#no whatever it is I like it if it's pretty common north american fare

[harpsicalbiobug]

Hey weird question what does a food aversion feel like?

[gwiinpatton]

Scaly Golden Beasts : Carp on the Fly

I think every angler that lives in the US can think of a handful of “secret” spots that have “tons of huge” carp in them. When I hear this it definitely sparks my interest but it’s at that moment I know this conversation is about to go one of two different ways. It’s either about to be a great conversation filled with stories about battling them on conventional or fly and followed by some epic pictures of the huge golden creatures. Or it goes  goes the other direction as they begin to tell me about how Common Carp are “Trash Fish” and the evil villain of the freshwater angling world. They then proceed to show me pictures of dead carp with arrows through them. When I’m at work and this happens I just bury my feelings and try to remain calm but inside a whole other conversation is taking place and it’s not very nice.  The term “trash fish” quite honestly just pisses me off. Over the last few years as a fly angler I’ve really grown to love these misunderstood creatures. Aside from the fact that they look cool and are built like bull dozers  , they also fight like it . It’s pretty hard to go back to chasing bass when in reality NO black bass will ever rip me into my backing 10 seconds into a battle . A 5 pound Common Carp however will give me an 8-10 minute battle and if it has the room to swim will definitely show me that neon orange braided core at the heart of my reel. 

Now I know what you’re thinking , “So they fight hard but they can’t be that hard to catch…right? I used to catch them on corn as a kid.” Actually carp are one of the hardest North American freshwater fish to catch on fly hands down. Aside from being omnivores and their food of choice changing day to day. They are also hyper aware of their surroundings when up in the shallows and feeding. This is where they are most vulnerable. Carp species have a huge lateral line that help them sense even the slightest vibration or electrical currents . That matched with decent vision , sensitive barbels and a huge tail fin make for a fish that with one hard push of the tail can be gone in an instant. Leaving you scratching your head and staring at a cloud of sediment or mud where it just was. This makes them so much fun to stalk from the bank or kayak. 

Common carp have been the favorite target species of fish for friends in the U.K. for hundreds and hundreds of years. Most Americans can’t begin to understand the amount of money spent on carp specific gear and the ones who do know it  all to well , as they are probably Euro -style carp anglers , but that is a different topic all together. 

In the 1800s two fish were brought to America both for table-fare and sport. The Common Carp and the Brown Trout . According to Kirk Deeter, author of the Orvis Guide to Fly fishing for Carp, in 1872 Julius A Poppe brought 5 Common Carp to California and within 4 years the fish had proliferated into a successful fish farming operation. Then in 1877 the U.S. Fish Commission launched a major effort to cultivate these fish throughout the country. The first shipment of fish from Europe was deemed so valuable that it was guarded around the clock after they had been acclimated to the Druid Hill pond near Baltimore Maryland. The Brown trout was brought over and planted into the Balwin River in Michigan in 1884. Highly revered for its “sporting”  characteristics and widespread commercial value. The problem was that this fish couldn’t just be dumped anywhere. It had to have specific requirements to thrive and reproduce. It required cool , clean water and tons of bugs and freshwater invertebrates to survive. It’s other European buddy ,the carp , could survive in the opposite . Dirty warm water with low oxygen levels were no problem at all. Now fast forward to present day. Seeing where these two species ended up in the “social status” of the angling community is insane to me . Carp thrived and took hold in literally every body of water they were introduced to . Clearing muddied silty flats , helping keep back certain plant and invertebrate species but by the turn of the 20th century we’re already being labeled a nuisance species . Brown trout however, which are considered to be one of the favorite trout species to fly anglers , were hard to keep alive and destroyed native trout populations in certain water bodies but remain at the top of prized fish species . The reputation  that both species gained is a little crazy in terms of their effect on local waters and native species . I’m not arguing the fact that carp eat fish eggs and muddy up certain areas of rivers but in reality what kind of creature doesn’t eat fish eggs!? The answer is everything eats fish eggs! There there is a little history of where carp came from and how they got spread throughout the country . Let’s get into what the this article is about. Stalking and catching carp from the kayak! 

I’ve already talked a little bit about how much fun and rewarding it is to stalk these fish from the bank but silently paddling up to your target fish , getting everything ready for the cast are the moments I live for . As I said earlier these fish are hyper aware of their surroundings and are ready to bolt at a moments notice . This makes them tough to target from the yak. The slightest bump on your deck can send even the heaviest feeder into the safety of the deeper water . 

