It's a funny time of year. The weather has warmed dramatically and people have burst into action - joggers, cyclists and even fishermen. But fishing right now is a bit premature, at least if one wants to catch fish. It is a lesson which I have learned the hard way, having spent many early Spring … Continue reading Properties of Water →

Sometime in the middle of winter I began to dream of fishing. Literally. Usually I dream of catching carp on warm, sunny days. The dreams are fairly true to life and remarkably un-dreamlike. Sometimes I am wading along a small stream, sometimes walking the banks of a placid lake. The sight of a "dream" carp, … Continue reading JANUARY: all caught up →

NOTE: I am not a big fan of winter. When the weather turns cold I get less active; I do less fishing, and less blogging. Due to a fairly cold and snowy winter so far, I've gotten two months behind in posting what little fishing-related news I do have. In an effort to catch up, … Continue reading NOVEMBER: stripers →

Just before conditions took a turn for the worse, and the carp all but disappeared, I spent a cool Fall morning on the water. Visibility was poor due to an overcast sky but I finally spotted a fish feeding in the shallows. Determined not to blow what I knew might be my only shot of … Continue reading dig-dug →

 It's been a lousy Fall for carp so far. I'm sure that I deserve some of the blame - I've missed plenty of fish and maybe I haven't spent as much time on the water as in the past. However, I have noticed some definite differences this year. For example, in the late Summer and … Continue reading "F" for Fall →

I took a new friend fishing last week. Toby recently moved to Nashville from Florida and was interested in carp so I took him to one of my more consistent spots where we spent the morning (and a good portion of the afternoon!) throwing flies at fish. Toby did very well for a first timer. … Continue reading Bycatch →

Some time ago Drew, a friend of mine from way back, called me and asked if I tied my own flies."Sure" I told him."OK, I'm sending you something."That was pretty much the extent of the conversation.A few days later I received an envelope with no letter. Instead, it contained a single flight feather from a … Continue reading Special Delivery →

We're just back from a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, a nearly 5000 mile journey from Moscow to Beijing. We spent several days in Severobaikalsk, a small city at the northern tip of Lake Baikal. The lake has about half the surface area of Lake Michigan, but at over a mile deep it holds more fresh … Continue reading Trans-Siberian →

I recently met Gil, a fellow carp angler, through a mutual friend. Via email we have been sharing some of our favorite fishing spots. Gil mentioned an urban pond near town that is full of small carp.Not wanting to fight the crowds on the Fourth of July Weekend I decided instead to check out this … Continue reading Trophy Hunting →

 Fishing can be addictive. I don't think it is a chemical addiction. Thrilling moments are too short and too few to qualify fishing as an adrenaline rush, and it is simply not aerobic enough to produce a "runner's high." Instead I suspect that the addiction is more cerebral. Like an obsession with golf, catching fish … Continue reading Highs in the 90’s →