john montana
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Posts posted by john montana
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good report ray!
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good deal keith. hopefully my dad can join you next time!
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Elia and I went back for my flies today, armed with a 15 lb leader. I hooked another big fish (but not nearly the size of yesterday's beast...i figure the one today was in the mid to high teens). I never had a chance though. that fish was in my backing before I could do a thing, then turned and blasted into some lily pads way down the bank. I got the hook back thanks to the 15 lb leader, but my carp wooley (size 8 scud hook 2x!) was completely straightened out. KB thinks we might need to try saltwater hooks!
Elia freaked my out today by pointing at my head and saying, "Spider...big 'un!"
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I got out this morning for a couple of hours with Elia in the backpack. She is getting awfully big to haul around in that thing, but she sure loves to go fishing!
We hit another local spot I had fished a while back, and revisted briefly with KB last weekend. KB nailed a great 11lb fish. I got blanked last time, but saw some nice fish.
Today the conditions were actually worse. The water was even murkier, but if you kept your eyes peeled you could see mud clouds, bubbles, and occasionally the body of a fish. This place has some big fish in it, and today I got a crack at what might be the biggest in the pond.
I was walking down the bank and noticed that the massive matt of lilly pads was being moved aside as a fish swam right through the middle of them. I follwed the movement down the bank and got a great look at the fish when the lilly pads thinned out. It was a BIG carp. I mean really big. I sped up and got ahead of him and continued to watch his progress by keeping an eye on the moving lily pads. He eventually got to the end of the pads and i saw his huge head kind of peek out into open water. He paused there for a minute, looked both ways like he was about to cross traffic, then slowly eased out into the open. there was maybe 10 feet before he would hit the next batch of lily pads, so I let him get about 2-3 feet out before I made the cast. I thought that if I actually hooked him he would run forward, and I would have a chance of stopping him.
My first cast with the mohair leech was a good one. about 3 feet beyond him and 2 feet ahead. I made one quick strip and then two slow strips and clearly saw his huge mouth open and close, so I made what was probably the best strip-set I've ever made (former trout guys tend to struggle with the strip set.) The big carp exploded immediately and water went everywhere! The lake here is pretty deep, at least 6 feet but he was high in the column. I bent the 7 wt over double and tried to turn him toward the shore, but he had none of it and turned with a fury toward the lily pads from which he had just appeared. I was only fishing 3x (DUMB!) and put as much pressure as I dared, but it wasn't enough and he got into the sparse pads on the outside. He kept digging in, looking for the really thick ones, so I increased the pressure and POP! He was gone.
I called KB to tell him that I just lost the biggest carp I have ever hooked, then changed to a 2x leader (biggest I had) and kept fishing. I did get another good shot at a fish and manged to hook him. He made a great run in some open water and then turned for more lilly pads. This fish was in the 10-12 lb class (he was 8 ft away when I hooked him, I got a great look at him) and I though the 2x would hold up but I put too much pressure on him and broke that guy off as well!
So this afternoon Elia and I hit the fly shop, picked up the biggest leader I've ever fish...a 15 lb cord that I'm hoping will hold up to the big strong fish in this spot. I want my flies back!
One picture from today, the spider that almost took my leg off:
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nice J!
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i forwarded this to him keith...sorry i missed your email, just got back from seattle.
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i've wondered this myself paul. i am dying to catch a grass carp on the fly, but how can i meet that goal when it is illegal to fish for them in OR and WA. you can easily split hairs, but the reality is that we sight fish with flyrods, so when i'm casting to commons and choose to cast to a massive grass carp that looks NOTHING like a common, i just broke the law. i have cast at grass carp, and i'm sure most carp fisherman in OR/WA that come across one have done the same, but it is clearly against that particular regulation. in the end, i'm not sure where i stand on this. i really don't want to do something i'm not supposed to, but it is tough to put that in the proper perspective when a 40 inch grass carp is moving along the edge of the flats.
personally, i hope they change that regulation. as long as the fish is immediately released and not taken from the water i think it should be okay.
tough question paul.
