Little known fact about me. When I hooked and landed my first ever carp on the fly, I made my buddy Justin release it for me. Yes, like most North American anglers I grew up associating words like “Trashfish” and “gross” with carp. Isaac Walton be damned, Americans have long hated the common carp.
Fortunately for me, the sound of my creaking bamboo six weight and the furious battle the “Trashfish” gave me convinced me to take them a bit more seriously. Eight or so years later and I am an absolute carp on the fly addict. There quite simply is no other fish that can combine such an interesting method, with such explosive fighting ability, and yet be so difficult to catch. As we always say, and sometimes mean…it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if we caught them all.
I live near Portland, OR now with my lovely wife Kelly and two kids, Elia and JJ. JJ touched his first carp at 6 weeks old, and Elia fought her first carp on a Barbie fishing pole at 18 months…my kids are my constant companions and not once have they called a carp “gross”. You have to love the unbiased beauty of childhood. Living in OR, surrounded by world renowned steelhead, salmon, and trout water, I consider the crown gem of OR rivers to be the Columbia, and it’s excellent carp population and habitat.
Thanks to CATCH for inviting me along for the ride as carp continue to gain the respect of north American anglers! Onward to respectability!
(John also has a very cool Blog at Carp on the Fly)