Chapter 58 Day 36 - Trout Season

The Colors That Carp Like

It's trout season no doubt.  It's also chilly outside with the wind chill delivering a feel factor of 17 degrees... way too cool for these old bones. 

So, a lot of time is being spent on the vise these cold days.  No, not too many trout flies are being churned - have plenty of those.  However, there are carp flies and carp season is only mere months away. 

When it comes to the colors that carp like, orange usually comes to mind.  During the 2010 carp season, orange was a predominant color used in the quest of capturing carp.

The top producing fly of that season was the Carpola Charlie tied in orange and olive.  Other top producers int he Carpola Charlie series included orange and yellow, and orange and brown.

When thinking of orange for carp how can I forget Mr. P's fabulous Carp Carrot.  Wow... what an effective fly.  Used this pattern a lot also in 2010 and there were times when nothing else would work the Carp Carrot would.  Hat's off to the inventor of the Carp Carrot.

Then there is the color white.  Carp seem to like white also. 

2011 was a disaster of a carp by fly season here on the prairie ocean due to the drought and extreme heat.  We had basically the months of late March, April, and early May.  During those months I stuck with the color white and this is what took the large majority of carp I captured.

In 2010, another top producer was the white wormball known as the Great White Hope.

During April of 2010 and early last season, this color and pattern was, at a time, the go-to fly.  Eventually the carp seem to see the fly coming, having met it before, and production fell.  But... on how good it was for a while.

The Crazy Charlie, another all white fly, was very effective in 2011 also.  And, then there was the Mysis Shrimp which was a killer pattern.



On the last trip to the fly shop I made sure plenty of orange and white materials went in the shopping cart. 

Going to the vise to tie up some more carp appetizers.  

Carp Redux 2011 - Short And Sweet

Stepped into the creek at 12:30 today, which is the wrong time at this time of year.  It was hot... no, it was hot and humid.  The air was thick and like a blast furnace. 

The addiction that is mine simply got the best of me.  Feeling challenged in body and soul, I needed to feel better.

The Mysis Shrimp has been missing in action lately so it went on as an offering to the grand and golden ones.  A lone carp was spotted; a cast... a unremarkable cast was made and fortunately fell lightly and within acceptable range of the creature.  In watching the fish it was easy to see notice was taken.  Attention turned to leader and then there it was... that ever-so subtle movement.  Side sweep hook set and fish to hand.  Picture taken, fish released, and the creek is left behind to another day.

A stop at the beer store and then to the prairie home.  Short, sweet, and to the point.

Marriage Vows And Carp

Yesterday afternoon, carp numbers eighteen and nineteen came to hand.  One fell for the Mysis Shrimp - the other for the Curvy Crazy Charlie in white and silver. 

Today, Carol and I are to marry at 11 o'clock.  At 8 o'clock this morning I had carp number twenty of this season on the reel.... courtesy of the Mysis Shrimp.  About thirty minutes later, number twenty-one and I said hello, and, yes it was the Mysis that did the dirty work. 

Carol and I have known each other for forty years and we are indeed best friends.  So, it is past time to make our relationship "official" and get hitched and stitched.

Now, for a honeymoon... it was Carol, not me, that suggested camping at our beloved Blue River.  I swear to you this is the absolute truth - it was Carol's idea.  Of course I hopped on that suggestion like a duck on a June bug. 

But, we had nearby storms last night and the sky is threatening today.  Our camp-out honeymoon trip will be delayed.  Sunday and Monday also looks stormy, but we both have a week off and we'll get to Blue sometime this week.

I am so very thankful that both of us share a lifetime love for the outdoors.

Since we can't get to the river Blue and start the honeymoon, we made other plans.  Carol loves Red Lobster and I like Bass Pro, so a trip to Oklahoma City, leaving our rural settlement behind, will be made after the ceremony.

I do need to get some more material to tie more Crazy Charlie's and Mysis Shrimp. 

Preacher just called and he's getting ready.  Guess I better get out of these waders.

