Reversed Goals

As frequent readers may know it has been a goal of mine to catch a walleye on the fly, and that I have worked with Kirk (RKM) in his quest to land a carp on the fly. Today our goals collided a bit in an odd twist in fate.
We started out the morning on the same pond we fished last time. The carp were there but they just weren't feeding well enough and close enough for success. That being said, Kirk got two really good shots on a bubbling carp. We both caught other species, me a couple of bluegills, and Kirk a fricken walleye, and a pretty good one. Unfortunately it made it's escape before either of us got a picture, but it was a walleye, taken on a damsel nymph pattern in less then 3 ft of water over mud bottom. Not at all what we were expecting!

Eventually, after getting sick of carp showing themselves out of casting range, we moved to a spot on a bigger lake that always has carp. There was one knocking about but neither of us clearly saw it. So we moved again, and sure enough there was a big carp there. Kirk made a perfect shot. The fish was right on the boundry of visibily and when I think it took it was over that boundary for the one holding the rod. I said set! but it was already too late. Unfortunately that was the only fish to show and Kirk had to leave in a short time. I stayed. I was not done with the lake.

Be it our collective luck: as I was walking a stretch of beach I began to see big golden fish, tails up, digging happily. I spooked the first two I cast at. The third moved two feet for my little olive beadhead fly. I set and off went Mr. Common Carp. Although it wasn't a huge carp I was clearly in for the long haul. No backing length, runs, but plenty of violent head shakes and all around avoiding the mere sight of me. I landed the fish but sincerely wished it hadn't been me holding that gorgeous tail while tucking the fly rod under my arm.

I screwed around for a little longer and caught a few more fish. I saw some more carp but I let them be for another day.