June 29, 2008

Carp on the Fly

Apparently fly fishing for carp is becoming more mainstream with every passing day. Recent articles on the subject, although brief, have been published in some of the major fly fishing periodicals. Most recently, fellow blogger John Montana of Carp on the Fly fame, had a mention in the summer issue of Flyfisher, magazine of the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF).

John's blog, and his links to other sites on the subject, were referenced as a web resource in a story by Roger Phillips, "Carp on the Fly". Of course this may just be a shameless plug to get more traffic on my blog, since I am John's blogroll. But on a more serious note, two important things come to mind in that publication. One is that carp are beginning to lose their misnomer as a trash fish. The prize of many anglers across the world, carp still have a hard time shrugging off the image of a garbage fish in the United States. The embracing of fish like the carp by fly anglers, only serve to improve its image as an adversary worthy of much respect. This will hopefully lead to a greater appreciation of our other underutilized native fishes like the buffalo, redhorse, and other sucker species.

The other item of note, is that print media is beginning to lose much of its edge in the Information Age. Online resources are at the forefront for expanding many anglers' horizons. With the advent of video-sharing sites and blogging, one can be introduced to all sorts of eclectic methods of angling. From learning how to double-hand or spey cast, to tightline nymphing for redhorse, everything you ever wanted to learn about fly fishing is at the touch of your fingertips. Print media still has its place, but many younger anglers are well connected, and are able to access those resources through non-traditional means like PDAs, Smart Phones, and other digital devices. Wireless technology can even enable those resources to be accessed streamside.

If you don't do so regularly, please check out the sites on my blogroll. These guys are the unsung heroes of furthering our cause; the true underground. The content that is discussed on our blogs is totally under the radar of the major periodicals. Those magazines are becoming way out of touch with their readers, and it is even more so apparent after reading a few entries from Keith Barton's SingleBarbed blog. These guys give the readers what they want to read. We don't need another stinking article on how to indicator fish nymphs on a western stream, or read another story about a guided trip to a far of locale that none of us could ever afford in our lifetime. Get real. We're not a bunch of Orvis boys here. We don't want the same bullshit stories about blue ribbon trout streams or steelhead runs. We want the stories about our lives and about the fish that run through our backyard that nobody cares about except us. We want stories about the guys that hunt buffalo with a fly and go home with a shattered rod, or catch monster carp on the flats of the Columbia, or entice an American Shad to take one of his hand tied offerings. This is the stuff roughfishers are made of.

4 comments:

  1. I'll have to check out that magazine JP. Had no idea they were putting my blog in there.

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  2. John the magazine is sent out to FFF members. If you're not able to get a hold of a copy, shoot me an email and I'll forward you the article.

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  3. As a fellow who looks forward to the spring Shad run with as much excitement as the strawberry run of Salmon, I can only say, "Amen".

    I also second your comments on SingleBarbed.

    I will try not to be so agreeable next time.

    Cheers,
    Steve

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  4. Well said. I can't decide whether or not carp are catching on here, or if I am just becoming more and more exposed to folks who love them. Hard to say. Most everyone I've told that I flew to Portland to fish carp flats gives me a pretty disbelieving look.

    As you say though, it seems that more and more people are valuing C. carpio. I'd say that these blogs are a major boon for the fish. Who could read a bit like the story of General Sherman and not be in awe?

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