Summer.

Summer. It's a busy time for most of us, filled with long days at work, with little allowance for free time. So, when the opportunity arose to spend a weekend camping with my friend Trevor, as well as with my brother, I couldn't let it pass me by. We enjoyed hotdogs over the grill, lots of laughs, and plenty of fish. 

Trevor managed his first fish on the fly, and then proceeded to catch many more eager little bass. I, on the other hand, used some time to pursue carp, and succeeded a couple of times. Here are some pictures from the weekend... Enjoy!

Decent sized Common!

Trevor's first fish on the fly

Second Carp...

It's been awhile

It's interesting how things can consume one's life. For myself, school has been the consumer of my life as of late. As those that actually pay attention to my site have probably noticed, my posting activity has been minimal since August. Oddly enough, August marks the first month of school. At any rate, I have just enough time to post a few pictures from the last few months of fishing before my next class starts. 

I managed to do some guiding this summer too, the above pictures are of a particularly special trip. It was my first ever trip out with paying clients... One could say it was a good day.

Forrest, a good friend and mentor of mine, asked me to help him out with getting his first carp. So... we did exactly that. Forrest, I can't thank you enough for putting up with my annoying questions, and teaching me all that you know about both fishing, and hunting.

Of course, I had to catch a few myself...

Grayling got checked off of my to-do list finally...

Most beautiful fish of the summer

My good friend Quinn with an eager mouse/gigantic caddis eating brown.

High country hiking and fishing were a must...

And of course what would pictures be without a fish of the summer. This beast of a common wins the award for big fish of the summer by far.

So, to those that enjoy reading/viewing my site, I apologize for the lack of activity, just know that if school wasn't consuming my life, I would be posting every single day. "Like" Fins on the Fly on Facebook, and keep reading!

Addiction at its Finest

As a student, I constantly hear the saying "you learn something new every day."  For Forrest Carpenter, a good friend of mine, this day would exemplify the above statement more than perfectly.  

Fly fishing for carp is, in my opinion, one of the fastest growing sectors of our beloved sport.  What was once thought of as a "trash fish" is quickly becoming the most addicting tug in the industry.  The incredible wittiness of these fish drives anglers like myself to insanity trying to hook them, only to have all that frustration thrown out the window as soon as the higher pitches of your reel are reached with each screaming run.

It started with a phone call from Forrest saying that he was up in Fort Collins, and wanting to catch some fish.  When asked if he had ever landed a carp on the fly, his answer was rather straight forward: "No, but I'd like to change that today!"  With that, it was game on....

....And the game was played. With one rejection after another, and countless curse words, we struggled to hook fish.  Approaching a submerged stump, we noticed a large tail sticking out of the water just past it.  Tying on my signature damsel pattern, I gave Forrest the green light, and he dropped the fly just past the fish, dragging it right in front of him.  Stopping, the fish inspected the offering carefully before flaring his gills to inhale the meal.  "Set it!" was all I had to say and Forrest was deep into battle with his first carp.  Minutes later, he held his sloppy prize up for the camera.  Watching as the fish swam back to it's muddy home, Forrest reveled in his new found addiction.

The same scenario replayed itself once again as Forrest hauled in a stud of a grass carp, successfully landing both of the major species in one day.  

This guy really wanted my fly, believe it or not he is still hooked in this picture.

I couldn't let you think Forrest caught the only fish...

A carpin' surprise

"There's a tail, 12:00, about 25 feet out... you got one shot, don't mess it up."  My brother sat on the bank teasing me as I did my best to convince the large "carp" to eat.  I stared into the water for a few minutes following his every movement in hopes of determining his pattern.

Every few seconds, bluegill would come leaping out of the water hurriedly, and disappear back into the depths.  One presentation after another ended up being stolen by a pesky panfish, and it was starting to annoy me.  Trying my best to avoid the panfish, I waited until the tail came closer to shore, and only then would I present my offering.

What seemed like hours passing turned out to be only a few minutes as I waited for my shot at the fish.  As the large, looming tail approached the bank, I dropped the fly on his nose, and watched as the tail accelerated quickly, and then came to an abrupt stop.  I waited, "one mississippi, two mississippi, set!"  I gave the line a tough strip set, and before my eyes, line began peeling away from my reel.  Game on.

With nothing but a mud bottom, the fish didn't have much to do but run, and with 2X tippet, he only lasted a short time before succumbing to the constant pressure of my line.  As I slid him on shore, I realized hat this was no carp.  With whole bluegill tails hanging from his throat, I couldn't believe my eyes as I hoisted the largemouth from the water.  While I was hoping for a carp, I was equally as happy with a fish of this caliber.

Excited? Yeah, you could say that!

I revived the fish carefully, and watched as he swam slowly back to his feeding grounds.  It puzzles me as to why he was tailing like a carp, but I guess I'll never know!

Check it Out!

With school coming to an end for the year, textbooks become my new friends, and time is limited.  Instead of writing, I figured I would just post up a few pictures from the last month's fishing adventures. Enjoy!

Tim Mack with a Beautiful Brown!

Dad with a beautiful snake river cuttie!

My biggest brown to date!

For those of you that have yet to land a carp on the fly, I encourage you to go give it a whirl.  It is one of the most entertaining things do do, and each fish has the potential to take you into your backing!  The above fish was caught during my 45 minute lunch break between classes!

The hat must be good luck...

The above fish is a special one.  My brother is eleven years old, and landed this fish on a fly without any help whatsoever.  I am really glad to see the increase in interest amongst younger kids these days.