CARPTORIOUS: Feeding The Addiction

I met up with the CarpDawg otherwise known as TroutDawg from Fly Fishing Addiction for some fly-carpin this weekend.  He is a great guy and is very experienced chasing many species on the fly in both fresh and salt water.  Of those species carp are among his favorites and it was a great chance to hit up some local waters with a fellow hard core carper.

TroutDawg???   Is a name-change in order?

Things started a little slow.  The lake we picked had gone from carp stacked on the flats to small numbers of isolated and paranoid cruisers in less than 24 hours.  We had a couple of shots, but only one that you could really sink your teeth into.  Naturally I blew that one up with a slightly errant cast.

This is going to be a risk we take on many Denver Metro lakes over the next couple of weeks.  In some of my favorite lakes with clear water it seems that there is a 2 to 3 week post-spawn period where the fishing is unbelievably good.  Then in late June / early July the shallows become suddenly and inexplicably deserted for the rest of the season.  The word from those more knowledgeable is that the carp don't really come back.  At least not in fly fishing range and fly fishing moods with any regularity.  That makes me sad. 

Fortunately TD had a good backup plan with a little honey hole he likes to call home.  I was a little pessimistic since it involved bucking up and facing a recently blown river but it proved to be a good idea.  We walked right in on tailers and he hooked a really hot mid to high teener almost immediately.  It is that time of year and the carp are getting spunky, but I was a little surprised by the strength of that fish.  Things seemed somewhat under control until the fish simply decided to put the wood to him and run directly downriver.  Right when TroutDawg made to call that he was getting in to give chase the hook pulled out under heavy pressure.

Ten minutes later I hooked into a bruiser that was tailing hard within a foot of the bank with a Primordial Crust.  One of those stop, pop and gently lower the fly 4" in front and 4" to the right kinda shots.  Casting not required, crushing take easily identified.

Thank goodness the Dawg had given me a free preview because by the time I was gleefully screaming "backing" I was already on my way in to give chase.  I was just barely able to get far enough across and down-river in time.  By the time I had gained a little angle on the fish it was just in time to pull it out of a dead-fall about 150 feet downriver.  It was a great battle, and at a couple of ounces over 18 pounds this is my second largest carp from the river and by far and away the hottest!   


Thanks TroutDawg!

Thanks to TroutDawg for the company, showing me a thing or two and sticking to your guns about the backup plan.  Looking forward to the next outing!  Not looking forward to July which can be a pain in the ass in CO.