Hop(per) on The Carp Train

This morning, I had a long phone conversation with Howard. We talked Dream Stream, float fishing, and lots of other things. But something he said reminded me of an idea. Howard was talking about how he loved to throw hoppers at big browns on the Arkansas. Browns? Brown trout. But what else is brown? Carp! So this afternoon, I went out to my favorite spots with a question in my head. Was it possible to catch carp using dry techniques? Fishing hoppers on the skate, the twitch, the dead drift? Basically, was it possible to catch carp as if they were trout? From the second I pulled up to the pond, I knew I had picked the right day. You could see the rings and hear the "bloops" of carp feeding all around the pond. I tied on a Grand Hopper, hopped into position, and took a cast. My first three shots brought total rejection. My forth shot, however, fell short and landed literally 4 inches in front of the fish's face. But the fish didn't spook. He looked up, moved towards the surface, and slowly inhaled my fly. He turned, felt the hook, and shot away, snapping the 3x tippet as he went. I watched my last Grand Hopper swim away feeling pretty stupid. I re-rigged with a PMX, moved to a new area, and tried again. One fished came up and nosed my fly, then turned away. Next I had another slow eat, but my set was too early and I missed the fish. Finally, I moved to a nice sunny patch of water between two trees. After watching for a minute, I saw a big shadow moving along the bank. I cast out and in front of the fish, twitched it three times and let it sit. A giant golden head rose up, sucked in, and thrashed at the feel of sharp metal. Ten minutes later, I had the answer to my question:

Shown Here Displaying Jordan Shoes And Gucci's "Carp Selection"

Mug Shot

Fill A Box Contest: Let The Voting Begin!

After quite the delay, I am happy to announce that the voting for the winner of the Fill A Box Contest has begun! For those of you who don't remember, the idea of the contest was to tie a really cool box of flies and see who's box takes the cake. Well, now it is time for you to decide! Here are pictures of each  box to give you another look. For a more detailed look at each box, just search "Fill A Box Contest" at the top left. And to Howard, Alton, and Mark: Good luck! And feel free to vote for yourself or someone else (And don't feel bad, I would choose myself too).

Howard's Box, Side 1

Howard's Box, Side 2

Alton's Bass Box

Mark's Box, Side 1

Mark's Box, Side 2

Fill A Box Contest: Almost Over

With only a few days left until the  Fill A Box Contest entry final, I felt like I was forgetting something. Not just reminding everyone, but something really important. So Mark, I apologize that this took so long. Between fishing, fishing, and even some fishing, I completely forgot tot put your entry up. Finally, here it is! Find Mark over at Tie And Fly.

Not only did Mark fill a double sided box, but also a double slotted one. I have no idea how many flies this is, but I think it will be enough to last him awhile. I don't think I need to say much about the flies, other than the look like the quality of a 10 year old chinese girl (believe it or not, that is a compliment). Awesome box Mark, and good luck to everyone in the contest!

There is still time to put in your entry! Fill a box, shoot me the picture, and get in the race! June 30th is the deadline, so get to work.

My Co-Fisherman For The Day

Who knew, he really does fish! Howard and I finally got a solid plan together, picked out a time and a place to go fishing, and even a place to meet. I woke up at about 8:30 this morning, got ready, and hopped into my dad's car on his way to work. He dropped me at the shop, gave me some fly money, and headed off. I picked up some Meat Whistles, which are a big fly tied on a jig hook so that it rides hook up. It's above, for those of you trout snobs. Howard arrived a few minutes later, cool fiberglass rod in hand. After a few calls to my parents about, "How exactly do we get there again?" we found ourselves at Pella Crossing. Right as we got to the side of the lake we wanted to fish, I spotted a frog. Thinking it would be a cool thing to post a picture of (like Jay's salamander), I cast my line into the water and grabbed at the frog with my hands. The bending over must have moved my fly and attracted a nearby bass, because I soon felt a tap on my line. Fish on! After a good fight, and some picture taking by Howard, I brought the fish in. Not a huge bass, but a nice one.

 I moved on and looked for more fish, and eventually started talking to a nice spin fisherman who was next to us. "Hey J, Come here for a sec." With that, I turned around to see howard fish on. He eventually brought in what I will truthfully admit was the biggest fish of the day.

We fished a little while longer, but it was getting hot and the fish were no where to be seen. We went and picked up some lunch, and drove home. All in all, a great day!