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Sección de Carlos
The Downloads

Falsecast

Monday: Paul Arden
Tuesday: Harps
Wednesday: Bernd Ziesche
Thursday: Mr T.
Friday: Ray
Saturday: Viking Lars
Sunday: Bruce Richards

Ronan's report

While Eric is down in Nevada sensibly, and scientifically matching the Midge hatches of winter, I'm here in Oregon spinning up the oddest flies I've ever tied.

I too am matching a hatch of sorts, and constructing a "fly" that imitates what I think/hope is a top food item for the big carp I watched tailing on the rocky flats of River X last summer. I'm tying imitations of freshwater clams. My pattern is adapted from a Craig Mathews bonefish pattern known as "The Clam Before the Storm".

My buddy John and I talked all summer about the possibility of clam flies for carp. Some of the flats we've fished are literally paved with them. But we never really got around to putting in the bench time and field testing time that you need to dial in a new carp fly pattern. With a full winter ahead of me to tie and bathtub test prototypes, I'm feeling pretty confident that I'll have something that will fish well by the time the water warms up again. In other words, it's all about to happen in 2008.

The first prototype, shown here, is 100% synthetic. Furry Foam and Ultra Chenille. The non-buoyant foam is for the shell and the chenille is used to mimic (I guess) the foot of the little bivalve. I added some bigass lead eyes to put the fly on the stones in a hurry.

We aren't even sure that carp eat real clams (let alone fake ones), and the first prototypes look like they will be brutal to cast, and maybe even a bit tricky to hook a fish on because of the materials blocking the gap, but that's not stopping us. This is Sexyloops, where failing, and looking like an idiot on the road to enlightenment is just part of the fun.

Until next time,

Cheers,
Matt

Pic Of Day