Report.
I started off working a slow stretch under a bridge. The person I was fishing with was using spin tackle and corn, often tossing some corn out to chum the area. I thought about tying on a yellow weightless egg but refrained from doing so as I don't think that is very sportsman-like.
I fished a micro black bunny leech jig with a hot orange bead. A good searching pattern as I was just blind casting it. Got into and landed a nice 11 inch smallmouth bass that fought like a champ. Smallmouth always make me think "glad I brought an 8wt". Gorgeous specimen of a fish. Confidence was climbing.
Then I found a redbreast mine and chipped away at them for a bit (just couldn't resist!). I picked up a handful of them. Not much fun on an 8wt but it was neat to see them zipping around and smacking the small streamer. On the very first one I caught my buddy asked if he could have it for bait (I was appalled!). I have a lot of respect for this little critters as they are awesome fighters and look exotic. Luckily this guy didn't have his bait treble hooks and went searching around for one discarded by another angler. I don't know if I could have brought myself to smash that cool little panfish on the rocks so I tossed it back along with the rest. Only fish I could justify giving a good rock smashing is one of the OBNOXIOUS palominos (no chance in one of those being in this river). Thankfully my friend was unable to find a bait hook.
After a bit we decided to move to a clearing in the middle of the creek that would present me with better casting clearances. I could work from under the bridge by doing a semi steeple cast but I'd often catch some brush on a backcast, of which, I'd rip my fly free (tippet integrity check).
We walked along the rocky shoreline and crossed at the bottom of a long hole. I told my buddy we could have waded through the hole but he didn't want to as it could get pretty deep. If there were carp in this slow pool they were probably already spooked by our mere presence. Once we crossed I found a nice riffle that I thought might have a few fallfish in it. I tossed the streamer in maybe 4 times to no avail as my buddy walked up to the clearing in the middle of the creek and began tossing corn. He spotted some carp milling about and called me up (I was ready!). I came up and could not see the carp. I made 5 or 6 blind casts to where I suspected the fish were holding before I lodged my fly in a rock and broke the hook off trying to get it back. I will say it did feel like I got a light take on one of my retrieves but given the distance of the casts I was making it was hard to tell so I will say it was a rock. My buddy did say he say a carp gliding downstream after I reported my alleged take. Could this have been my first contact with a carp? An acceptance of my offering at last? I think not.
I tied on a bugger with rubber legs as it's just a nice attractor for larger rivers. I pounded the tail end of a pool where I suspected carp could be holding out. I know from experience in this river that carp like to hang out at the the end of these pools as the water picks up. Not sure why they do it. Maybe gives them a good sight picture. I lost my fly for unknown reasons and went back to my buddy for a retie. I tied on a hot pink beaded olive bunny leech. It was obvious at this point that I had long given up on carp and wished to pink up a few decent smallies before the closure of the trip. My buddy said we'd have to head back the way we came and cross a bridge to attack the other side of the creek, because this part of the creek wasn't wadable. I was perplexed by this as it looked wadable and I would be able to more effectively streamer fish it from the side of the creek I was already on. Taking a massive hit to fishing time and my fish catching cyclic rate, I followed suite.
We arrived on the opposite side and I had to clamber down several large rocks while my friend found a slow area to go for carp. Right before I got to the creek I took a fall and mashed my reel onto a rock (thank heavens it wasn't my Tibor!). I got into the creek and started casting about, tossing my streamer upstream. After a bit I realized I hadn't gotten a chance to toss a bobber today so I thought I would attempt it. I think I lost the streamer too. I waded back to shore and used a rock as a shelf for re-rigging. I tied on a golden stone trailed by a massive light pink beaded size 10 Hare's Ear, nymphs I thought would probably work. I added a 1 inch Corqs indicator and I was ready to go. I tossed the rig out, immediately got into a rock, and broke it all off, leaving a fluorescent pink circle to sway in the water. My mistake was using 8 lb. tippet to contact my anchor fly to the top fly. I don't know why I lost the whole rig though. I returned to my rock shelf with just a leader and tied on a hot orange beaded purple bunny leech. I returned to the creek and began firing casts upstream, working an area to the right of a run where the water speed slowed significantly. After a few passes I got some resistance that I thought was rock... then it moved. Smallmouth on! This one was a good fish and fought exceptionally hard. Again, sure glad I had an 8wt to put to it. Got it in and removed the barbless hook for a hassle-free release. I glanced at the fine specimen of brutal strength before gently placing it back into the water.
At around 9PM I thought I would swap out for a popper. I asked my buddy who was stationed upstream of me what color popper tie on. He said dark but I put on chartreuse one so I could see it in the light of the lamp posts of the bridge. I got a single strike at the end of a long cast. Probably a ballsy redbreast. After a bit my buddy calls down that he has a carp on so I reel in my line and pack up my stuff to assist. Before getting to him I retrieve a flashlight (would have rather had a head lamp but I didn't have one). I came down to him at his position under a bridge and watched him get this fish in. I clambered down the rocks to get streamside and gently scooped up the fish (I ditched my steelhead net in my car when we transitioned to this spot) (wish I would have had it now). I cradled the fish and it slimed my T-shirt. Never realized how slimy these fish were. The barbed Eagleclaw hook was firmly placed into its squishy mouth. I asked for a set of pliers and was handed a set of Leatherman's. I took the flash light out of my mouth and handed it to my friend as I worked. Ended up breaking the cheap hook and left part of it in the fishes mouth before releasing it as I thought getting it back into water was better than messing around trying to get a piece of hook out of its mouth. Was that they right thing to do? I don't think the hook fragment would hinder the carp's feeding abilities. A hook was reattached, coated in corn, and subsequently lobbed out with sinkers weighing more than all the flies in my box. After a short while line started pulling out and we had another fish on.
My buddy wanted me to play the fish. I was hesitant, I have a 5 year spin fishing sobriety coin in my pocket but I didn't want to sound standoffish so I thought "what the hell" and began playing the fish. I knew as soon as I picked up that rod that I had made a mistake. It's gross EVA foam handle and plastic reel handle were just so unappealing. I reached for the drag adjuster, having been used to it being on the side of the reel, and then remembering that it's located on the top of a spin reel. The reel was also in right hand retrieve. When I fly fish I cast right handed and reel left handed. I cranked the drag down and twisted my body in the opposite direction of the fish, that was now moving downstream, hoping to get into current. I broke off as fast as possible, relieving myself of the use of spin gear (thank God!). My buddy tells me that this was his catfish setup and that the line was rated at 35lb. test, although he did have a another section of line in the rig that he would later state was rated at 30 lbs. I was in disbelief, that is a test lb. rating far beyond any tippet I use. I battled steelhead successfully on 5X.
That's my "carping report", if you can even call it that, technically my first outing at least attempting to go for one. I think I am going for smallmouth now...
