Carp Slam: Ritual

Big day tomorrow.  Beats and partners have been drawn for the slam and I am pumped.  I drew Ty Clifton and couldn't be happier.  He is a great dude and total hard-core carper.  When I want advice on gear for carp this is the man I trust above all others.  His level of carpin experience makes mine look amateurish.  As a matter of fact he is one of the guys I can just point at and raise my eyebrows when people ask why I am in the amateur class.

For beats we drew Florida in the morning and Mile High in the afternoon.  I am not sure how well fly fishing for carp goes down as a spectator sport but feel free to stop on by and say hello if you are feeling it.  These are two of the most famous beats on the river for various in-explicable reasons.  Due to my anti-social aversion to other fishermen on the water I mainly fish Mile-High in the off season and virtually never fish Florida so we will see how it goes.

I am extremely excited and anxious and in the last couple of hours I have had to slip into ritual to try and calm down.  I am sure we all have our rituals for a big day of fishing.  I have verified the contents of my pack and cleaned and conditioned my fly-line for the first time in, well, ever.  I have pre-rigged two rods with fresh leaders, carefully tied knots, and some of the freshly tied flies I obsessed on all week.  The gear is all piled up and verified in front of my fly-tying desk.  My clothes are neatly folded (in a rumpled pile more accurately) next to the bed.  Waters are packed and camera's are charged.  I am ready, I hope the carp are!