Buzzy
Active Member
Two weeks ago I fished the big pond and found carp still in spawn mode. Wading three quarters of a mile of shoreline I saw one fish that wasn't participating in the orgy and might have been feeding. Of course my cast hit the fish on the head and it spooked. Just seemed really late for such major spawn. What do I know?
Headed back to the big pond this afternoon. No clouds in the sky, slight breeze in Ephrata and about 80 degrees. Perfect! About halfway up Lake Lenore I notice the lake isn't flat. Blue Lake is has a good chop. The big pond, not quite white capping but breezy. It was going to be a challenge casting into the "W".
Strung up my 8 weight and knotted on a size 12 jig (Saber 5220 with a 7/64 tungsten bead). This little jig style bug has become my favorite carp fly:
Olive Simiseal in a dubbing loop with red pine squirrel zonker strip for the tail. Bass sometimes pounce on it and trout have been known to grab it. Not sure this would be a grand slam or trifecta but three species on the same fly on the same day? Fun!
I hiked about a half mile to get to a point that provided shelter on the lee side. Carp were not thick in here but they were feeding with a few cousins still orgying in the tules. I spotted one fish with his nose in the mud rooting around and dropped the fly a few feet from him, game on. Superb cast! (no laughing).
The first fish was really fat, maybe he'd found a good bunch of mud bugs to eat? I was working the fish towards the shallows when, for some reason, he beached himself in maybe an inch of water. Thank goodness this wasn't a steelhead or I could be drawn and quartered.
Evidence of where the fish was hooked. I bet he survived.
Within a few minutes, carp-1's cousin ate.
Another cousin
And yet another cousin headed towards me.
Mirror, mirror, whose the biggest golden boner of all? This mirror carp had some spunk and nearly got into backing. Had the drag set pretty tight on the Tibor.
I only fished for a couple hours. Hooked six fish, landed five. One fish hit so fast that I hit too hard back and bent the 60 degree jig hook, came unbuttoned.
Headed back to the big pond this afternoon. No clouds in the sky, slight breeze in Ephrata and about 80 degrees. Perfect! About halfway up Lake Lenore I notice the lake isn't flat. Blue Lake is has a good chop. The big pond, not quite white capping but breezy. It was going to be a challenge casting into the "W".
Strung up my 8 weight and knotted on a size 12 jig (Saber 5220 with a 7/64 tungsten bead). This little jig style bug has become my favorite carp fly:
Olive Simiseal in a dubbing loop with red pine squirrel zonker strip for the tail. Bass sometimes pounce on it and trout have been known to grab it. Not sure this would be a grand slam or trifecta but three species on the same fly on the same day? Fun!
I hiked about a half mile to get to a point that provided shelter on the lee side. Carp were not thick in here but they were feeding with a few cousins still orgying in the tules. I spotted one fish with his nose in the mud rooting around and dropped the fly a few feet from him, game on. Superb cast! (no laughing).
The first fish was really fat, maybe he'd found a good bunch of mud bugs to eat? I was working the fish towards the shallows when, for some reason, he beached himself in maybe an inch of water. Thank goodness this wasn't a steelhead or I could be drawn and quartered.
Evidence of where the fish was hooked. I bet he survived.
Within a few minutes, carp-1's cousin ate.
Another cousin
And yet another cousin headed towards me.
Mirror, mirror, whose the biggest golden boner of all? This mirror carp had some spunk and nearly got into backing. Had the drag set pretty tight on the Tibor.
I only fished for a couple hours. Hooked six fish, landed five. One fish hit so fast that I hit too hard back and bent the 60 degree jig hook, came unbuttoned.