For me sight fishing is the way to do it. I’ve heard of anglers just blind casting into muddied flats and catching monsters but have yet to witness or experience it myself. I prefer to find them early in the mornings while their crawling around on their bellies in the shallows . 1-3′ deep water , sandy or muddy flats with little to no flow are the spots I tend to find them feeding in numbers . The clearer the water the more stealthy you have to be . 

As far as gear goes it really just depends on the angler’s preference . I know guys that fight carp on 3 wts and love it but I also know guys who won’t cast anything less than an 8wt. Myself I prefer my trusty 6wt Orvis  Helios ZG with Mirage lll reel loaded with a weight forward floating 6wt line. A 7 1/2 foot 10 fluorocarbon leader with a small buggy neutral colored fly. Some of my favorites include the FlyGeek RioGetter , Carp-it Bomb , Rainey’s Size 6 CarpTease , Egan’s Headstand , Loco Moco and the Hipster Dufus but like I said anything small , buggy and neutral colored will work. The only thing I’ve found that they absolutely can’t stand is anything with lots of flash in it. For whatever reason they simply can’t stand it. 

When it comes to casting on carp I always find that it’s better to cast far in front of them and far back . For example : If I paddle up on a large fish feeding in 3′ of water I will land my fly in front of it about 5 or 6′ and then past it by the same amount . Try to figure out what direction the feeding fish is headed and intersect with slow steady strips of the line. Once the fly is within 1-2′ of the fish ,if it hasn’t been spotted already , kill the action. Then give it tiny little strips just to make it twitch. At this point , a feeding fish will usually have already inhaled your fly. 

Setting the hook at the perfect moment is key to a successful carp session. Most carp will suck in their prey and immediately blow it back out then repeat so setting the hook on the take is when it needs to happen. Don’t be afraid to put some ooomf into it. It takes a bit of force and an extremely sharp hook to bury into those rubbery lips . Usually a good strip set and simultaneous rod tip forced into the air is good enough to drive it home. This is when the real battle begins so hold on tight . If given the room to run it’s guaranteed that you’re going to see the backing line on your reel.  The large tail fins combined with the sheer weight and muscle of these fish make for an intense fight and ability to pick up speed at any given moment .  Chances are you’ll have a great sleigh ride but every time you gain some line they will take it right back. In my experience it’s always better to get your feet planted on firm ground in order to end the battle. If not it just becomes an intricate back and forth of taking and losing line while spinning in circles. Firmly plant your rod combo between and paddle (forwards or backwards ) to the nearest accessible bank to finish the fight. Once your feet are planted it’s time to go to work . You want to steadily gain line but not bully the fish because they will break you off. You know when you can reel and when you can’t and if you don’t the fish will tell you by taking more line . Just be patient and tire the fish out. After 2-3 times of trying to land the fish with your  rubberized net they usually lay on their side come right to the net out of pure exhaustion. 

I hope this short article has sparked your interest in pursuing carp on the fly and you won’t fully understand the fun that comes along with it until you’ve hooked your first one. Just remember that this journey will begin with tons of frustration but will end with a battle that will definitely change how you view these scaly.

Scaly Golden Beasts : Carp on the Fly published first on https://realpaddleandpole.wordpress.com

[jayfurr]

Monday, August 20 was the sixth day of our vacation, and the third day of our nine-day Baltic Sea cruise. It was one of our two “sea days” — days without a port call — and we spent it transiting the eastern Baltic Sea, having left Rostock, Germany around midnight the night before and not arriving in Tallinn, Estonia until the morning of Tuesday, August 21.

Sea days are kind of nice when you’re in a sunny tropical latitude: you can laze by the pool, hang out at a bar, wiggle your toes, whatever catches your fancy.  It’s a little different when you’re at, say, 57 degrees north latitude in mid-to-late August; even if it’s not actively chilly it’s not necessarily balmy swimming weather either.  That didn’t stop us from having a good time, though.  We just didn’t spend much of it on the water slides and so on!

We started the day with a nice breakfast and then had a couple’s massage in the “Mandara Spa”.   I assume you know what a “couple’s massage” consists of — two side by side tables, two masseuses, and at the end they always have you join hands before slipping out to let you get dressed again.   It was the same massage you’d get at a Massage Envy or someplace similiar, only it cost a lot more because cruise lines know common sense and thriftiness go out the window when tourists have made up their minds to indulge themselves.

Our two masseuses were Russian and Ukrainian, both female, and were contract employees who were on board to do massage after massage after massage, week after week after week.  (Life as a cruise ship massage employee isn’t all that glamorous — you’re not allowed to circulate in the public areas, so you’re either working or you’re all the way down on one of the below-water decks in a tiny cabin in the “crew area”.)  Taking photos in the “Mandara Spa” area is frowned upon for obvious reasons, but you can see photos from CruiseCritic here.   Our massage room looked a lot like this, only with two tables.

Then we went up on the top deck (deck 17) and played around on the “Ocean’s Edge Ropes Course” (CruiseCritic photos here).  Carole and I have done ropes courses in various places; there’s one up north of Stowe, Vermont that we like that we’ve done a couple of times, for example.   A ropes course is made up of various obstacles — swinging bridges, ziplines, tightropes, and so on — that you navigate while securely strapped to a safety line.   Our ship, the Norwegian Breakaway, had one up on top, and it probably sees a lot of use when the ship is cruising to and from Bermuda or in the Caribbean.   Since we were in the Baltic, the crew only opened it a few times, on our two sea days and for short stretches on in-port days.   It was kinda fun, all except the bit at the very end.  To get off the course, the final obstacle was a not-very-well engineered short zipline that tended to leave riders halfway between stops, dangling in the air.  (If you rocked a bit and/or reached up and pulled yourself along, you could get to the end.)[spacer height=”20px”]

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Then we had lunch at one of the onboard restaurants, “Wasabi“.  They had sake, sushi, miso soup, and so on.  It wasn’t one of the included-in-the-fare restaurants, but it was worth it.  For the amount we paid, we had a nice meal, well presented and tasty.

The Breakaway (and other NCL ships of its size) has three kinds of restaurants: dining rooms that are included in your fare that include full table service and so on, a buffet area up on top that tends to resemble a cattle stampede at certain times of the day, and “speciality restaurants” that you can go to for an extra price.  We did specialty restaurants every night for dinner except for the night we were stuck on a train from Berlin and the night that we had a special Cirque-du-Soleil-style dinner show in the “Spiegel Tent” performance theater.  Most of the specialty restaurants were good; only one was kinda disappointing.  Unfortunately, it was that one that we went to on Monday evening at the end of our “sea day” — “Ocean Blue” (photos here).  Ocean Blue is a new offering that NCL is rolling out on their cruise ships — a “super premium” seafood restaurant that costs more than the other “specialty restaurants”.   Despite the extra fee, we found it very, very blah.  Carole’s fish was so overseasoned and “fishy” tasting, for example, that she actually sent it back.  Her comment was “If they’re going to charge a lot extra for the speciality seafood restaurant, the least they could do is have people who know how to cook seafood working there.”

But that said, “Wasabi” — our lunch stop — actually was pretty good.

We spent the afternoon doing not much of anything — wandering around the ship, having a drink at a couple of the bars (for some reason, the cruise line had thrown “unlimited drinks” in with our fare, but we didn’t exactly go on any major bar crawls), and just looking at the water going by.   I had wondered if we’d be close enough to the Polish, Lithuanian, or Latvian coasts to see anything during the day, but we never really were.  We saw plenty of other ships going by, both cruise ships and big cargo vessels and tankers, but very little in the way of land.  We must have been too far out in the Baltic to see anything.   We found the ship’s decor kind of amusing, parenthetically — during our explorations we discovered a bar called “Spice H20” that was decorated with lots and lots of New York-themed art — maps of Fire Island, signs pointing to Rockaway Beach, and so on — a reminder that the ship normally cruises out of the port of New York.

“Spice H20” was a nice bar; it was designated Adults Only so people wouldn’t bring their kids there and it was never very crowded.  (To be fair, there really were very few children on the cruise; that may be because our cruise coincided with the start of the school year back in the USA, and it may be because a nine-day Baltic tour isn’t really the kind of thing you spend thousands of dollars to drag an 11-year-old along on.)  Had we been on a Caribbean cruise, we’d probably have gone there more than once, but given that our trip wound being “get up early, spend all day on a tourbus seein’ stuff, go back to ship, eat, crash from sheer exhaustion” our first stop was our only stop.

After our stop at the bar, we had dinner at Ocean Blue.  The less said about that, the better.   But then after dinner we had a really awesome experience: the ICE BAR!

There’re “ice bars” in various northern European cities (and elsewhere too) where the bar, the chairs, everything is made from ice.  The Norwegian Breakaway had recently added one of its own, built into a giant freezer like one would use to store sides of beef in and so on.   You had to sign up in advance to go in because it wasn’t very big, but when we went by after dinner there wasn’t anyone signed up for the next couple of slots and so they able to slot us right in.  They had us pick out some warm overcoat/cape thingies from a rack (we went with boring silver capes, but they had some truly God-awful day-glo leopard patterned options for the visually challenged), charged our room card $20 each (to cover our drinks), and shooed us on inside.  The bar was sponsored by Svedka vodka and all the drinks were made with either Svedka or Inniskilling ice wine.   The glasses themselves were cones of ice inside clear plastic cups.  The room was decorated with New York-inspired art and furniture (the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and so on).   The bar was staffed by one friendly cruise employee who found our glee at the whole experience infectious.  He even gave us extra drinks, plus one for our stuffed animal penguin, Adelie, who’d come along on the trip on news that the cruise ship would have a special penguin-friendly area.  She loved it.  (Her drink was non-alcoholic, of course.)    The Ice Bar was kept at something like 15 degrees Fahrenheit, so when we came out Jay’s eyeglasses promptly froze over in the humid air.

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We finished our day with a show called “Burn the Floor” — dancing and singing and so on by the ship’s crew of entertainers — where photography was strictly discouraged.  We got a picture of the ship’s senior officers, though, before they had us put our phones away.   Our captain was Swedish, but almost everyone else in the ship’s daily operations crew was Filipino or Eastern European.  “Burn the Floor” was a typical high-energy, well-choreographed cruise ship singing-and-dancing show, with multiple costume changes and various performers getting star turns.  Those crewmembers were mostly American and clearly had years of experience in entertaining half-drunk cruise ship passengers.  The audience (us included) loved it.

[spacer height=”20px”]And then, kinda tired from all the running-around we’d done all day, we went back to the room and crashed, and found that the ship’s steward assigned to our room had, predictably, set up a towel animal along with the next day’s newsletter.  Our stuffed animals (Theo the moose, Adelie the penguin, and Sheldon the seal) were kinda confused about the strange visitor.

Then we went to bed.   Next stop: Tallinn, Estonia!

What We Did On Our 2018 Summer Vacation, Day 6 (At Sea) Monday, August 20 was the sixth day of our vacation, and the third day of our nine-day Baltic Sea cruise.

[gwiinpatton]

Golden Toads On The Fly

I think every angler that lives in the US can think of a handful of “secret” spots that have “tons of huge” carp in them. When I hear this it definitely sparks my interest but it’s at that moment I know this conversation is about to go one of two different ways. It’s either about to be a great conversation filled with stories about battling them on conventional or fly and followed by some epic pictures of the huge golden creatures. Or it goes goes the other direction as they begin to tell me about how Common Carp are “Trash Fish” and the evil villain of the freshwater angling world. They then proceed to show me pictures of dead carp with arrows through them. When I’m at work and this happens I just bury my feelings and try to remain calm but inside a whole other conversation is taking place and it’s not very nice. The term “trash fish” quite honestly just pisses me off. Over the last few years as a fly angler I’ve really grown to love these misunderstood creatures. Aside from the fact that they look cool and are built like bull dozers , they also fight like it . It’s pretty hard to go back to chasing bass when in reality NO black bass will ever rip me into my backing 10 seconds into a battle . A 5 pound Common Carp however will give me an 8-10 minute battle and if it has the room to swim will definitely show me that neon orange braided core at the heart of my reel.

Now I know what you’re thinking , “So they fight hard but they can’t be that hard to catch…right? I used to catch them on corn as a kid.” Actually carp are one of the hardest North American freshwater fish to catch on fly hands down. Aside from being omnivores and their food of choice changing day to day. They are also hyper aware of their surroundings when up in the shallows and feeding. This is where they are most vulnerable. Carp species have a huge lateral line that help them sense even the slightest vibration or electrical currents . That matched with decent vision , sensitive barbels and a huge tail fin make for a fish that with one hard push of the tail can be gone in an instant. Leaving you scratching your head and staring at a cloud of sediment or mud where it just was. This makes them so much fun to stalk from the bank or kayak.

  Common carp have been the favorite target species of fish for friends in the U.K. for hundreds and hundreds of years. Most Americans can’t begin to understand the amount of money spent on carp specific gear and the ones who do know it all to well , as they are probably Euro -style carp anglers , but that is a different topic all together.

