CARPTORIOUS: Paradigm shift

I have been having a really hard time with my fishing ever since the flood.  The flood was a major event and it changed everything overnight.  Water temperatures, clarity, flows and even river course changed and every pattern I have figured out for September / October went right out the window with it.   As a result this is a sketch of what happened to my incredibly awesome fishing year:

Earlier this week I was commiserating with a friend about my situation and he asked me why I didn't just go beat up on some pond carp.  You know, get the skunk off.  My answer was that ponds on the front range always shut down sometime in September.  I don't even remember when I established that paradigm or on what basis - but our discussion got me thinking and today I proved it wrong.  Very wrong!

I don't know how it is every day or on every pond, but on this beautiful late October day the carp at one of my favorite ponds were shallow and hungry!  Once I settled in on an egg-yarn head Egan's Head-Stand and a very very slow hook-set it was "I spot em I got em".  Its a good thing too because I was mere days from ending a streak of catching a carp in each of the last 22 months.

Carp Flies Galore

It may seem odd but this is the time of year when fly shops are starting to think about next year's flies.  In other words, if you want a wider selection of carp flies at your local shop, now is the best time to encourage them to check out the kick-butt carp fly selection (page 43 TO 45) from CATCH fly fishing.

There is no denying that in 2014 CATCH has the biggest carp fly selection in the market, and in my humble opinion it is the best selection as well.  I am biased of course because they are carrying several of my own creations but c'mon man!  Have you seen the CATCH Fly Fishing carp fly designer line-up?

John Montana (Carp on The Fly)
McTage
Adam Hope (This River is Wild)
Mark Erdosy (This River is Wild)
Mr P (Got Backing?)
Gregg Martin
James Spicer (InTheRiffle)
Nolan Majcher
Matt Pike (BigFishFlyShop)
Eric Beebe (CATCH Fly Fishing)

Ridiculous.

Underhand Flip Cast for Carp

I have been having fun making videos lately.   I am no Spielberg but sometimes it is so much easier to show something than explain it in writing.  Here is another one, this time on the underhand flip cast which is a very useful tool for presenting the fly to carp in the 10 to 20 feet range.

Stupid Fly Tricks #3: Un-Snagging With a Roll-Cast

If I could catch a carp to save my life I probably would have other things to talk about.  As it is I haven't had a legitimate shot since the flood.  Not one.  Nada.  Nilch.  Nine.  Niete.  Caput.  Not for lack of trying either!  My season has been over for quite some time - and my off-season looks to be on time-delay.

I guess it is not all bad though.  I HAVE had a little more time to start to work on some of the videos I have been planning on putting together.  While I was working on a video for the underhand flip cast this weekend I kept snagging my fly on my target and un-snagging it with a roll-cast without even thinking about it.  That is EXACTLY the kind of silly little trick that I try to capture in the "Stupid Fly Tricks" series.  The kind of thing that if you happen to not know it for some reason you have a v-8 moment when you first see it.

Longtime fans of the blog will know that I have touched on this little trick before but video always helps!

Presenting the Fly to Carp: The Drag and Drop

The drag and drop presentation is one of the most important fly fishing for carp tools in my arsenal but some-how despite my best efforts I haven't adequately explained it.  Sometimes those things that are simple but oh so profound are the hardest to describe.  Hopefully this video does the trick: