Don't Eat That!

There is a well known recipe for preparing carp:
First, fillet the fish. Place the salted fillets on a cedar plank and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Then, throw away the fish and eat the plank!
This is how most people feel about eating carp. This aversion is based on the popular misconception that carp are dirty fish that eat trash. This is nothing more than a common case of social ignorance.
To put this into perspective, consider tilapia. It seems like everyone eats tilapia now. You can order it in restaurants or buy it at Whole Foods and cook it yourself. Yet, according to a source referenced by Wikipedia, "tilapia is the third most important fish in aquaculture after carps and salmonids." Clearly then, America's preference for tilapia and aversion to carp is not shared by the rest of the world.
Another interesting illustration of social aversion to the consumption of a particular fish is that of tilapia in Hawaii. Tilapia are an invasive species in Hawaii and they have established themselves in the foulest water available - the Ala Wai canal in Waikiki. The dirtiness of the Ala Wai is not an exaggeration. Several years back, after a sewage line leak, several people were stricken with flesh-eating bacteria acquired by accidentally falling into the canal. In my experience, the residents of Hawaii who see this water teaming with tilapia have largely come to associate the fish with pollution and disease and so, despite it's growing popularity on the mainland, do their best to avoid eating it.
I hope that these points help convince people to at least entertain the idea of eating carp, and to read on with an open mind.
Last year my friend Bill bought a stove-top smoker. Among his early experiments he caught and smoked some catfish which turned out quite well. From catfish, he was inspired to try smoking carp. As my pump was broken, Bill generously brought his kayaks to the lake and we set out in search of a tasty looking fish.

Bill had a spinning rod rigged up for sunfish and so the carp catching fell to me. I missed several fish, and broke off one before I finally hooked our meal-to-be.

Bill took the fish home and worked his magic. First he butchered it and then brined the fillets:

Next he fired up the smoker:

Finally, he finished things off by broiling the fillets briefly:

There you have it, smoked carp:

I don't know if carp is actually that good or if most of the credit goes to Bill but this was some of the best smoked fish I have ever eaten. It definitely put to shame the stuff available in the grocery stores. The only thing that comes close in my mind is the freshly smoked salmon I have gotten in the Pacific Northwest. Not only was the carp delicious, but for any skeptics out there, we are all still standing. That carp, at least, couldn't have been too dirty!

Amur-ous Diversion

I returned the next morning, determined to land a grass carp. I had tied some simple dry flies to resemble the flowery stalks I had seen the fish eating.

 The weather was a bit overcast and it was sprinkling rain off and on, just enough to keep most people at home. I had the water to myself. I found a lone grass carp feeding in the first place I looked. I paddled into position, anchored the boat and made a cast. A bad cast. Just 6 inches to the right would have been on the money but I lined the fish and it disappeared with a splash. The fish did not return so I moved on. I soon found what I was looking for. Several of the flowering trees stood together on the bank. The flowers dropped onto the water where they drifted along the shoreline in the breeze. This created sort of a river of food, definitely where I would be if I were a hungry grass carp. Sure enough I spotted big mouths clooping flowers off the surface. I planned my approach carefully and then moved stealthily into position. I anchored and waited for a fish to come within casting distance. My patience was soon rewarded with a perfect opportunity. Downwind of me several fish were feeding together, swimming slowly in my direction. I gauged the distance and set down a nice cast a few feet in front of them. I focused on my fly, one yellow speck among thousands. Suddenly a big mouth gaped! I gave my line a strip and lifted my rod. The fish bolted, but without my fly in it's mouth. This was the same frustrating scenario from the day before. I decided that I was reacting too early, that I should wait until the mouth closed before I set the hook. I stowed my rod and ate a snack, waiting for the fish to calm down and resume feeding.
When I was finished, and the fish had started again, I resumed my vigil. Soon, a big grey shadow appeared between me and the shore, moving straight towards the boat. I put my fly in front of it and it immediately rose and gulped it down. I waited an extra heartbeat for the mouth to close and then lifted my rod - I had it! The fish dove and came directly at me. It reached deep water and circled the boat heavily. We struggled for some minutes before I managed to get it near the surface. When we finally saw each other I was astonished at it's size. The carp however, was not impressed. In an angry burst it swam under the boat and my line caught on one of the anchor ropes. I scrambled to pull up the anchor and untangle the line but the fish gave another jolt and I felt my leader snap.