In the 1800s two fish were brought to America both for table-fare and sport. The Common Carp and the Brown Trout . According to Kirk Deeter, author of the Orvis Guide to Fly fishing for Carp, in 1872 Julius A Poppe brought 5 Common Carp to California and within 4 years the fish had proliferated into a successful fish farming operation. Then in 1877 the U.S. Fish Commission launched a major effort to cultivate these fish throughout the country. The first shipment of fish from Europe was deemed so valuable that it was guarded around the clock after they had been acclimated to the Druid Hill pond near Baltimore Maryland. The Brown trout was brought over and planted into the Balwin River in Michigan in 1884. Highly revered for its “sporting” characteristics and widespread commercial value. The problem was that this fish couldn’t just be dumped anywhere. It had to have specific requirements to thrive and reproduce. It required cool , clean water and tons of bugs and freshwater invertebrates to survive. It’s other European buddy ,the carp , could survive in the opposite . Dirty warm water with low oxygen levels were no problem at all. Now fast forward to present day. Seeing where these two species ended up in the “social status” of the angling community is insane to me . Carp thrived and took hold in literally every body of water they were introduced to . Clearing muddied silty flats , helping keep back certain plant and invertebrate species but by the turn of the 20th century we’re already being labeled a nuisance species . Brown trout however, which are considered to be one of the favorite trout species to fly anglers , were hard to keep alive and destroyed native trout populations in certain water bodies but remain at the top of prized fish species . The reputation that both species gained is a little crazy in terms of their effect on local waters and native species . I’m not arguing the fact that carp eat fish eggs and muddy up certain areas of rivers but in reality what kind of creature doesn’t eat fish eggs!? The answer is everything eats fish eggs! There there is a little history of where carp came from and how they got spread throughout the country . Let’s get into what the this article is about. Stalking and catching carp from the kayak!

I’ve already talked a little bit about how much fun and rewarding it is to stalk these fish from the bank but silently paddling up to your target fish , getting everything ready for the cast are the moments I live for . As I said earlier these fish are hyper aware of their surroundings and are ready to bolt at a moments notice . This makes them tough to target from the yak. The slightest bump on your deck can send even the heaviest feeder into the safety of the deeper water .

For me sight fishing is the way to do it. I’ve heard of anglers just blind casting into muddied flats and catching monsters but have yet to witness or experience it myself. I prefer to find them early in the mornings while their crawling around on their bellies in the shallows . 1-3′ deep water , sandy or muddy flats with little to no flow are the spots I tend to find them feeding in numbers . The clearer the water the more stealthy you have to be.

As far as gear goes it really just depends on the angler’s preference . I know guys that fight carp on 3 wts and love it but I also know guys who won’t cast anything less than an 8wt. Myself I prefer my trusty 6wt Orvis Helios ZG with Mirage lll reel loaded with a weight forward floating 6wt line. A 7 1/2 foot 10 fluorocarbon leader with a small buggy neutral colored fly. Some of my favorites include the FlyGeek RioGetter , Carp-it Bomb , Rainey’s Size 6 CarpTease , Egan’s Headstand , Loco Moco and the Hipster Dufus but like I said anything small , buggy and neutral colored will work. The only thing I’ve found that they absolutely can’t stand is anything with lots of flash in it. For whatever reason they simply can’t stand it .

When it comes to casting on carp I always find that it’s better to cast far in front of them and far back . For example : If I paddle up on a large fish feeding in 3′ of water I will land my fly in front of it about 5 or 6′ and then past it by the same amount . Try to figure out what direction the feeding fish is headed and intersect with slow steady strips of the line. Once the fly is within 1-2′ of the fish ,if it hasn’t been spotted already , kill the action. Then give it tiny little strips just to make it twitch. At this point , a feeding fish will usually have already inhaled your fly.

Setting the hook at the perfect moment is key to a successful carp session. Most carp will suck in their prey and immediately blow it back out then repeat so setting the hook on the take is when it needs to happen. Don’t be afraid to put some ooomf into it. It takes a bit of force and an extremely sharp hook to bury into those rubbery lips . Usually a good strip set and simultaneous rod tip forced into the air is good enough to drive it home. This is when the real battle begins so hold on tight . If given the room to run it’s guaranteed that you’re going to see the backing line on your reel. The large tail fins combined with the sheer weight and muscle of these fish make for an intense fight and ability to pick up speed at any given moment . Chances are you’ll have a great sleigh ride but every time you gain some line they will take it right back. In my experience it’s always better to get your feet planted in firm ground in order to end the battle of not it just becomes an intricate back and forth of taking and losing line while spinning in circles. Firmly plant your rod combo between and paddle (forwards or backwards ) to the nearest accessible bank to finish the fight. Once your feet are planted it’s time to go to work . You want to steadily gain line but not bully the fish because they will break you off. You know when you can reel and when you can’t and if you don’t the fish will tell you by taking more line . Just be patient and tire the fish out. After 2-3 times of trying to land the fish with your rubberized net they usually lay on their side come right to the net out of pure exhaustion.

I hope this short article has sparked your interest in pursuing carp on the fly and you won’t fully understand the fun that comes along with it until you’ve hooked your first one. Just remember that this journey will begin with tons of frustration but will end with a battle that will definitely change how you view these scaly

Golden Toads On The Fly published first on https://realpaddleandpole.wordpress.com