My favorite ponds are a series of three that impound a small stream nose-to tail with a 30 foot walk from one pond to the next. Those 30 feet may as well be miles because each pond fishes completely differently. This weekend I had a couple of hours here and there to give it a go. Only one of the three (call it Pond C) had anything going on. Pond C nearly always has something going on, for all the good it has done me. Nearly half of this pond is a shallow mud flat. The fish are numerous, very small and have no fear of man. For 8 months out of the year you find fish tailing there in 3" to 6" of water and you often get close enough to touch them with your rod tip.
Sounds easy right? Well, while fish in Pond A and B are butter, these fish are TOUGH. It is by far and away the most difficult of the three because these fish are doing something I think of as sleep-feeding. They just go about their business grazing through the muck with virtually no interest in whatever flies you might put in their way. It doesn't matter what fly and what presentation. Your fly may as well not exist. I have been fishing this pond for four years and everything in the arsenal has accounted for something on the order of 10 fish!
Well, the arsenal didn't have eggs in it. It isn't very glorious but they went nutso for the egg I recieved from Gregg in the fly-swap on a lob-drag and dead drop. I had more takes in 4 hours of fishing this weekend than I had all last year there. The takes were very very slow followed by an instant ejection and I couldn't figure out the timing until I got to see one suck it and eject it head on but after that it was absolute mayhem by Pond C standards.
I think I need a smaller egg for these fish but I have at least one solution for Pond C.
This unusually stout and healthy fellow took line. That is a first in this pond and earned him another first. An itty bitty hero-shot. Trout-palm style.
NOTE: Just realized today was Easter and I broke out the Eggs. Just a freaky coincidence, no truth to the rumor that the Easter Bunny took the photo.
Nice! Way to go Greg and Mctage!
ReplyDeleteOne swap fly down, lots to go!
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ReplyDeleteOh boy, Gregg will be happy to hear this. His eggs are the best I have found. Glad they worked out for you as much as they worked for me.
ReplyDeleteLonny
Reading your posts got me thinking on these fish. Something about how you described your success with these rang a bell with these fish.
DeleteSo far this season its the only fly I have had success with. Glad they are working well for you. I hope to start using some of the other bugs from the fly swap.
DeleteLonny
Gotta get me some Gr-eggs or is that Gregg's eggs. Maybe just the Gregg fly. They seem to work! Good outing McTage... congratulations!
ReplyDeleteGr-eggs. Thats funny. They do seem to work. No idea why but who am I to question the ways of carp.
DeleteVery interesting that the egg was the ticket to those tough fish. Gregg has been preaching the power of the egg for quite a while. Reckon he's going to make believers out of all of us!
ReplyDeleteGregg has been pushing to make us all question the status-quo. Not sure these will become my goto but they are defenitely another arrow in the quiver. I was thinking about your fishing conditions every take I got. They soak up water and actually sink really fast for thier size. In the size Gregg provided (almost quarter sized)they land a little heavy but I am thinking that in smaller sizes they might be prime super-shallow carp flies.
DeleteMcTage,
ReplyDeleteSuper pleased they worked for you! Those were tied on a #6 std. egg hook. My old original favorite was on a #10 hook, and I thought of Ty with that size. Those things just work for me. And it's cool to see Pond C fish as tough as they are. Carp aren't trout, even when they are carp easy.
Gregg
Yeah, gonna have to tie up some 10s I think. Maybe try some McFly foam for a little slower sink in the shallows.
DeleteHas anyone ever thought of putting some type of scent on the eggs? I know many people put glue on their eggs but I have seen many carp come up and turn away. It seems the smell is turning them off. Perhaps a quick dip in some smelly solution to hide the human and glue scent? Or is this frowned upon?
ReplyDeleteLonny
Personally highly frowned upon but who made me the governing body of fly carpin. Nobody. Its a personal choice go with your feelings on that one. I will say a friend has experimented and anything oil based hoses your fly.
DeleteThey turn away from bread flies after a while, weird, as when they are first on them it's carp easy. I would and do insure they soak up water, perhaps dunk them in algea and clean them off, but scenting them would. as you say, be probably frowned upon. McFlyfoam doesn't work with my method, but you can probably tie a reqular glo bug, I can't, thus the way I do tie eggs. Eggs work with my regular dirty water, unseen fish, and relative imobility.
ReplyDeleteGregg
Good job Trevor. I'm anxious to try Gregg's egg's also. It is definitely on my list for this year.
ReplyDeleteP