Happy 19th Wedding Anniversary, Mrs. FishnDave! :)
After getting a car tire repaired on the way home from work, and then making dinner for our kids, I went fly fishing at a local public pond.
It already seems like it is starting to get dark much too early in the evenings. Know what I mean?
Anyway, this is a pond I haven't visited recently. It has some decent bluegills, mostly, but they can sometimes be difficult to locate. I found them to be rather scattered, yet managed to land at least 15 on a black Woolly Bugger. They were fun, and I am satisfied with that.
But there was something even better. This is a pond that has some nice Grass Carp in it. It is also a pond where I've rarely been able to get within casting distance of the Grass Carp. They nearly always see me (and bolt!) long before I see them. I have to admit I was hoping to see some tonight, but it wasn't looking promising. As I was fishing my way along the shoreline catching bluegills, I came to an area I knew to be fairly shallow. There were bubbles coming up in several areas. I thought that was odd. I cast in and around those areas. Caught a bluegill or two, and very briefly had one or two fish on that felt a little better than the bluegills. I moved down the shoreline to another area that had areas of rising bubbles. I cast my fly near one bubbling spot and let it sink. When I began the retrieve, there was weight, so I set the hook. Grass Carp! It ran to the far shoreline of the pond. There was only 2 turns of fly line left on my reel...the backing was staring back at me. I considered taking a picture of this, as well as the big bend in my rod.
After several solid minutes of battle, my hook pulled free. Bummer! Because of the way it fought, I strongly suspect this fish was foul-hooked, probably near the tail. Still, I would have liked to have landed it!
I moved down the shore a few paces more and cast towards more bubbles. Within just a cast or two, I hooked up with another Grass Carp. For this one, I had cast to the bubbles and just let it sink while watching my line. When thw line started to move, I set the hook, and saw the back and tail of the Grassie as it darted away from shore. I could tell this fish was definitely hooked in (or near) the mouth. The fish was easier to control, but was still overpowering my 5 wt fly rod. I wasn't in a hurry, but after a couple minutes of this excitement, I decided to try putting more pressure on the fish to tire it and bring it to shore. Once again, the hook pulled out. This time I was even more Bummed out! I thought I HAD that one!
Oh well...having two Grass Carp on the line in one night is exceptional for me, and I feel I might be on to something in casting to those bubbles. I hope I can find that situation again soon to continue experimenting.
Good Post! I need to trying the same thing here. Good title for post, Casting to Bubbles!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Kevin! That definitely would have been a better title! :) I like it.
ReplyDeleteI still havn't landed one of those grass eaters yet. I've had a couple of opportunities but they just have no interest in what I've tried to feed them.
ReplyDeleteWe both know why you'll never give up the chase! :) I didn't land any last year, and none yet this year...but at least I've had several hook-ups this year (which I didn't last year). Just gotta LAND some (one?) of them!!
ReplyDeleteChris at Missouriflies.com posted a couple of his videos flyfishing for grass carp on the Missouri River. He makes it look so easy! Cast out, strip-strip, set the hook! The weeds in the local ponds have died back considerably, so I'm hoping NOW the Grassies might get hungry enough to eat something non-vegetable.
Good job! I believe Chris's grassies are easier for the only reason they are wild and postulated that to him. He did not deny ithat and we had a good discussion. He did remind me of Barry Reynold's video of easy pond, sterile, GC like ours. I think they are simply tough, especially these in ponds.
ReplyDeleteGregg
I think you are right, Gregg. Did you see the River Monsters episode with the vegetarian Pacu that were transplanted to somewhere in Indonesia...and they have become MEAT eaters there? I think the Grassies in the waters that Chris fishes MIGHT have become more omnivorous because there is little vegetation for them to eat. In the ponds I fish, there is plenty of vegetation. Chris is talented, no doubt about it, and very experienced in catching those Grass Carp.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing about Chris' method is that he uses like 20lb tippet, which would make his flies sink SLOWER than they would for me with my lighter tippets. In reality, I should probably beef up my gear for Grassies and Carp. I end up with too many lost fish and broken lines! Chris seems able (in his videos), with his choice of gear, to fight the fish relatively quickly, which is good for fish survival.
Chris's fly patterns, tactics, videos....are extremely helpful, and give me a measure of confidence to continue pursuing my local fish.
FishnDave,
ReplyDeleteI did not see that episode, how interesting! That's a valid theory also I think. Yes, Chris I consider a mentor, very talented indeed, but nevertheless I think his grassies easier to come by. I use 1X as a standard and rarely am broken off. Just for your information, you know your waters better than I do.
Gregg