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...