2012: A Carp Odyssey

Hello friend.  It's good to be back.

BOOYAH!  ICE OUT IS HERE - thanks to a recent period of high pressure and warm weather - and today marks the first day of my 2012 carp odyssey at Blackfoot Reservoir.  Soon I will be heading down there with the camp trailer to set up a mobile Uprising base camp. 

The water temperature is still pretty frigid and the few carp that have made it out of their winter holding water onto the flats (only pre-spawn males) are still a bit sluggish.

Fortunately, a few willing players were holding right up against the shoreline in about a foot of water, which made for great sight casting.


At one point, I noticed a sizeable v-wake heading towards a creek outlet.  I cast my fly ahead and to the left of the wake and the wake shifted course directly towards my fly and "BAM!"  Damn, that was fun.

I reckon we still need a week to ten days of warm weather before the carp arrive en masse and the action gets red hot.  The Carp Classic fly fishing tournament is scheduled for May 18th & 19th and I plan on bringing the "A" game.

One thing that always amazes me about Blackfoot Reservoir is the number of living organisms the impoundment supports.  Wildlife sightings today included sandhill cranes, pelicans, a beaver and a golden eagle. 

There were midges, mayflies and mosquitos hatching throughout the day.  As usual, the wind was pretty intense, which required some strategic positioning prior to casting. The fishing was good, but still a little slow compared to what this fishery produces in May, June and July.  It was a great teaser for what to expect in the coming weeks.  Definitely worth the drive and the amount of catching up I have to do now at work.


More to follow...

Good for Carp Karma

A Souvenir