CARPTORIOUS: Quick And Dirty Carp

The wife kicked me out on my bum this afternoon for a couple hours of quick and dirty carpin.  Poor girl, it's like pulling teeth to get me to go fishing.

The water was even more off-color than the other day because of snow melt and I only ended up with an hour and a half window before the wind and fading sun drove me from the water.  Things worked out just fine though and I was able to find a couple feeding fish, hook three and land one.

The first hook-up was almost embarrassing.  I had found what I thought was probably a neutral fish holding in a slight current on the far side of a deep slough.  I made a couple of half-hearted drifts and as the fly passed him the last time I started to lift the fly out to move on to greener pastures.  As I was lifting I tangled the line in some brush at the water's edge.  While I was working the mess my fly dropped down into the deep slough and as I once again started to pull out I found that I was now snagged on the bottom.  In irritation I lifted hard on the rod and the snag started to come up.  Well, you probably realize where I am going with this.  As the snag started to surface instead of a tree branch I found myself staring right down the throat of a very large and very lethargic carp just as my fly pulled free from it's lips.  I am almost certain that was the biggest carp I have hooked since last July and it was not only short lived, but totally on accident!

Oh well, 15 minutes later this much much smaller (but still respectable) carp was kind enough to make me feel a little better.  Once again on an olive carp stew and this one was very much on purpose with a nice tight presentation and a good (if slow and deliberate) visual take.  Very satisfying.