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| This Girl Was Willing to Help Inspire a "Carptharsis" |
Will Rice nailed it in last month's New York Times article on fly fishing for carp:
"There’s a pretty common theme for anglers who get excited about carp,” Rice said.
“They start out fly fishing for trout, and then take a saltwater trip where they catch bonefish and tarpon. In the course of the saltwater fishing, something clicks about getting bigger fish on the fly. When they get back home and fish for trout again, that 'big fish' thrill is a little lacking. Then they discover carp.”
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| Carp: The Thug is the Drug |
"I use the same crab patterns that I use for permit. In the end, it’s all about watching the take. Seeing a nice carp suck up a fly is always a thrill. When you set the hook, they don’t even know what’s going on — they just continue on their way. When they do realize that something’s wrong, the water explodes, and they’re gone. The big ones roll off slowly like an 18-wheeler in low gear. The smaller fish can melt line off the reel.”
You can read the article in its entirety here.
Just caught my first carp on fly this last weekend. Soooo much like permit fishing, but you've got to be more delicate, more like bonefish. You can't just plop it on their heads. It was a blast, the careful, precise casting, keeping the slack absolutely out of the line, the subtle take. All good stuff. Course, not really like those salty bastards since I landed it on 3X and it was about 8-9 pounds. No way you're doing that with a bonefish. Still, good times and can't wait to do it again.
ReplyDeleteRight on Davin.
DeleteYeah, they don't really charge like bonefish do, but carp are still a heck of a lot of fun to stalk with a fly rod.