Fly-Carpin: Carp On The Fly Reports

Every carp on the fly brings feelings of triumph. I can only describe the feeling as....CARPTORIOUS

3-31-2013: Five Weight Wonders of The World

From hot to cold. From huge to tiny. You may notice a gap in these reports. You may notice a significant reduction in scale of the carp involved. Well, lets just say I seem to have used up all my luck in December / January. Fortunately itty bitty cute pond carp are always willing to play after ice-out and play we did.

1-7-2013: Ringing In The New Year

Breaking my personal best DSP carp with the last fish of 2012 was really cool. Doing it again with my FIRST fish of 2013 was just crazy! This fish was a couple ounces bigger than the last 22 pounder and was caught sight-fishing with a rust McLuvin. Two personal bests in a row in the middle of winter, both on my newest fly. It was amazing.

2012

12-22-2012: Biggun For Christmas

At 22 pounds, my final fish of 2012 would end up being my personal best on the DSP. Caught blind casting an Olive McLuvin, this was about the best way to close out the year that I could possibly imagine.

12-8-2012: A Casual Winter Day

Winter had finally conclusively and obviously hit. Somehow I kept what had been one of my best stretches of off-season carpin going strong though and landed two fish.

12-8-2012: A Casual Winter Day

Winter had finally conclusively and obviously hit. Somehow I kept what had been one of my best stretches of off-season carpin going strong though and landed two fish.

11-23-2012: "At Least You Will Have Something To Blog About"

Although I came out CARPTORIOUS in the end, for a short time this was a pretty scary afternoon. Without some help from my friend Chris Galvin I might have been in some honest to goodness serious trouble.

11-18-2012: Throw Off Your Bonds

In which I rail against the oppression of winter and exhort my fellow carpers to get out there in defiance. Because, well, I was having my best November ever and so were some friends and I was pretty pumped about it.

11-7-2012: Till Dusk Do Us Part

Dusk comes fast this time of year. Fortunately on this day dusk was the ticket and everything came together late for a great day on the water.

11-4-2012: Sigh Deeply and Throw Down Blind

As the season progresses, sometimes you just have to give in and blind cast a little. It really is very possible to catch carp on the fly blind-casting and on this day it paid off.

10-23-2012: Praying to False Idols

It was late enough in the year that when you get 6 hours of sun you worship it. And catching a carp - or three in the process doesn't hurt.

10-22-2012: 2012 Stillwater Carp Finale

OK, the stillwater action had been nil for several weeks at this point but I kept trying and was finally rewarded and proved out the concept of using egg-yarn for the head on an Egan's Head-Stand in the process.

10-3-2012: Oktober Fest FlyCarpin Style

Celebrating a great day during one of my favorite carpin months. Beer bellies all around. Even if I don't really drink beer.

10-3-2012: That Didn't Hurt

Actually it hurt quite a bit. On an outing with Barry Reynolds I earned 13 stitches while working through a very complicated landing scenario. The memory of the carp will likely fade, but the memory of the scenario and the battle-scar earned in the process will not.

9-25-2012: Falling Fast

Fall had arrived in name and in spirit on this day. The carp had been getting more passive all September but on the other hand the big girls were out to play and on this day I landed one of my biggest DSP carp of the year. I also broke my rod on the next fish but landed it anyways!

9-17-2012: Soft Hackles on the Rise

Soft Hackles are a critical part of my fly arsenal and un-weighted versions can be deadly in the right circumstances and are particularly effective at triggering a take on the rise and when carp are being finicky. During this trip they really saved the day.

8-6-2012: Does Elvis Even Fly Fish for Carp?

Well, probably not. Barry Reynold's does though and we got out for some carpin together. The river wasn't co-operating but we both caught a fish and had a great day.

8-3-2012: Hot-Really-Really-Hot

When you fish when you get to fish you ocassionally have to put your big boy pants on and suffer through some 100 degree days. Particularly in the summer of 2012. On this day the weather almost defeated me but the carpin was great!

7-18-2012: Swimming the Sea of Obsession

I was out this week to chase some carp on the fly on the Columbia River with John Montana. We had some conditions working against us. At times I was on my game and adjusted, while at times I had difficulty. At all times we had a really great time!

6-30-2012: Road Trip!

A friend and I went on a little carpin road trip to Greeley. The fishing was tough and the carp were smart but we broke in some exciting new waters.

6-6-2012: Mirra

Give me an inch and I will take the full fly line. The more mirror carp I catch the more I want. I caught this one on a yellow version of the Carp Stew that I was trying for the first time and it was a really unique take.

5-30-2012: Should I Fish Sand Creek or Not?

I have to admit that on some levels I am uncomfortable with the idea of fishing Sand Creek less than 6 months after the spill. On the other hand, the on this day the carpin was pretty good and they were attacking my Trouser Worm over fairly large distances.

5-16-2012: Thunder, Thunder, ThunderNet Hoeeeee!

While this post was intended to introducing ThunderNet somehow it descended into an excuse to show off pictures of my latest Mirror Carp. What can I say, catching Mirror Carp was a relatively new and exciting experience for me. Did you happen to see the picture of it on the left? Just making sure.

4-29-2012: Breaking in Matt Pike's Carper's Crab

It wasn't a big carp but it was my favorite take of the year so far that broke in Matt's Carpers Crab from this years fly swap.

4-27-2012: My Callus Theory

In which I reveal McTage's theorem on carp lips or lack thereof. What can I say, profound stuff from a profound site. Caught some nice fish in the process too!

4-8-2012: Carp Pond C Meets Gregg's Eggs

I finally broke out Gregg's Eggs from the fly-swap on Easter. They worked great and helped me land some of the toughest pond carp I know of.

3-31-2012: Nothing To Say Here, Nothing To See Here

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days. On what was otherwise a really tough spring day I caught what will probably be one of the coolest carp I will ever catch on the fly. And then botched the photo!

3-16-2012: March BowChikiBowBow

Things were heating up on this freakishly warm March day in Denver. The carp were feeling oddly frisky and I even saw signs of ultra-early spawning.

3-6-2012: Comically Pathetic Takes

I am not sure which was more pathetic. The slow motion and desperate nature the carp were taking the fly on this day or my inability to time the hook-set. All in all a great day though.

2-25-2012: Quick And Dirty Carp

In a short outing I was lucky enough to have some fun and moderate success with winter carp on the fly.

2-22-2012: The Day

It was a rough couple of months for catching carp on the fly but I finally found the day. The river was post-snow-melt blown but the fish weren't. While I didn't find many, every single carp I found was tailing.