Muddy Water and Mudding Carp...

This weekend got off to a pretty strong start; with Friday night being spent gathering steelie flies and gear, chewing my fingernails off while looking over rising flow charts and knocking back beers to help me not worry so much about those graphs that were tilting in the wrong direction. Spotty, strong thunderstorms were making random messes of some watersheds, while others remained relatively untouched and I was having a tough time getting a feel for where we should head in the morning. There was no doubt that going to the wrong river could prove to be pretty detrimental to our success that day, but if we hit the river right, then it would pay off.

We've learned that things don't always go according to plan on fishing trips and often times you're best to just stick to what you know. What we knew as of Friday was that the Yough had leveled off somewhat and that the fishing could be good even if the river was a bit dirty. In the worst case scenario, we would float a few miles, drink a few beers and get a little sunburned. How bad could it be?

Fortunately, we had the beers and the sun was out, because the fishing was about as bad as it has been all year. Don't get me wrong, Josh and Dad managed a few and I got one little dinker, but this was far from the utter chaos that has been occurring on the river for the last few weeks...

Sunday brought family plans, that just so happened to be near a carp spot that is particularly productive. It made perfect sense to loop in a little bit of fishing before the obligations kicked in around 1. So, I left the house at 5:30am and was on the water by 6:15...waders and all.

Waders in August? You bet. This creek is far from pristine and exposing any bare skin to this kind of water could surely have detrimental effects on not only me, but any offspring I plan on having down the line. Why would anyone subject themselves to this sort of nasal punishment and bother sweating out a hot August morning to try for a few "garbage fish?" The answer is pretty simple; In comparison to other carp I have fished, the "garbage fish" that reside in this creek are just flat out stupid.

When carping, it is pretty reasonable to expect a fish that is visibly feeding to just flat out ignore your offerings. In most cases, by the time you have changed flies, the fish is spooked and won't eat anyways. Frustrating? You bet.

But these fish are different, often charging flies with jaws snapping and tails waving in the air. And that's just the half of it. Get a solid hook in one and watch your 6 weight bend to the cork and line melt off of your reel. You want scenery? Go brookie fishing. Tell me how many of those little bastards will make you wonder if 2x was enough....

...by noon, I had put enough fish on the bank, was sick of busting through thick brush and was beginning to wonder just how much exposure I should have to the toxic brew in the water. I decided to call it a day. Though it was rewarding, I need to figure out my carp problem in other waters. Catching these fish is fun, but I can't help but feel like I've gone to a whorehouse and got it the easy way (scary rashes included), rather than going about things in a more civilized way. More on a later date...