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everyone has to choose their own methods, but mine do not include bait, chum, or scent of any kind. i like the challenge of spotting, stalking and fooling a specific fish rather than feeding that same fish. to me they are different ways to fish, and i choose one over the other. nothing wrong with either choice, but i personally find it more rewarding to catch carp (or any fish) without bait, chum or scent.
that said, i am positive it would work. a friend of mine occasionally dips his carp flies in vanilla extract, and says it helps his hook ups. i believe him, though i've never tried it. it just makes sense. i think a carp with their great senses would be more likely to move farther, and hold onto a fly longer if it was scented.
i've been frustrated plenty of times with carp, but that just makes the moments that come together even more rewarding!
good topic paul.
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i'm in the "carp learn" camp as well. the water i fish a lot with my daughter can be tough at times. i'll find a fly they like and hammer fish for a week or two, then the same fly spooks the heck out of them and i have to find another fly that works. part of the fun!
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i cuaght two of these nymphing a size 10 rubber legged hare's ear:
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love the carp wooley. it is a good one. the rubber legged hares ear in 10s and 12s has been good to me this year as well.
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Today Elia and I went fishing for the first time since JJ was born. We planned to spend the morning at my two favorite local spots, but Elia didn't really want to be in the backpack today, so we only fished for about an hour and a half, but it was a productive 90 minutes.
At our first stop I only saw one fish. It was 830, and the flat was still shaded, so it might have been a little too cool for the fish to be in feeding. We headed to my go to spot, knowing we would see some carp. I was fishing my 7 wt Albright, which is much bigger than I need for the small 3-6 lb fish in the pond we were heading too, but I haven't gotten to fish that rod much yet, and wanted to get a better feel for it.
The second stop was dissapointing as well. The water was really murky, and the fish were difficult to spot. We stalked carefully around the pond, with Elia breaking the silence now and again by yelling "HONK" at the geese as they swam by. After a few minutes I spotted a decent fish feeding right up against the bank. I dapped the fly about 4 inches from his nose, he eased over to it, then bolted out of there like I had poked him with a stick. I don't think he took, but he was close enough and the water murky enough that he could have taken the fly in, spit it, and spooked without me knowing it. I spotted another fish, and this time when he eased over to where the fly had sunk, I lifted the rod and the fight was on! This was a little 5 lb fish, but it still made a great run, nearly to my backing. I brought him back in and released him despite Elia's pleas of "hugs, hugs." She sure likes carp!
I headed to a third spot close by that has some really shallow water. Right away I spotted several fish feeding in about 1 foot of water. I crept in amongst the bushes and flipped the fly out bow and arrow style. A small 3 lb carp pounced on the fly like a cat after a mouse, and I quickly set the hook. In that shallow water with a big rod the fight doesn't last long, they just don't have enough depth to get going. I quickly released the little guy and moved down the bank.
After a few minutes Elia and I spotted another fish, this a bigger fish in the 5-6 lb range (big by the standards of this pond). I dropped the fly on him from about 15 feet away and clear as day he turned his head and flared his gills. Fish #3 was on the line! To my surprise, this was a beautiful mirror carp with an orange colored tail. Really neat fish, and even with Elia in the backpack I had to try to take some pictures. Easier said then done with a 30 lb girl trying to climb over your shoulder to "give kisses" to the mirror carp. I snapped some shots and let the fish go.
The fourth and final fish of the day was another small 3 lb fish, but a great take. I spotted a carp right up agains the bank, and leaned in over some bushes. The fish was only a rod length away so I just dropped the fly about 4 inches from his nose and let is slowly sink towards the bottom. When the fly was about 6 inches from the bottom, a second carp came from out of nowhere and crushed the fly like a linebacker taking out a wide reciever headed over the middle! Unfortunately, the carp that hit the fly was the smaller of the two fish (I had been aiming at the defensive end) but he still made a nice run and bent the rod over.
After that Elia and packed up and headed home to see Kelly and JJ. Another great outing with my daughter, and as soon as JJ is up for it, I'll try to show him a carp!
