john montana
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Posts posted by john montana
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Lips.
Tails.
Despite the water being too cold, too high, and too muddy...I still managed to catch a bunch of carp today. I think the carp are as ready for some warm water as I am! I landed 18 fish total with 5 of them over 15 lbs (15,16,16,17 and 17). The trick was sneaking right up on top of the fish and then dropping the two fly rig so that one fly sank to either side of the fish's head. Even in the murk I could usually tell when they would turn to the side so if I could get close enough I was able to spot the take.
Great to finally see my backing!
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They may or may not snap the rod in two but you would tire that fish beyond necessary to land it. I have landed twenties on my 4 wt and won't target fish that size unless I am using a bigger rod. I know carp are tough but there is no sense in risking exhaustion and increased mortality by over tiringthe fish if you can avoid it. I mostly use a 7 wt, but an 8 certainly wouldn't be undergunned.
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I want to get some glass lens costas, but my natives are pretty solid for now.
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I checked some spots this last weekend. Saw a few fish out deep in the ponds but nothing in the shallows. We need some sun!
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Awesome fish!
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Sweet bill. I would be terrified to fish my two wt out here. I break enough 7 and 8 wts duking it out with carp on the big c. I have used some fiberglass rods and had a good time fishing glass. I have a fen wick 6 wt glass rod. My first ever carp was on a six wt bamboo rod...just a little 7 lber but I didn't take the boo out for carp again. My friend chris builds bamboo rods and he is building a quad 8 wt to try for carp this summer.
A few years ago my buddy Wendell berry landed a 13 lb on one of those micro rods. Just a crazy story. Check it out here.
http://fishingandthinking.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
You have to scroll down a bit.
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It really depends on the size of the carp. Out here a 5 wt would be way too light (and a 2 wt suicide! No idea how you pull that off bill)! I use a 7 wt for the most part...usually in a 9 ft 6 inch for extra leverage.
Go get em!
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I caught one in Jacksonville on a mohair leech, and one out west on a San Juan worm. Not a ton of experience with grass carp, but those two flies worked in (extremely) limited action for me.
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I built a cane rod (4 wt paul young perfectionist taper) from scratch a few years ago. Sweet little rod. Really got into the cane craze and bought some on eBay, bought more at an estate sale and refinished em etc. Tons of fun to fish and yes, I caught a 10 lb carp on a six wt rod by a MI rod maker...once. Wouldn't do it again unless it was on a stout, quad built rod designed specifically for very large fish. I could feel my 6 wt dying with each run and while the rod did ok, I still feel like there is a very slight set in it. My buddy is a great builder and I got him into carp fishing this year. He generally only uses cane (has built hundreds of rods) but he used graphite with me. He is going to build a hollow quad with graphite ferrules and try it on carp this summer.
Personally, I would be prepared for the worst if you do it. Carp are so tough on gear and a big Columbia fish mixed with a beautiful can rod scares the heck out of me!
Edited to add some pics of my 4 wt.
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I actually hooked a sturgeon on a carp flat. Cast at a cruising shadow 80 ft away and set the hook on tension. Turned out to be about a 4 ft long sturgeon. It swam past me with my fly likely snagged in it's belly (I don't believe it ate that fly for a second) and the fly fell out when it passed me. I see small sturgeon on the flats once or twice a season.
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Great pics!
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Not sure about the rest of you, but I am absolutely going stir crazy at this point. I might have to stoop to (gasp!) steelhead fishing!
How about some pics or stories about you fish of the year. I have two, but only one was mine.
First up was this beauty caught in the spring.
I was fishing with my dad and high school coach and really loved showing him the carp on the fly game. Julio was set up on a pod of fish that were just laid up, not eating but he just couldn't leave em. We all know how that is! I walked around the point, just a few hundred feet away and spotted this big girl laying in the shallows, surrounded by downed trees and brush. I ninja crept my way in there and dapped a fly on her head from a rod length away. I netted the fish but the best part was the look on Julio's face when I came around the point carrying that pig. Priceless.
Fish number two was Wendy berrells. I have been after a 20 plus lb mirror for years, and Wendy says this fish came to him because I poached a 20 lber from him earlier that day! Guilty as charged, but I am happy Wendy got this beast. Awesome fish.
Some nice memories. Anyone care to share to help me survive the winter?
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Have fun Jim!
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Nice Jim. I gave it up two weeks ago, coming to a similar conclusion. The fish are likely still there, but you have to cover a lot of water to find em.
How far away ismthe spring?
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Sweet!
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Have you used that reel on any bruisers? I get into some pretty big carp on the Columbia (20-30 lbs) and my one concern is being able to bring them in with the automatic. Can it bring in line against resistance?
It is pretty cool looking.
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I would be in after thanksgiving. Just no time now but if we do another in dec or January I am definitely in...
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Sweet koi. I had a bit of an addiction with a big koi a few years ago. Tough buggers to catch.
How is that thinkfish reel? I wonder if it would work on the Columbia bruisers. Sweet looking reel and I like the idea of getting the line back fast when one gets off well into the backing.
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How big do those CO carp get? It seems like different fishing than I do on the big c. During the summer I see huge numbers of fish bit I cover a couple of miles of water per day.
