July and Grassies

Posted By on August 11, 2009

Sorry for the long dry spell of posts but July was kind of a blur. If I wasn’t guiding I was in Colorado backpacking and chasing trout from the Weminuche Wilderness to Crested Butte. The carp fishing in July was fantasic with several memorable outings.

I guided Wilson Jaeggli and his friend, Frosty early in July and enjoyed a grand appearance from the grass carp. Usually, these MONSTERS give us just a passing shot and a Melville-esque glimpse at a large, silver-scaled fish in a foot or two of water. Wilson had done some research and came armed with milkfish tackle and tactics for just such an encounter. Around lunchtime, we saw a grassie tail at the edge of an old road bed. While moving into position, two more tails popped up (each tail easily 12-14 inches across). AND they stayed there – tailing and moving around the area for a good 10 minutes. Wilson made several presentations with a grass fly but no takers. Someday. Someday.

The photo shows Frosty with a nice common carp. Wilson is holding the rods in the background – one of which is a 9wt Sage rigged for grassies. The other is one of the coolest little rods I’ve ever seen. It’s a little Scott 6 wt. from their Concepts line (I think) a few years ago. It’s only 7 feet long and was designed by Chico Fernandez as a light snook and redfish rod for fishing the mangroves out of a canoe. NEAT!

Categories: Carp, Ray Roberts
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North Texas Fly Fishing Adventures with Joel Hays

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!