Oregon Fishing Part I

I was determined to find some carp to catch while visiting my family in Eugene, Oregon, and so as usual, I began with a Google search. At the time, the only thing which popped up was a Youtube video of some guy bowfishing for carp in the Amazon Slough, a rather dirty drainage canal that runs through Eugene. Fortunately there is a bike path which runs along the slough for many miles, so I borrowed a bike and went searching for fish there. And I found them:I caught this fellow on a carp bugger at a not so secret spot. Anyone from Eugene would be able to find the bridge behind me...

My younger brother came fishing with me. I had him hide in the bushes and gently drop his fly in front of the carp basking near the bank (you can see them in the photo) but after I caught one fish the others got quite spooky and wouldn't bite.
I found more carp farther out along the bike path. Out there the water was cleaner - I saw herons, geese, and even a small otter feasting on the plentiful crayfish. As soon as I got down the bank I spotted a fish mudding in the shallows and cast my pink San Juan worm into the cloud of silt. The first fish didn't notice, but another carp stuck it's head out of the murk and dipped to inhale my fly. After a bit of a tussle, I brought it back and landed it on the bank for a portrait:It's been a challenge taking photos by myself, but I like this shot a lot. The yellow wild flowers complement the carp's coloring nicely.