 Nevertheless, I was pleased that I had figured out the timing of the hook set. Now I just had to do it again. This time I put my fly in the middle of half a dozen or so fish that were feeding in a loose circle. I waited until the big mouth had closed and again set the hook successfully. There was an enormous explosion of noise and water as the big fish panicked in all directions. Line tore off my reel as the one I had hooked fled to deeper water. This time I was prepared for the battle. I was aware of the danger posed by my anchor lines, but I didn't dare pull them out of the water lest the wind push me into the far shore where all kinds of trees and stumps were waiting to tangle my line. At one point the fish did get tangled on an anchor but I was able to free it in time. Between the pull of the fish and the wind, and despite leaving the anchors in the water, I eventually ended up near the opposite bank where I struggled to keep the fish out of the submerged trees. It was quite a fight but I finally pulled the big carp on board.

 I tried to weigh it but my 15lb. scale bottomed out. My cat weighs fifteen pounds and I can guarantee that this fish was significantly bigger than that! I released my first grass carp and paddled happily back to the car and made it home in time for lunch.

Catfish, Interrupted

Last weekend I heard that people had been catching buffalo on the Caney Fork river. I have not solved the puzzle that is catching buffalo on the fly but from what I understand the key is timing. In the spring, the buffalo stampede upriver to their spawning grounds. The strategy for catching them is the same as for catching trout except that instead of a sleek little salmonid you end up with a angry behemoth on the end of your line. Needless to say I was tempted to go looking for them.
Before I could make that trip I encountered another diverting phenomenon, carp feeding on the surface. Now I was faced with a choice: go in search of big buffalo, or return to catch some carp on dry flies? But when Tara took the day off I decided to set aside my tough choice and stick to our plan to investigate some new water. It turned out to be the right move.
We launched the boat and I set off in search of the carp that I hoped to find. As we paddled into a shallow area, I spotted a huge fish. And then another. The place was teeming with what appeared to be enormous carp! Try as I might, the fish rejected my carp flies completely. I began to suspect that these fish were not common carp at all. What looks like a big carp but won't take a carp fly? Buffalo. Or so I thought.

Frustrated, we anchored for lunch. I rigged up a spinning rod with corn kernels to cast out while we ate. Before I could even take a bite the rod jerked sharply. It was a little catfish. We must have been sitting on a bunch of them because every time we recast we immediately got another strike.
 After an entertaining lunch with the catfish we paddled off to explore some other spots. Along the way I spotted some more buffalo/carp swimming in a group along a steep bank. Every few seconds one of them would tilt up and take something off the surface. I paddled closer for a better view. They weren't buffalo after all, they were grass carp! We entered a small bay and spotted several more of them feeding lazily on small stems of yellow flowers.

Again I found myself without a proper fly and again I jury-rigged something from my fly box. It almost worked. I had two fish take my "dry fly" but I missed both of them. When I tried to set the hook they made a terrific splash and disappeared. I didn't manage to hook any fish but now my choice was made for me: come back the next day and catch big grass carp on dry flies!

Rare Treat

The new pump arrived for the boat! I usually prefer to avoid the Sunday crowds but today I decided to go out and look for some fish anyway.

The conditions weren't great. The wind blew pretty hard and from time to time it would change directions. Nevertheless I found carp feeding along the shorelines who were hungry for my fly. I lost four or five good fish today which was disappointing, but I landed one that made up for it all:

Before I even hooked up I could see that this fish looked different. It had a dark spot on it's nose and when I got it into the net I saw brilliant orange along it's cheeks. This kind of color variation occurs naturally. Carp with these types of mutations were selectively bred to create the colorfully patterned carp we all know as koi.

However, this was only the first surprise of the day. Working my way along a sheltered bank, out of the wind, I came upon a wonderful scene:

The carp were busy sipping some kind of seed off of the surface! This type of surface feeding is uncommon for carp and it provides a rare opportunity to catch them on dry flies. All one needs to do is select a pattern that imitates whatever the fish are eating. I quickly found the tree whose seeds were blanketing the water:

Unfortunately, I am the type of person who goes fishing with a half dozen flies in my shirt pocket and so I found myself without an appropriate imitation. Nevertheless, I decided to try and jury-rig something, just for the heck of it.

I chopped off some yellow indicator yarn and tied it to a hook with a bit of monofilament. This was the result:

I fished with this ugly looking thing for about a half an hour. I actually got one fish to take it, but I didn't manage to set the hook.
I expect that the conditions won't change for a few days and so I am planning on tying some better "seed flies" and trying again later in the week.

Spring Flowers

The pump for my inflatable boat broke beyond all repair. I ordered a new one, but it will take a week or so to arrive.

In the meantime I've been wandering the shorelines of my favorite fishing spots on foot, enjoying the flowers,

 and catching some fish along the way!