Carp Sighting, first of 2012.

I had a few minutes after work before I had to be home so I drove down to my favorite carp pond to see how the pond looked after the recent warm weather.  As I drove the first thing I noticed were the trees!  Where were the trees? It seems the City had come in and removed all the Russian Olive trees thus opening up the entire shore and bank.  Wow this was going to be a new challenge this year. Where am I going to hide?

Getting over my shock, I strung up my fly rod and walked down to my favorite area. Hiding my shadow in the later afternoon sun in the few remaining trees I saw Carp! Many, many Carp!

Getting my shock and excitement I sat and studied the scene before me.  I remember reading and article by Dave Whitlock in the September 2008 issue of Fly Fisherman, where he listed the common behaviors of carp and your chances of catching a carp based on that behavior. 

Ok what was I seeing here?  Jumpers, two of them, poor chance of catching them!

Basking or daisy chaining groups- another poor chance!  Moving around a bit I tried to cast to a few that I felt were tailers, excellent!  No dice.  Was I that rusty?  Did I really loose all my skills? Was my bug to big?  Was it that solar flair mentioned in the morning news?

Sitting back and letting the carp settle back down after my shotgun blast of a cast into the middle of a group of baskers I just sat and watched and reflected.  This was the beginning of a new season, a new adventure.  I am armed with new flies from that cool Carp Fly Swap.  My favorite pond has a new haircut and I am fresh from the sleep on winter.  I am excited, I am refreshed, and I am ready for the new year of Carp on the Fly!!!!

A few new Carp flies for the 2012 season.

I recently participated in my first fly swap with a bunch of gentlemen from around the web who are carpoholics like myself. Not knowing what to expect as this was my first fly swap, I stuck with a pattern I have tied up many many times; Jay Zimmermans Backstabber in purple and black. This pattern is buggy, easy to tie and the carp here in Northern Colorado really seem to love them as well.  I tie them up in purple and black, orange(really more rust) and brown, and pure white. The pure white must trick them into thinking the fly looks like a cottonwood seed that coats the lakes and ponds in the spring.

Check out Jay's Blog and how to tie up your own Backstabber at  http://coloradoflyfishingreports.blogspot.com/2010/06/best-flies-for-carp.html 

His site is an incredible treasure of tips and tricks and I highly recommend paying his site a visit.

Anyways.  I received my flies from  http://www.flycarpin.com/p/fly-carpin-2011-carp-fly-swap.html and all I can say is WOW!

Flies from the 2012 Carp fly swap.

Well after doing a quick study of the flies I received there tends to be a common theme to carp flies. Tie them so the hook point, put in some type of 'eye', tie them smaller than you think, expect if you fish in Michigan. That huge fly in the front belongs to Kevin at http://www.indigoguideservice.com/Guides/Kevin/.  Wow that thing is huge!

Looking at all the cool new flies got me thinking and I put together a few bugs based on what I saw in the fly swap.

 I really like these guys here.  A bit heaver eye in yellow and some Bobcat hair for the tail and dubbing.  Thin skin on the top to push those hackle feathers creating what look like legs.

 Getting into the soft hackle is something I have never done before but now that I look at it this is how I think the fly should appear.  I wonder if some marabou would work great here? This guys is really my favorite of the new bunch and I think I will use him often.

 I experimented with the thin skin on top, and below, with the thin skin at the 'bottom' of the fly to see how it would ride.

Although it appears that the thin skin on the bottom would make the fly legs more buggy near the hook point, I think I prefer the thin skin on the top.  Dang, I cant wait for the ice to break up and try these out on some real carp.

All this would have not been possible without the origination and perseverance of McTage at  http://www.flycarpin.com/p/fly-carpin-2011-carp-fly-swap.html   Thank mate, I appreciate it and look forward to the next fly swap.

Let me know what you think of the flies.
Lonny

Night out at the Senior Center

Rick Takahashi tying one of his many midge patterns.

Spent the night at the Fort Collins Senior Center watching the local talent teach the rest of us how they tie their incredible patterns.  All money raised went to http://www.rockymtnflycasters.org/. Notable tiers included Rick Takahashi, Al Ritt, and Mark Tracy and many others from around northern Colorado.

Creating Wollybuggers.

Learning to fly tie for beginners. This booth was so popular with the kids. I really enjoyed watching how this gentlemen spent so much time with each individual person. He made sure each newbie was able to make a complete fly before the end of the night.

Thadd Strom

Marty Staab of Elk Horn Rod and Reel in Loveland Colorado

Mark McMillan, Independent Tier.
He made some incredible streamers and had great fishing stories as well.

Some nice caddis by Marty Staab.

Marty Staab tying up his Mysis shrimp.  

Rick doing more talking that tying.   His corner of the room was the most packed of the night.

Mark Tracy tying up some patterns.  Mark did the pictures for Rick Takahashi's book "Modern Midges".

What? Another new Carp fly?

Wow this designing carp flies is kinda of addictive.  I whipped this guy out in a matter of minutes.  For me, I have to take the fly into little bits and then build on the idea.  I like the way the marabou undulates while in the water.  I love silly legs.  Dubbing, well you have to have some of that for a body.  The legs came about by accident really.  I love soft hackle flies but after I added the soft plastic thin skin the legs just kinda of flattened out.  By pulling them to the side I created a nice little landing pad for the rest of the fly to sit upon after being stripped.  I don't know.  I kinda of like it.  Now only if there was some open water to chase carp.

Lonny

Playing with a fly for Carp season

I am working on a fly for the comping spring and carp season.  Taking some hints from Jay Zimmermans Backstabber and adding a few twists I came up with this fly.  Let me know what you think, either positive or negative.  Having never created a fly from scratch I can appreciate just how hard it is to come up with something original.

So how do you go about naming such a fly?  I know of the "Carp Carrot", the "Near enough Crawl",  hmm, suggestions? Something with Carp in the title would be good I would think.
Thanks all,

Lonny

Carp, The Movie.

A little something to get you excited for the upcoming dry fly carp season.

This is why we do it!

Barry Reynolds is the reason for the addiction.  Just saying.  Thanks Barry.