Summer Wet Wading and Creek Fishing

Last Monday we had no school for Labor Day.  So, instead of laboring on homework or running, Charles and I went fishing.

Charles took me to a small creek, best known as the creek that runs through Arbuckle Park, a small public park that is in need of a little cleaning up.  We first went to another park and hiked back about 10 minutes to get to the creek.

We got back there and from a high ledge saw a huge school of smallies, some carp, suckers, and loads of other fish.  In our rush to get down, the fish left before we could get in the water.

We casted for awhile and got nothing, so we went downstream a ways until we both hooked up with some feisty green sunfish.

We continued fishing downstream until we saw a big pod of smallies in a hole about 4 feet deep.  We fished there for over 30 minutes with not even a look.  I did manage to catch a few sunfish from the pool behind it, though.                           We hiked down farther and Charles got the first bass of the day, a chubby, feisty largemouth.  The smallies just would not cooperate with us.  

We found another pool littered with fallen leaves where we both caught plenty of sunfish and bluegill. The highlight was definitely this amazingly colored sunfish.  I think it's a longear sunfish, but please correct me if you know what it is!

We continued moving until we found some big logs on the water.  We had to maneuver over them because going around would have meant swimming!

In between the two sets of logs, we found a spot where there was about a 2 foot shelf that instantly dropped to about 6 or 7 feet of water.  We walked very carefully along the shelf and decided we'd bring back drop-shot rigs or jigs to fish with spinning rods.

At the second log we found, we had to charge over 50 feet up a steep incline to get around the logs.  While at the high vantage point, we saw two 7-10 pound carp feeding under the log.  We got plenty of awkwardly presented shots at them, but in the end, I wondered how hooking one of those fish would have played out.  

Whoever hooked it would have had to jump under the log, have the fly rod handed back to them, and fought the fish in chest-deep water while the other person jumped in to tail the fish if we got it close enough.  It would have been hectic, but I kind of want to see how that would turn out.

We eventually decided to turn around and head back upstream.  After reaching our hop-in point, we decided to follow the creek upstream until we hit another park.  We found hole after hole full of sunfish and a slivery minnow-like fish that look like creek chub.  I'm really confused as to what these are, as they look nothing like the creek chub I caught here.  

Let me know if you have any clue as to what this fish is.  I'd like to add him to my species list.

We walked farther along and Charles picked up another nice bass.

At this point I will attest that the homemade "worm fly" that resembled a Texas-rigged worm Charles was using was good. We kept walking for what seemed like forever, and we probably covered a lot of water.  My guess is we hiked over 1 mile upstream that day.                                                             I saw tons of suckers there, and got no looks from them on the fly rod.  I'mm trying to find information on how to catch them, but so far I haven't found lots of solid experience from people.  If you have any tips, let me know

After we were about halfway to the other park, we hit a pool where we could see smallies on the bottom.  We tried tons of flies, but eventually a crayfish fly with a dual weighting system picked up the first smallmouth of the day for me.  Unfortunately, he jumped out of my hands before I could get a good picture.  However, I usually have my GoPro on and running, so I pulled some pictures from the video I got. 

 This was the last good fishing hole we hit because we rushed to get to the other park so Charles' mom could pick us up.  I got a ton of video from the day and will be putting up a youtube clip soon.  We're definitely heading back for more smallmouth and carp.

Tight lines!!















UPDATE: Charles went back to the smallie hole with his brother and a drop-shot rig.  He caught this pig of a smallie while he was there.

Solar Eclipse Carp

Unfortunately, we weren't in the path of totality of the eclipse last week.  Cross-country season is in full swing, and I'm trying to keep up with my weekly mileage.  Monday after the eclipse, we went out for a long run on the canal towpath.  Long story short, in a canal I've never seen ONE fish in before, there were 7 total carp up to 10 pounds out and about feeding.  It could have been the storm beforehand or the eclipse, but man it was a cool occurrence.  Definitely coming back to catch some canal carp soon!

Skunked by the water treatments??

Bobby and I went back to the grass carp pond for what should be the last time this summer.  We were there for about 2 hours, and I had numerous shots at a couple really nice fish.  The problem is, when your fly line lands on the weed mat, the grassies spook.

I had a few really good looks, but no grass carp committed.

After 1 hour of fishing, a boat was put in the pond and began treating the pond.  We packed up and moved to my neighborhood, pretty bummed about having to go.  Next we went to my carp pond, but after an hour, inevitable the boat came again.  At this point we had to go back, because we didn't have any more ponds to fish.

Bobby and I did some video editing, and I'll be fishing on and off on the weekends until the winter.

Another Round Lost to the Grass Carp; A Surprise Fish

Bobby, Ben and I decided to go back to the grass carp pond yesterday.  We spent a solid portion of the morning fishing for bass.  Bobby stuck lots of bass up to about 2 pounds on a buzz frog.  I fished the edges for the few grass carp we saw, and somehow caught a bass.  I pulled it in and realized that I had actually just caught a smallmouth.

Charles said there were smallies in the pond, but we'd never seen one.

We walked around for awhile, and I got the perfect shot at a grass carp.  I landed my hopper 5 inches from the fish's nose, and it turned away.  I thought it was spooked, but it turned and sipped my hopper!  I wasn't expecting it at all, and tried to set with the rod, but the fish was over 40 feet away, and I had too much slack in my line.

We left for lunch, then came back to the pond.  While Bobby and I presented hoppers to the grassies, Ben caught about 6 bass on plastic worms.

We kept continually laying flies in front of the grass carp, only to have bluegill take them and spook the grass carp away.  We caught dozens of bluegill as bycatch, and they were all infuriating.

