he tired.  I simply put him up by the bank and without so much touching him removed the Aftermath. 

 

We're still in a drought here in Oklahoma and although we have received a fair amount of moisture back in the fall and early winter, the drought has raised it's ugly head again.  Hopefully, the spring-time rains will come this year and fly fishing for carp will be possible this season. 

 



Carp Campaign 2014

Yesterday, I was on the Blue River catching trout.  I had the pleasure of meeting 37 beautiful Rainbow trout with a single pattern.

Last night, I read a dispatch from Charlie telling of sightings of our favored fish the carp.  Today, I tied two Aftermath patterns and even though the wind was howling like no tomorrow I headed for the carp creek.  I was only there about twenty minutes, but I walked away with the first prize of the 2014 season.

 

May 2014 be a good year for all of us who love fly fishing for carp. 

Dear Carp - Shutdown By Gridlock

Dear Carp,

In the world I live there are times that my kind seems to loose sight of any good sense we once owned.  This past week is a perfect illustration of rationale thinking going by the wayside as the gridlock in that place known as Washington brought parts of our government to a halt.

Now you know why me, or Van, or Charlie have not been to see you.  We have been locked out and kept away from the places you live due to the closure of the national recreation area.  I feel quite sorry for Charlie because he just returned from Mexico with a great enthusiasm believing he would be able to come to you. 

 

How long this lock out will last is anyone's guess at this point.  Hopefully, some sanity will return to those that make decisions for my kind, whether we want them to or not. 

 

Van did get some time with your lot before the shutdown occurred.  He met a trio of your community members and enticed them all with the Aftermath.  I am sending you a postcard that Van would like you to have.

 

 

My friends, we hope to see you soon and until we do take care and live happily.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher



Dear Carp - Arrival Of Autumn

Dear Carp,

Sunday announced the arrival of the autumn season and it was with great gladness I found myself standing at the fringe of your watery home for the third Sunday in a row. 

Although I knew my time would be a mere whit of an outing, still there was an ease and gentleness with the cool air that autumn brought this morning.  This mornings temperature was 59 degrees and that is a wonderful reprieve to the muggy and sticky high 70's we've been encountering in the hours before dawn. 

I was surprised to find so many of you in suspended fashion so early in the day.  My hope was to find one of you grazing as I often do, but as hard as I searched no grazers were found.

On this Sunday morning the gift I would bring to you was one cactus chenille Creek Critter.  I put the gift in the drink and watched for the telegraph signal in the line and there it was. 

 

The citizen that claimed the gift offered wasn't a large member of your community, but he thought he was refusing to yield time after time. 

 

He took me through a really compromised area of this sea current and before our encounter was over we were both battle worn wearing part of the creek on ourselves.

 

 

Shortly after saying so-long to this fine lad, I received a dispatch informing me to return to the workplace and therefore I parted company with the wonderful lot of you.

 

My friends, Charlie will be returning soon from Mexico and he has already shared with me his intentions of coming to you.  It should be a grand reunion. 

 

Soon I will traveling to North Carolina to visit other fellows that are similar to your kind.  When I return I will come to you with grand stories... hopefully.

 

Take care grand ones.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher



Dear Carp - The Color Of Fall Carp

Dear Carp,

In coming to you today, the second week in a row, I feel like a rich man.  As I stood at the fringe of your home the cool morning air was refreshing and mindful of the approaching autumn season.  I wonder if you sense the same?

Having lost all my Aftermath gifts, I tied a new one before leaving the place that I live.  With the Aftermath tied on I show it to the first of your kind I encounter.  He is a long fellow and wide in the shoulders - a beastly sort and he likes what he sees.  My hook-set is firm and employed with great conviction.  This beastly fellow wastes no time however in showing me his determination and runs me to the edge of my backing on a downstream path.  Finally I get him turned, but he is not done showing me how the cow eats cabbage.

As he turns to come upstream I realize how clever this beastly one is.  He goes to the far bank and entangles himself in the thick weave of the root system along the eroded bank.  I see him floating on the surface unable to go forward, back, or to either side.  I decide to call it and break him free and as I attempt to do so, I somehow pull him out of the weave.  Our battle continues, but not for long.  My line suddenly ricochets out of the pool and lands near my feet.  Gathering the line I inspect the end of my tippet and sure enough there was the tell-tale sign of a bad or giving tie - a curly-q at the end of the tippet. 

With no more Aftermath gifts I tie on one of Charlie's Creek Critters.  Looking upstream I see a juvenile and cast the Critter about twenty-five feet.  He gobbles it.  

Bringing the young chap in for the branding by my hand I notice the colors your kind are taking on.  In years past I always enjoy the orange hues in your tails and fins that come about this time of year.  Perhaps it's a thing of nature - I'm not sure, but whatever it is seems like a great artist is using you as a canvas. 

 

My friends, I have much to do in preparation for my bucket list trip to North Carolina.  I do hope to return to you soon and certainly would like to see you more often.

 

Until our next meeting, live, love, and prosper. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher 

Dear Carp - Reminiscing

Dear Carp,

On my most recent visit with your kind I found myself reminiscing about a time that Charlie and I came to your home together.  It was three years ago to the day when not only Charlie and I came, but two young chaps with the television show Outdoor Oklahoma also came.

Outdoor Oklahoma wanted to do an outdoor show about fly fishing for carp and of course we were excited about helping.  Yes, we captured several of your lot and all of it was captured on film.  It was a day of Lights, Camera, Carp.

Since that filming the show has aired numerous times and most seemed quite pleased with the production.  One exception was the local game ranger.  He reported that upon the initial airing of this film his phone began to ring and didn't stop.  The outdoor public was highly interested in fly fishing for carp and on one hand that is a good thing.  On the other hand though, it caused Charlie and me some concern.  Of course we will always be willing to introduce new people to this sport, but we also know how some species have become pressured to the point it almost becomes exploitation and we do not want that to happen to you.

Now on my most recent trip to visit your lot I brought the gift that has seemed to be your favorite - the Aftermath.  The first three citizens I would connect with all broke off our talks rather abruptly, which seemed highly unusual and gave me cause to inspect the line I use to connect with you.  That inspection revealed a severe roughness in the line and that roughness was dispensed of.  A new Aftermath went on and the next citizen would come in for the branding.

He was a pretty lad. 

 

Still, I am not getting to spend near the time I wish with your community, but things may change someday.  Until then, I wish you well.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher