Shootin' Fish In A Barrel

Carp Were Everywhere

This 6lber Looks Like David Schwimmer

Having rained last Sunday, I was worried the carp waters would be off.  I was partially right.  Most of the water was way too muddy and high to fish, all but one section. For whatever reason this section is shallow and clear.  Today was another ridiculous carp day.  Just like the other day the fish are stacked like salmon.  It took me a while to figure out what was going on but once I did the fishing was off the hook.  Speaking of off the hook I lost at least 10 today that went unglued.  Most were from a poor hook set but one, very good fish, was lost by a poorly tied know.

I lost the first fish on my third cast of the day, he took a size 10 olive zebra midge.  I moved to a shallower portion of the river and literally saw 200 carp.  Jumping, splashing, wrestling, mating, cruising, whatever they were doing it, they were everywhere.  They were splashing the banks hard.  You'd see their gold sides flash out of the water every so often.  Then a large tail. It was insane.  None of them were all that spooky.  Even when I hooked or fought a fish the fish remained at the same place.  I managed to land three one 6lbs, 4.5lbs, and the last 4lbs.  Not bad for a couple hours fishing.  I lost about a dozen just by not strip setting properly.  I was reverting to trout hooking and the fly would go unglued.

It was strange, no fish really spooked.  They stood their ground.  In fact some fish would charge and bump the fish I had hooked up on.  I'm not sure if they are protecting their nests or what.  You see carp with their nose into the bank, stacked up touching side by side with one another.  It was insane. Again you'd see cruisers packed up together 10 or more like a bait ball.  I do not quite understand these fish but I can tell you that today was a great day to be out.

I started with what lately has been the go-to fly, a Prince Harry Legless Aggravator.  No carp were interested. Since it's been brighter than most of my outing this year, I switched to BH Rubber-Legged Hare's Ear.  Armed with this fly, it was literally shooting fish in of a barrel (for those foreign readers who don't understand English idioms- it was ridiculously easy).