fishhead
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Posts posted by fishhead
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MM - that's what I call kickin' butt and takin' names. But in this case catchin' fish and takin' weights.
WTG, Dude!
keep 'em coming!Steve
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Thanks, guys for the replies! It was a hoot. Now if I can start getting the BIG BOYS. I just stopped by the former fishing spot next to my shop and FED THE HEALTH out of some ducks and geese! I threw in several shredded loaves of 13-grain, sourdough and honeywheat bread prewetted to sink faster out of the fowls grasp. I'm going back there since it's closer and my best Mirrors (high 20 inches but no weight on them,yet) came from there.
kentlakecarper- Tooele is about 40 minutes from me to the northwest. Why do you ask? Is there a great carp spot there?
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G. Fisher- A clooper is a carp that is sucking in "something" at the surface. I believe the clooping word comes from the sound the carp is making while it sucks at the surface. Like when they feed on cottonwood seeds, popcorn, bread, etc.
I would gives this a try BEFORE angling and it would only take minutes not hours.
Get some decent binoculars and stand farther back from the cloopers and scan until you discover what it is exactly that they are clooping on. It may be super small or difficult to see without magnification and stealthy observations.
Then mimic what you see.
OR...toss a fly made of white marabou or algae or moss green colored like olive bugger color only it should just be a puff with a hook hidden inside it.
Stealthy presentation may be needed as well ....like kneeling or lying on the bank out of the fish's visual range dressed like the bank you're on. All this but my personal thought is keying to one thing-find out what they are clooping and mimic it unless you're good enough of a caster to plant the fly in ones mouth at the very instant it cloops. lol!
Good luck!
Steve
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Here in Utah is celebrated an additional 4th of July type of Holiday on July 24th, called Pioneer Day, complete with parades, rodeos, fireworks and festivities. When our shop manager announced the store closure on Weds and I told my wife about it she said “You should go fishing!” Boy, my wife sure loves me.
So at 1130 PM Weds I’m packed and at the new venue by midnight and set up. I took my fly rod and spinning gear plus several baits to try out. Within the hour I’m rewarded with a my first reel scream and netted an 8.8 Common. WooHooo! After the fish is photo’ed and released, I reward myself with a Mt Dew.
My session was 11.5 hours long and the swim went from somewhat s-l-o-o-o-w to Freakin Rediculously HOT!
Right at daybreak and sunrise the activity went off the chain. I had a double twice and even managed one of them by holding the spinning rod (with the bigger fish on) between my knees while I played, reeled and netted the smaller fish hooked up on the fly rod. The smaller fish cooperated by resting quietly on the grass by the bank while I hauled in the other fish. Both got a photo’ed in the net and released thereafter. The other double was landed one/lost one.
The weights of the fish were 12.0 even, 10.2, 8.8, 7.6, and the rest were only counted and not weighed as they ran under 5 pounds. All Commons this time: 32 carp with 8 channel cats bringing the total fish count to 40 for the session.
During the morning hours the anglers starting arriving and several were hardware slingers looking to hookup with a Trout or Bass. Four of those stopped by after noticing the hot action I was having. Two were partly interested only because they could see the rod bending and fish fighting going on from across the lake and wanted to know about my catch. "Targeting Carp" I told them. They left and two others, a father and son, came by and were keenly interested. They asked about the fish, the tackle, rigs, reels, baits, techniques, everything. I had bite after bite going on and handed the son the flyrod with a fish on and minutes later the spinning rod as well and netted his fish. Big grins all around and I gave them web references and one of my Gamakatsu hook packs after showing them how sharp they were and the need for good quality hooks. I think I hooked them on Carp Angling! Both pairs of anglers mentioned seeing big fish cruising by where they were but no action. That gave me two new swims to investigate.
My swim produced fish right up to 1130 AM when I packed it in to go home. My enthusiasm to hit the waters left me a little unprepared food and beverage wise. One soda, one water, one power bar and one granola bar and some gum. By 1130AM after nearly 12 hours of non-stop action, I was getting famished and dehydrated from the hot and dry desert heat. Oh well food and drink take second place when the bite is on.
All in all a great non-stop action session, though no monsters were caught the quantity made up the diff for me this time.
The photos are in no particular order.
Steve
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Hit the water for a bit last evening and pulled this little butterball in from the margins. It doesn't have any barbels and was short for its depth, rather plump with a somewhat different dorsal fin. Is it a goldfish or hybrid cross or just a funky little common? I took 4 pics of it and released it without weighing it. My guess is near a pound.
Steve
PS-I just added a larger pic for clearer viewing. The fish's head also looks a bit smallish to me.
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EXCELLENT! Crackin' good video.
Steve
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Welcome, Wet!
Like you I have fished for decades but caught Carp Fever a little earlier than you. An up front caveat-It's incurable! I targeted other rough fish as well - big cats, bowfin, and especially during the hot summer months in NC- the alligator gar. My PB gar is 54 inches at 19 pounds.
Then I kinda discovered the "buggy whip" and that it isn't all snooty and pretentious as I had so wrongly presumed. Caught my PB Bass on the fly and some HUGE silver salmon in AK on the long stick. So it stays in the arsenal. Now I've come back full circle to the mighty Golden Carp and love the challenge of flailing for hours at these spooky freshwater bones with the fly rod.
My hybridized method of long sticking is using the flyrod as a free lined bait feeder. Just a carp rig as terminal tackle without more than a split shot, favorite carp bait and roll cast it out a few yards...wait a bit....and BOOYAH! Fish ON! I get loads of weird comments about using a flyrod this way but who cares when I'm catching and everyone else is fishing. good luck to ya!
Steve
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WTG! Good looking bunch of fish. Gnarly scales on that Mirror! Gotta love it when the fish gives a "jolly fins up" pose.
Steve
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WTG! Dude,
!!!Nice pics and variety of fish sizes.
Nothing wrong with nearly FREE fishing tackle.
My fav small flyreel is a vintage pflueger medalist with the bakelite handle and click-click -click sound and watchstem adjust drag.
$5 bucks off ebay not too long back with new line and backing.
keep on carpin!
Steve
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MG-just a thought here. How about a couple of drops of blueberry syrup on your mulberry fly, then cast it? ya never know
Steve
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After having my hat handed to me again today after work, I decided to call home and check in with the wife and kids to see what the evening schedule would be like. My wife said she didn’t feel like doing too much so why don’t I go scout the new lake up the road since the fishing here was trying at best right now. See the other post about nearly having to eat my hat.
HALLELUJAH! Anyway I run up the road a few miles to beautiful 50 acre lake park maintained by the county. After parking and gathering my gear I walk over to the bank and scout a few spots not already taken by other anglers. This is fairly clear water that is stocked with Largemouth bass, bluegill, black bullheads, channel catfish, walleye, yellow perch, white bass, trout, and common carp. The lake appears quite healthy and I see plenty of fish breaking the surface. Right near where I set up I spotted a fish carcass in the reeds at waters edge - a dead common about 5 pounds. I walked to a corner of the lake with a break in the reeds and set up shop. I cast my Okuma bait runner out to the right and leave room for flycasting as well. Many carp were cruising around and splashing but nothing doing with the flies presented. Within a few minutes I get a buzz on the other reel but it stops. About thirty minutes later a small buzz then another and then about 4 feet of line goes out and stops. Definitely some activity starting up. Time is 8PM with an hour and a half of daylight left. Tired of flycasting I wrapped some 13-grain bread around a #4 gamakatsu hook and roll cast it straight out. In ten minutes the line abruptly goes taut and shoots out buzzing the flyreel. I lunged and grabbed it before it went into the drink and hold on with only a slight tug - this fish has bolted and hooked himself. I just have to hang on and play him out.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztttttttttt!
Quickly followed by the lovely staccato sound of rat-tat-tat-tat as the backing knot rips through the guides and I know I’ve got a nice one on. Now if the tippet holds and the hook stays put I’m happy. I check my watch-830PM. Just minutes before the hookup I saw a Huge Cruiser come through my swim and this guy was 36-38 inches in length. At first it looked like a grass torpedo but the conservation officer later told me there were not grassies in this water. It wasn’t a fattie but big enough for me to be startled into spooking it when I jumped sideways for a better view. WOW! big fish here!
Back to the fish and fight at hand. After the initial powerhouse run way deep into my backing I think I’ll reel him in. NOPE! Six more times into the backing this guy takes me. I think I done lassoed me a Clydesdale. This guy gave me a thrilling fight but after 15 minutes I’m thinking “time to bank this fellow and get him released before I either lose it of tire it beyond recovery. Well 15 more minutes pass and I’m still playing this scrappy bull dog who doesn’t like the shallows and won’t give up. Almost to the bank and another burst of energy nearly to the backing again. He’s tired now and what happens next? A conservation officer walks up behind me. First time in two years fishing in Utah. We acknowledge each other and he offers to net the fish or hold the flyrod while I net. I thankfully decline saying I’d rather he not wet his boots or pants and in another minute or so net my first common out of a new venue. Nearly 35 minutes of effort went into the fight on a 5/6 weight flyrod with a 3x tippet. The corner of the fishes’s mouth was a little bruised but otherwise strong and healthy. While the fish rested in the net the Officer checks both my primary license and my second pole permit and said he appreciated me having them in order. He had just issued 3 citations to the anglers down the bank from me. Then I asked for him to take the pix and he willingly obliged. A mexican youth had stood beside me for half the fight and when I was ready to release the fish the officer politely “recommended” I keep it. YaRrrGhhh! I looked at him and thought for a minute- yea, I see his point, “it’s a carp, and in utah they support spear and bowfishing and general eradication of the species in favor of the trout” I looked at the kid and asked would he like it and if so would he eat it? A big grin and an affirmative answer was rewarded with a meal for his family. The officer approved. So I had to sacrifice one but felt OK about feeding a family. Again I forgot the scales in the truck but the length was right at 28 inches. Not a new personal best but certainly the hardest fighter I’ve had on the flyrod and as hard a fighter as the prespawn early springtime river carp I caught back in North Carolina. The pics include the reel handle blurring through the backing, some bent rod sunset pics, and the Game officer’s images of me and the very challenging yet rewarding common. I grabbed the flyrod with a slimed hand and got a taste of something other than my hat. Finally!
Had to thumbnail link the last image.
Steve, the redeemed one thanks the fish gods for smiling upon me.
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Had to nearly eat my hat today. 107ºF on the local Bank clock/temp marquee. WHEW! So I get off work at 3PM and go to the local city park lake and head over to the windward shoreline to flick flies at the flats feeders. They were there en force and I estimated around two fish for every five yards in the 5 to 15 pound range. Same as before. This time I scooped and swept gobs and handfuls of the algae goop from the waters edge to capture or observe the stuff the carp were feeding upon to see if there were scuds or other bugs present. None were found but the soup I checked was probably already sieved by the fish and washed ashore.
Anyhow I cast dozens of times over a hundred yard stretch only to have my Hat handed to me again this time served slightly salted from sweat and ready to eat! I set the flyrod down and got out the camera for some pics of these golden boneheads. The best shots were when I held the camera behind my polarized sunglasses to cut the glare. Hence the funky color and sunglass arm showing. You can see them clearly taking off from right in front of me heading to the deep.. Quite frustrating to be so close as to touch them with the rod tip but not entice a take.. I mashed a piece of 13 grain bread onto a fly and gently roll cast it in front of a fish and by luck had an unexpected, 3 foot, 2-3 second take that was just a quickly dropped as I took up the slack for a strip set. DRAT! Oh well.. I tried for about an hour and then went to another swim on the other shore to bait up two rods and lick my salty wounds and rethink tactics. My thoughts are these fish, being in such shallow water, are on red alert as any heavy footfall or bird shadow passing overhead spooks them towards the deep in quick order.. Enjoy the wakes and mud trails. Pardon the poor shots, the camera was on auto focus tried to focus on my sunglass lens.
Steve
PS- there is a gold lining to this dark cloud in my next post
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Thanks, guys. Just got in. I went back after work again today. I 'm a glutton for punishment. Pics plus the story, and it involves my HAT again.
For tomorrow... gotta go wash off some slime smell and hit the hay!
Steve
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Yesterday after work I hit the local 35 acre lake loaded with Carp. I silently stalked the shoreline casting flies where dozens and dozens of commons were feeding. I threw everything in the flybox at them and was handed my hat and had the door slammed on my butt! These commons were mostly in the 5-6 pound range up to the high teens. The bigger fish had their backs out of the water so I could see and estimate their sizes. They swam and fed from 2 yards to 20 or more yards out and the larger fish seemed to stay just a tad father out. The wind blowing in my face was not helping that much either and it would gust some and flub my cast. Only a couple of times did a fish even turn and notice my offerings only to then move on. The algae goop they were stirring up is filled with scuds and I guess that's all they wanted. Any really splashy casts or lining of a fish sent fish hightailing it with wakes and mudtrails behind them. Sigh....
(I'll go back today for more torture and pics)
Oh, I did manage to snag a quarter sized scale from a carp as a consolation prize.
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The fish deserves another compliment as well...NICE Common!
Steve
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Thanks for the welcome.
fishhead-my moniker, means- "fishing addict" not the anterior end of a fish. Like the old term "pothead" for dope smokers. I go by Steve. or "hey you!"
I'm glad to be here and hope to shorten the re- learning curve with your input and experience.
FiSherwood- Thanks, I'll check out the paylaker baits.
louis- here's the Utah reg on chumming. "Chumming is prohibited on all waters except Lake Powell
(chumming means to dislodge or deposit into the water any substance, not attached to a hook, line or trap, which may attract fish.) "
HOWEVER....maybe a pack bait or PVA or "giant-sized" dough ball would work.
keystoneman- re:FAKE corn. Seems okay in bait approved waters.
The reg: Manufactured, human-made items that may not be digestible, that are chemically treated with food stuffs, chemical fish attractants, or feeding stimulants may not be used on waters where bait is prohibited.
In other words where bait is OK so is fake corn. The local shops sell yellow corn flavored salmon eggs.
In general:Several rules pertain to the use of bait in Utah:
Use or possession of corn, hominy or live baitfish while fishing is unlawful.
Steve
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hello all,
I've been a casual fisherman for 30 plus years and hooked on Carp since the late 80's when I caught my first ones with 7'6'' flippin' sticks and sweet corn in the Neuse River in Raleigh, NC. Anyway, I picked up flyrodding and put away everything else for a few years and just recently moved to Utah where there may be some world class fly fishing just minutes away but after chasing Silver Salmon in southeast Alaska 8 years in a row, these dinky little trout -the stockers that is- just don't have much appeal. Not to down play the Trout fishing here too much but the ones we targeted and caught in the Uinta Mountain lakes wouldn't fill a hot dog bun. So it's back to the big golden ones for me. Trouble is in Utah about 30 years ago some overzealous Trout fishermen were baiting(chumming) the Trout with 100 pound bags of feed corn and royally screwed things up. The regs here now state NO CORN, NO CHUMMING. rats! My "go to" bait has always been sweet corn.
Well, I joined the forum here to help my RE-learning curve not be as steep without the golden kernels out of a can on the hook and another can broadcast out to create the swim.
I got some good creative feedback. So I'm cooking up a corn alternative as I type and will become a "serial duck feeder" as suggested by greeny. thanks for that. I work for a nationally franchised Deli chain with unlimited free bread in honeywheat, 13 grain and sourdough. The big plus is there's a 35 acre lake 5 minutes from work full of carp-I've seen some three footers in the shallows and had one on the flyrod for about 4 seconds when it smoked my line and popped the tippet. I swear it took off like a section of telephone pole being drug by a speedboat - heading for the deep channel near the flats.
There's also a NO FISHING duck pond in our parking lot full of Koi, goldfish, Carp, ghosts or albinos, and maybe a few grassies. somebody's pets. I feed them and watch their activities. Almost all I see are teens to low 20's. .
Anyway to cut the ramble....I'll post when I can....include some pictures and hopefully increase my skill and knowledge while using everything else but CORN.
Steve
PS= One I caught this week on the fly - a large nymph pattern- sight cast.
Home madebaits really do work!!
in Pictures, Stories & Video
Posted
On the old TV show "Sanford and Son" there was a character named Grady who dropped in from time to time to pester Fred. One of his trademark responses to anything amazing was always the same.............
"GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY!!"
And as the Brits would say -
"What a stonker!"
stonker
• noun, Brit., informal, something very LARGE or IMPRESSIVE of its kind.
— DERIVATIVES "stonking", adjective. As in "that's one STONKING lump, mate!"
— ORIGIN from military slang "stonk"- a concentrated artillery bombardment. As in " the Jerries stonked the livin' snot out of the Frogs back during the Big War!"
Only in my dreams ...or ....in Photoshop are my catches that big.
WTG!
Steve