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I had a great year. Didn't hit my goal (wanted a 35 lber on the fly) but I truly believe I saw a few that would have done it, and hooked a couple that would have been close. That gives me some great hope for next season! I landed about 15 fish over 20 lbs with the biggest fish of the year being this 25 lber I caught in the spring.
Other great things from this year...saw Wendy berrell catch a 23 lb mirror; watched my dad catch his first fish over 20 lbs; and took my old high school coach after carp.
This thread needs more pictures.
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Nice. Urban fishing!
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The river was thick with mist this morning. The sight of the fog was enough to change my original mental odds of finding carp from a coin flip (always choose tails!) to about 3/10. I took my time rigging up, there was absolutely no reason to hurry. Air temps were still in the 40s and I contemplated the vest, knowing it would get warmer, but basically being a big softy about cold weather. I wore the vest most of the day. I was fishing not one, but two brand new pieces of gear today, mostly because my wife is a saint and lets me have my toys. I rigged a beautiful GLoomis Native Run GLX in a 9 ft 6 in ch 7 wt, and paired that with an XL reel by Allen Fly Fishing Company. The XL is their newest reel, and I was anxious to see how both rod and reel would fare against a good size carp. Waders on, boots tight and net clipped to my pack, I stepped off into the river, looking for one more fix before the long, cold winter.
Fishing this late in the fall brings it challenges. The water is usually a little lower, the wind is down (truthfully, I'm a big fan of a decent 10 mph wind when carping...this ultra calm stuff is TOUGH!) but most of all it is the curse of just having finished summer carping. Gone are the hundreds of carp you usually see on the flats, replaced with singles, the odd pair and few tailing fish. The fish are there if you walk enough, but anyone can tell you that the key to carping is numbers. With summer fish, you can flounder around and the sheer mass of fish will still ensure a good day, but in the fall, all of the little mistakes you become accustomed to making in the summer haunt you. Stub your toe on that rock...poof...fish gone. Flub the cast and put it too close...ditto. All those types of things wear on a summer time carper too, but in the fall, you might not get another chance. I blew a few shots today before I remembered lessons learned and slowed way down. I carefully placed each footfall just where I wanted it, and in particular I was cognizant of how much water I was pushing with each step. Carp are sensitive, and in dead calm water if a pressure wave from sloppy wading reaches a tailer...adios tailer.
The first fish on my new set up came together nicely. I spotted the fish moving along the bank from quite a ways away and tucked myself into a little nook of trees, figuring I'd just await the fish's arrival rather than stumble my way to him. The fish slowly moved closer.
I waited and watched, flies cradles in my finger tips, heart pounding more than a little bit. At 20 ft, with a perfect angle I snapped a cast at the fish. Too far away. I picked it up quickly, but quietly and laid the line back toward the fish. The two fly rig landed in the right spot and I counted to 4, staring at the carp and envisioning the flies sinking to the bottom. I just finished saying "four" in my head when the carp slid forward and puffed out his gills. I set the hook and heard the XL sing!
It was a good fish. Thick and heavy, somewhere between 14-16 lbs but I kept my scale in my pack and settled for an estimate. The Allen reel sang a nice song, the new backing got stretched and the native run loomis wanted more.
I wandered down the river, stopping now and again to cast at a fish, putting a couple of fish on the bank and in general avoiding any thoughts whatsoever from entering my head. I came to a shallow stretch of river that is often home to some large fish, and I paused on the bank, scanning ahead for disturbances or tails breaking the surface. The fish were there.
The pictures don't look like much, but this was a big fish, actively tailing in the shallows. I crept to within about thirty feet, stooped at the waist due to a lack of cover on the bank. The fish kept eating and casually tailing. I am a big believer in staying on the bank when possible. In the water, sound travels easily and there is no way I would have gotten within thirty feet of this fish had I been in the water. I snuck along the shoreline, checked my flies for weeds and made a couple of false casts to the side to gauge the distance. The first cast was good, and this fish was active. With a push of it's tail the carp charged the sinking flies and I quickly set the hook. Most big carp fight with less guts than the mid size ones, but this fish fought valiantly. I kept up the pressure and several runs later I slid the big fish onto the beach. I busted out my scale for this one and he weighed in at 22 lbs. A great fish!
The rest of the day played out well. All told, I landed roughly 6-8 fish. I had a near miss with a really big fish...trust me, I know the stigma of "the big one that got away" but when every fish you catch was spotted, stalked and SEEN it becomes obvious when you have a shot at a really big one. Today, the accursed weed bed cost me a fish that would have been in the running for my biggest of the year. So it goes. I did land some great fish, and stored many visuals to keep me warm through the winter. I am already planning some production tying, and thinking ahead to the warm waters of spring and summer. Sad to say, but that is likely the end of the season for me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/johnmontana/b7ef4f30.png[/iM
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Go get em! I have caught carp on the fly in every month except dec. That said, the winter months were tough and I only caught them in ponds. Couldn't find em on the flats. Good luck!
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Nice Jim! I know some mulberry water for next summer.
I Wanna Catch This Fish!
in Carp on the Fly
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Sweet fish...go get em.