Back from the Smokies. The park is heavily trafficked but so well managed that it's still a pleasure to visit. The weather was pretty good during our visit, but the twice daily thunderstorms had really filled the rivers. When I stopped by Little River Outfitters to pick up some flies, I found out that Little … Continue reading Smoky the Carp →

I went tailwater fishing last week. In the south that usually means fishing for trout, but with the water warming as we near the middle of June I had a feeling there weren't any trout left in this particular spot. Anyway, I had bigger fish to fry. I was trying to find gar, which I … Continue reading The end of Spring →

I've lost a lot of fish this season. Human error, broken tippets, or simply coming unhooked. Breaking a hook, however was the final straw for me:I tie these little worm flies on stainless steel saltwater hooks. The fish that snapped the bottom one wasn't even that big (for a carp anyway,) and not nearly as … Continue reading Broken Hooks and Broken Hearts →

If you fish one place long enough you end up with a pretty intimate knowledge of the bottom. You remember where the stumps and the rocks are, the channels and drop-offs. This is especially true with carp fishing. When the surface is rippling and the water is a little bit cloudy, it's easy to spot … Continue reading Fish in a Bucket →

Night fishing season has started! My secret spot under the lights is a great place to hunt carp on hot summer nights. It's still early in the season so it's mostly the "small" carp that are feeding in the shallows:The stretch of shoreline where I fish is not very long. Each time I hook up, … Continue reading Under the Lights →

Tara and I went fishing yesterday. Well, I went fishing. Tara sat on the bow and read celebrity gossip magazines...Anyway, with the water still murky, the best carping strategy at this point is still 'dapping,' that is, trying to wade close enough to the fish that you can drop your fly right on their heads. … Continue reading dapper chap →

The flood has receded, but the waters remain murky. After a morning of frustrated sight-fishing, I landed a small female carp. She took my fly and headed straight for the trees. Once I coaxed her through the branches and back out into open water, she swam directly at me. At one point she actually bumped … Continue reading After the Flood →

The carp hatchlings have died! Every day there were a few more fatalities, but the majority of our small fry were eating and growing steadily, though slowly. Yesterday I awoke to find all of the fish had perished in the night.This is not as surprising as it might seem. Just a tiny bit of soap … Continue reading One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Dead Fish. →

In my experience, there are three stages to aquaculture.Stage one: Hatching the eggs.Stage two: development from fry to juveniles.Stage three: juvenile to adult.Stage one was unexpectedly successful. After just three days, the carp eggs hatched, leaving me with easily one hundred baby carp, and very few unhatched eggs. For a day or so, the fry … Continue reading It’s Alive! →

As I mentioned, the carp have begun to spawn. I have been thinking about setting up an aquarium for some time, and I thought it would be fun to put wild carp in it. Since all of the carp I catch, or see for that matter, are far too big for a dinky home aquarium, … Continue reading Dr. Frankenstein →