Carp Redux 2011 - Panfish Pandemic

Just as I sit down to record this journal entry, the tornado sirens begin screaming here on the prairie ocean.  This is Oklahoma, and during the spring tornado activity is common... so I've never concerned myself with the warnings.  However, the sirens are relentless and Miss Carol is growing nutso, quite concerned I should say, so I abandon this scrawling for a short while.  Besides, there are two elderly ladies across the street and I learn the man of the house is away and attention is needed there.  Miss Carol grabs her companion dog Sadie, and along with my son Kemper we get the heavy cellar door open and get the three ladies in the hole.  Lanterns are lit, flashlights are tested, and Kemper decides to stand guard over the door.  I come back to the laptop.

Right now, the wind-wrapped rain is falling heavily and there is hail within the sheets.  The only reason I am mentioning this spring storm is to illustrate the strong winds my friend and fellow fly fisher for carp, Charlie, and I have had to endure. 

This afternoon on the creek, the wind was gusting twenty to thirty miles per hour creating blurring riffles.  The wind, however, wasn't the only obstacle today.  The tremendous algae buildup is still present, and then there is the panfish pandemic of this season.  They're everywhere, everywhere!

This spring there is a tremendous presence of new birth in the panfish community on the local creek.  For the last four, five, or maybe six years, the panfish community has struggled, but, now they are back in good numbers.  That's a good thing though - everyone loves the panfish with their gusto in giving as good as they get, along with their attached attitude as they spit at you while you're trying to remove the hook from their lip.

Panfish are the pirates of the prairie ocean when it comes to fly fishing for carp.  As soon as the fly penetrates the drink, an angler can almost hear the collective swoosh of the panfish rushing to the fly, which I might add scares the carp... particularly targeted carp.

I caught two carp today by going blind.  Both carp were taken on the Mysis Shrimp pattern in white while blind fishing.  The battles of today prove to me that when conditions such as off-colored, blurred, heavy riffled water prevent an angler from sight fishing... you simply toss the fly.

As bad as conditions were today, I could still make out the images of carp in the water.  So the strategy was to cast the fly above and near the carp and then do nothing but watch the tippet.  When fishing blind the attention has to be on the tippet.  The movement of the tippet is usually rather significant, and in both cases today... it was.

The storm just passed and we received a good rain.  I doubt it was enough, however, to give the local creek a good flushing, which would tremendously improve carp via fly.    

Carp Redux 2011 - Crazy Charlie Reincarnated

Since my favorite Crazy Charlie fly gave his life at sea yesterday, a little vise time was dedicated last night and a new white holographic with peacock underbody Charlie came to life.

At 7:59 this morning I clocked out at work telling my co-workers I'd be on the creek for a short while.  I am extremely fortunate to have an employer that tolerates my fly fishing addiction.  The boss doesn't understand it, but he's been quite charitable in allowing me to get my fixes.

By 8:10 I was on the water with the new Crazy Charlie ready to go and a lone carp was targeted.  The cast went well and the carp sucked ol' Charlie straight up. 

I take my usual crappy picture (all my pictures are crap), slip the beast back into the drink, and return to work...wet socks and all. 

Pretty sweet.

I was only required to stay at the workplace until ten this morning and decided to make a second run at the creek before the winds gathered. 

Going back to the same pasture the first carp of the day was secured, the Crazy Charlie quickly found carp number two.  

Carp number three was a dan, dan, dandy, but, the hookset was a little iffy barely catching the fringe of the creatures top lip.  The hook pulled out after a minute or so.  The big ones always get away don't they?

After losing the leviathan, it's time to explore another pasture upstream.

Once at the next pasture it's time to give the Crazy Charlie a rest and tie on a Mysis Shrimp.  I know... there aren't any Mysis shrimp in this local water.  So?  Maybe that's why the next carp liked it so much - something new on the menu.

The Mysis dropped about six inches in front of this carp and he sucked it up right away.  Another crappy picture and the beast returned to his watery den. 

At 11 o'clock, the wind was blowing me off the creek so I go to the bunkhouse. 


The last carp of this morning took fancy to a simple tie Mysis Shrimp pattern.