admin | April 25, 2009
Well, springtime is in full swing here in north Texas – doves are nesting, the wind’s blowing 30 mph, and clouds are soaking up the gulf moisture. Thunderstorms and “heavy rain” seem to be on tap for the foreseeable future (at least according to the National Weather Service). This is not good sight-casting weather which [...]
admin | April 10, 2009
You didn’t think I would let Carp Day pass without a “quickie”, did you? This guy was convienently located on the flat by the Ray Roberts marina and I had him spotted, stalked, hooked, fought, shot, and finning happily away in 15 min. Looks like we’re in for rain/storms this weekend and as soon as [...]
admin | April 10, 2009
We have a winner in the National Carp Day riddle (see below). Our local dry-fly purist turned rubberlipper, Colgate grad., and angling historian, Bart Larmouth, scored with the random quote from The Compleat Angler. It seems Mr. Walton, while obviously a trout and salmon kind-of-guy, spread the love to some other species. Pike, Carp, perch, [...]
admin | April 6, 2009
I am hereby proposing a new national holiday – Carp Day. This will occur on April 10th and to celebrate, all one has to do is catch a carp on a fly. Simple.No cards. No last minute guilt stops by the florist. Nada. Just catch a carp, shake fins with it, snap a pic and [...]
admin | April 2, 2009
I had the same response from two different fishing amigos today when I texted them about catching fish. “Is this an April Fools? In this wind?” No joke. The carp are up on the flats and feeding prior to the spawn. The wind was a bit of a hindrance today but at some point it [...]
Imagine wading through ten inches of clear water,trying to be as quiet as possible. Fifty feet ahead is a pod of large fish "tailing" on the flat. You strip out fly line, make the cast, and pull your fly in front of the lead fish. After agonizing seconds the fish spots the fly, rushes forward for a quick grab, and feels the hook. The silence is broken as the fish accelerates across the flat, quickly exposing backing on your screaming reel. Sounds like a great day on the coast, or even an exotic bonefish flat, right? Actually it's a great description of the usual day my clients have fishing for Carp on the flats of Lake Ray Roberts where many clients are blown away by the water clarity and the actual ability to sight cast along miles of flats. Big spooky fish in shallow water. They fight and tail like Redfish and can sometimes rival Bonefish in nervousness. This is an EXCELLENT WAY to hone your flats fishing skills and test your "eyes" where it's more about stalking the fish than simply stumbling upon them. You will be a better flats angler!