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I'm sorry you guys didn't see more fish Mr. P but I for one am eager to fish with you. another great report, despite the lack of catching!
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once again Mr. P nails it! well said Mr. P.
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good report paul...wish i could get out there and help out on those grass carp! i really don't have a clue how to catch them, they are awfully tough.
it is not a really a secret spot, but it would be a tight squeeze for more than one or two guys, so i appreciate you not mentioning the exact local paul. my luck i would get a day to fish, drive all the way over there and see a couple of guys out there and not get to fish!
i'm more of a "show not tell" kind of guy...
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good stuff ray. i'm really anxious to get jj out on the water, but i think 5 days old would be pushing it! heh heh...
keep up the reports, love the pictures!
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this has been deadly lately for me:
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J.J. (John Joseph) came into the world Monda at 3:42 pm. both he and kelly are happy and healthy, though a bit tired! I'm home for a couple of hours to spend some time with elia and let kelly's parent's get some time with her and j.j. he weighed in at 8.5 lbs and 20.5 inches...figured i'd give the weight for you carp anglers, and inches for you trout guys!
happy to have our family together, and we are all back home now!
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you better be quick with the camera KB...i rarely miss! heh heh...
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now we all have read KB's reports and know he is an oustanding angler. When KB has his trusty 6 wt in hand any carp in the area had better keep their mouth shut! but every now and then, one gets the better of him.
video evidence:
http://media.putfile.com/KB-Misses-a-Carp
if that doesn't work, try here first:
http://www.putfile.com/carponthefly/media
it makes me feel a little better to know you won't stick them all before I get back out there KB!
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speaking of big carp, this was the smallest of the 4 kb and i saw this day. couldn't hook any of them, but i'll be back!
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hey keith, my dad lives in whitefish and is dying to do some carping with a flyrod. you two should go after some fish sometime.
good report
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i dig that first mirror lowell...awesome fish!
here are a couple more of my bigger fish:
and of course, highway cone:
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I am really excited because my son will be born any day now, but that also means it will be a while before i get any serious fishing in, so I'll fish vicariously through you guys. let's see some pics of big fly caught carp to break up the heat wave here in OR!
A day on the Carp flats
in Carp on the Fly
Posted · Edited by john montana
There are some advantage when you fish with KB. One, he is an easy guy to fish with. He knows what he is doing, and is just a fun guy to be around. Two, he brings LOTS of water. Three, he happens to be a professional photographer...Every now and then that comes in handy!
We had a spectacular day today chasing carp. The water was low, which made the fish ultra spooky, but making each fish more difficult just made it that much more rewarding when you did manage to hook up, and hook up with did. KB hooked 8 or 9 carp, landing 3 or 4, and I hooked about 15 carp, landing 9. The big fish of the day was a 22 lb beast that I took after creeping down the bank like a Ninja and dropping a big prince nymph on his head. The big boy was so intent on feeding, that I could barely see the fish, but I did see his tail push him forward and felt a tiny bit of weight on my line. I thought to myself, "weed." Than I strip set anyway and the fight was on! This fish had me wondering if I had enough backing as his first knuckle-breaking run had me staring in disbelief at my reel. After what seemed like an eternity I managed to bring him back to shore, and then KB performed one of the best net jobs I've ever seen. He sort of scooped the fish's head into the net, and then move the net from side to side to get each pectoral fin in there! It was quite the sight watching him squeeze this huge fish into my tiny net. One of these days I really will get a bigger net!
Lots of great memories and moments from today for both of us. My best take was simple. I dropped my fly in on a fish feeding in some weeds, and saw the fly sink to the level of the fish. The fish didn't move an inch, and I thought to myself, "He either already ate it, or he's not going to, " and I quickly lifted the rod and it bent over as the fish blasted out of the shallows. We had the great fortune or running into Paul Huffman as well. I have been meaning to fish with Paul and it was a pleasure to spend some time with him and watch the inventor of the Carp Wooley at work!
All in all a great day, with good company and good fishing. As Mr. P says, "the take is the premier moment," and today was all about that split second when it all comes together.