Eventually, we had to leave.  We had some really good looks, but no fish.

Record Breaking

Bobby and I went out for a short hour and a half session at "the original" pond.  I landed a feisty 1 pounder on a popper as soon as he got there.

Bobby spent over half an hour trying to catch a bluegill for bait, but to no avail.  I was having subtle takes, so I started slowly pulling my zudbubbler along the surface as a wakebait.  A fish slurped the fly then took off fast.  The first fish ever to take me to the reel on an 8 weight.  It rocketed its way out of the water twice.  This fish was big, but somehow it still got its entire body a foot out of the water.  After a few minutes of tug, the big bass was mine.  I could have fit my entire fist down its mouth.

I brought it over to Bobby for the scale.  It weighed 5 pounds and 14 ounces.  Almost a 6 pound bass!   Thats the biggest I've ever caught, and it was on a fly rod!  Not only that, but its the biggest bass we've caught out of this pond in years!!

I released the beast then grabbed my 6 weight to get some bluegill for catfish bait.

Bobby got a couple nice fish on a frog.

I caught a bluegill on the fly rod, and Bobby went to work cutting it up and distributing the pieces among the catfish rods.  At about 10:00,  something started slowly taking the bluegill head.  At about 10:10, Bobby set the hook, but it ended up being a 2 pound bass.  We were both pretty upset about that one.  The bass wasn't actually hooked, it just swallowed the bluegill head.

We're going back to the grass carp pond tomorrow.  Bobby made a dope edit from the last grassie.  Check it out here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lWJ-gggBzI

Carpe Diem

Today might have been the best day of fishing I've had in a long time.  Charles came over to fish at 9.  We headed to the main pond to fish a little.  Charles has really nailed down his jig fishing.  We would walk along the banks, and Charles would flip his jig into the path of any fish that scared off the bank. He ended up with lots of bass, and a few over 4 pounds. 

Bobby slept in too long, so he brought our friend Ben at around 11.  We went to the carp pond.  Bobby set up rods and chummed corn, but to no avail.  We saw very few fish there.

Charles had the idea of leaving to check out a pond he found that was full of grass carp.  I wanted some redemption.  We got there and immediately saw grassies everywhere.  The problem is they don't appear to be doing a good job at eating the vegetation.  There is a thick grass mat covering the bank out to about 10 feet from the bank.  

We saw fish everywhere cruising.  Bobby tried throwing bread.  Charles and I threw moss flies, hoppers, nymphs, and whatever else we could scrounge up.  Nothing bit.  Charles had practice, so he had to leave at 2.  At 1:55, I saw a grassie cruising slowly about 20 feet away.  At this point I was already using my 6 weight for the finer touch I needed to cast small flies delicately so as to not spook the fish.  I fired a short cast at the fish, and out of sheer luck, it landed 8 inches in front of the fish.  I watch him slowly tilt upwards and sip my hopper.  I struck as soon as he closed his mouth.  

I yelled as soon as I felt him, then instantly regretted using a 6 weight.  He burned out 50 feet of line in mere seconds, but then let me tug him back in.  This continued for a few minutes until Charles decided to hop back into the pond to grab him.  After 10 minutes or so of back and forth with the fish, Charles was able to bear hug the fish and run to the bank with him.  After the fish hit the bank, a photo session ensued.  The fish was absolutely massive, and I'm still amazed that I got him on a 6 weight rod.  

We took lots of photos.  I really don't remember it too well because everything was such a blur.  I just knew I was holding one of the biggest fish out of freshwater I may ever hold.

Charles got out of the water and posed with my fish and I.  It took a lot of effort just to hold up such a beast for all the pictures.

Since I always regretted not being the one to get in the pond to release my koi and because it was incredibly hot, I decided to hop in and release my fish.  I ended up "falling" in more than hopping in.  I thought I'd lost the fish for a second, but it was stuck in the weeds at my feet.  Before the fish could think to swim away, Charles was back in with the scale.  Our scale put this fish at 35 pounds and 15 ounces.  Easily the biggest fish of my life by over 20 pounds.

We snapped one last picture and then everyone but me rushed to go drop Charles off at home.  I stayed with my fish for 10 more minutes to revive it and send him back into his muddy, weedy home.  What a day! 

Grass Carp 1: Humans 0

Saturday night I had Bobby over.  He spent the night and we watched fishing videos and tied some flies, while researching grass carp techniques.  The next morning we got up and drove to a local orchard.  There are ponds in the back with lots of fish in them.

We couldn't believe out eyes when we got there.  Driving along the bank we could see dozens of grass carp in pods feeding on the bottom.  We saw fish from 5 to 30 pounds.  The biggest fish looked as though they were bigger than 30 pounds, and possible 48 inches or more.  Unfortunately, we fished all morning and part of the afternoon with nothing.

Bobby had one fish nibble a nymph but didn't hook it.






I've been fishing with my new 8 weight outfit.  I have a 9 foot Redington Vice rod with a Behemoth reel attached to it.

This outfit is pretty sweet.






We went back into Brownsburg to another pond.  This pond apparently has some big grassies in it too.  I caught a 10" bass on a nymph.  Bobby set up a rig with bread, and got a take.  We both were puzzled watching the line swim in circles.  When he finally pulled it up, we discovered a softshell turtle the size of a dinner plate.  He cut the hook and let the turtle go.

Finally, we went to a pond that is stocked with monster catfish.  Bobby has caught two blue catfish over 20 pounds from this pond.  We set up rods and ended up with two wimpy channel catfish, both under 5 pounds.

We'll be back soon for the grass carp!