Last week I again found myself able to target carp in Rhode Island. The weather was good if not nearly perfect, and I had most of a day to work with. Things has changed substantially since the last time I'd fished the area, but I actually suddenly had more water available than I had before. The river had dropped dramatically, and flowing side channels were now quiet oxbows. There was abundant poison ivy, which doesn't really effect me at all, but also loads of stinging nettle, which most certainly does. It's a pretty common plant in muddy flood plains. I encounter it frequently, given my chosen pursuit. As much as it tried though, the nettles couldn't prevent me from getting to the carp.
I found a good looking stillwater near the river and began walking the bank. I made it about halfway around the pond before spotting two carp: a small common and a slightly bigger mirror tailing in some bushes. They were nearly impossible to reach, and the mediocre shots I got certainly didn't get the job done. The fish quietly departed, not quite spooking but definitely aware of my presence. Continuing around the pond, I eventually found the mother load. At the shallow north end were dozens of carp. Some were sun bathing, some were tailing, and others were sucking down cottonwood seeds at the surface. Each requires slightly different presentations. Sun bathing carp are easily spooked and not inclined to eat, but a gentle presentation with a lightly weighted Hare's Ear, Mop Fly, or some sort of damsel fly nymph imitation can sometimes take them. I hooked two sun bathers, landed the smaller of them and broke off the larger. Weed growth was significant where most of the fish were... not a recipe for easily won battles.
Two other fish that I duped were tailing, and both took mop flies. One broke me off in a sunken tree, the other I managed to get to hand. Both were mirrors. In fact, other than that first common I saw, no other carp I spotted weren't mirrors. Some were fully scaled, others somewhat linear, and one was nearly scale-less. The abundance of uniquely scaled carp in this fishery is remarkable and will take a while for me to get used to.
The surface feeding cotton wood seed eater pose a bit of a conundrum. In my limited experience I've found them very difficult to catch. They are often sucking down seeds in no particular path or pattern, and aren't eating just one at a time. It makes it very difficult to figure out where to place a dry fly and I'm always hesitant to plop it on their heads. I got two takes on dries, neither particularly good. In both cases my fly was promptly rejected. I did get one cotton wood seed sipper to take a mop fly though, which was interesting. I did land that one.
Eventually I did have to leave, and the fish were still just as active on my way out. I really am enjoying learning this fishery though. It is distinctly different in many ways from what I have here at home. Mirrors aside, the structure and behavior of the fish is just different enough to keep it from feeling normal. It's pretty cool.
Until next time,
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