Use it so much that it becomes part of you.

I suppose some of you may have the experience of using one rod and one line everyday for months. If you don’t have that experience, then it is important to note that you can really develop an understanding of a rod and its relationship to a particular line. In redneck I would say, “if ya cast the same rig enough the damn thing will become a part of ya, and if you’re lucky you a part of it.” Further down the fly road, I’m not so sure that casting the same rod and line all the time is the right move for your development as a caster. It seems that changing things up and learning to create the loops you want with an old glass rod with an undersized line on it might just be the challenge you need. (Or it will make you curse the world and give up the fly life)

I spent a lot of hours casting the same 6wt rod, and I really loved the action of it. Back then I was throwing the 7wt MED on it and enjoyed the slower yet powerful nature of the beast. I casted it all the time. I would have it in the car with me everywhere I went. Going home to visit with the family, you guessed it, rod is coming with. The funny thing is that I wouldn’t fish with it at first. It was an expensive fly rod. In fact, it was a business decision that I had to make to get a rod for lessons and casting only. I bet I casted it for a year before I ever fished with it. Moreover, I never practiced on water with it. But then I saw these fish…

I was home visiting the parents in Arkansas and had gone over to a local park that has a small lake. The lake is stocked with fish, it has a pier, habitat improvements, and a path for walkers that goes all the way around it. It is a scenic little spot to take a walk, and in the mornings the park can be quite busy with exercisers and dog walkers. For me it is a fun place to throw the polarized glasses on and go on a scouting mission. I was in my typical about to go casting mode walking along looking in the water when I saw a couple of four-foot-long shadows feeding along a weed edge. If I haven’t made it clear before, I am a carp nut. I saw these long grasses and get closer so that I can investigate. Sure enough, big ole long beastie ones. After my full walk around I saw maybe ten in total. I got in the truck, drove to the house, looked for some moldy bread, got back in the truck, and arrived in one piece back at the waters edge.

It is time for an experiment. I have a little corn and a little bread from my parents' house. I’m going to sprinkle some of the bits around the places that I saw fish feeding, and I’m going to see if they have been “fed” before. Carp will graze around and find things they like eventually, but if they are used to eating something you can tell the difference. The purpose behind this experiment was to figure out whether or not I could sight fish them the easy way. The easy way for me is a deer hair dough ball fly that floats, or a slow sinking egg pattern fly that looks like corn. It isn’t the way I like to fish carp in general, but if the local park has a bunch of duck and goose feeders, then they may have fed bread or corn to carp there for years. It turned out that these fish were indeed accustomed to being fed.

I only had casting stuff with me. I have a 6wt rod, two 7wt MED lines, several 0x bass leaders, 10lb tippet, and a bag of fluff for my flies. The key to the whole adventure was to call up my buddy and get some time on a vise. I went about my day after that. I practiced casting, I hung out with the family and had dinner. After eating I had to run to my buddies' place and create some sort of local park special fly to take a shot at these monsters in the morning. The most interesting fly created was the cotton ball fiber sinking dough ball fly I even got some tan in there to imitate the crust, but corn was on the menu. Corn flies I tied.

I hadn’t fished the rod yet, but I knew it had the spine necessary to take down a carp even if it was going to be a battle. There was a certain amount of acceptance involved. I had to fully accept the fact that I might snap this rod that I had been using and training with for the CI exam for a long time. Also, I don’t think the exam was too far away from when this happened, but I don’t quite remember. There was a little more than just a bit of apprehension, but there were several carpzillas hanging around this lake, and places to take shots at them. Send it! Of course, the regular walkers, joggers, and dog entertainers were present for a crisp morning at the park. I noticed that one of my friend’s mom was present walking, and on her lap around we exchanged pleasantries. I’d love to say that getting one to eat was hard, but it wasn’t. I found a long fish feeding about 50 feet away. I watched it for a while and studied his grazing pattern for a little bit when I found the opportunity, I made the shot, the carp ate, and all hell broke loose.

The 6wt had the heat necessary, but this old carp was big and just using its body against me was tough. Good runs out to the backing, and then it wanted to go under the pier. I get it. The pier was right off of a flat where the fish feed and the beginning of the deeper water. The carp went for deeper water right between some pilings of the pier, but it had already started its slow down. I really gave it all I could to get it out of the pier and to my hand where I could tail it. Absolutely massive. Over 40 inches, but an old skinny warrior. Talking to people about when those fish were stocked in the lake, it sounded like those carp were right around 20 years old. The only carp in the pond and they are all ancient monsters. Pretty awesome! Luckily my friend’s mom was walking up right as I landed the fish. “Oh my God Kalyn, there are fish that big in there?!” “I guess so!” She was nice enough to take a picture for me. Thanks, Liz!

I seriously considered retiring the rod from fishing. I was batting a thousand with it after all.