August 23, 2013

welcome to the instagram show

instagram
Finally joined the party and hopped on the instagram train. Plenty of eye candy and fish porn to go around. Check us out and follow at instagram.com/roughfisher. Here's a teaser.

August 12, 2013

Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Results

BI Carp
I'm not gonna lie, the fishing during Carp Camp was tough. Extremely tough. Like dragging a fly across a carp's nose without a reaction tough. Make no mistake, we had plenty of shots at fish, and as far as numbers go, I was happy with the amount of fish we saw for the time of year. But the fish were off and not interested in taking flies. Frustrating.

BI Carp
BI Carp
We all managed to catch some fish, and most importantly carp. Unlike the TFM trip, there were more than two carp caught total. Everyone at Carp Camp tallied at least two carp a piece, with a couple fish breaking twenty pounds. I was lucky enough to capture the big fish of the trip with a twenty-three pound post-spawn carp. If that fish had been holding eggs it definitely would have broken the thirty pound mark.

Photo courtesy of Mike Wolford
Photo courtesy of Mike Wolford
Photo courtesy of Mike Wolford
I was sweating bullets most of the trip. I was lucky to brush off the carp skunk on Day Two, but I was haunted by the lack of takes. I'm not gonna sit here and bullshit you into thinking that I was Mr. Perfect out on the flats. I'm not. I'm an average angler from my perception and feel that my only advantage is from intuitiveness and adaptation rather than pure skill and raw talent. But I was throwing down some pretty solid casts and had flawless presentations on a few. There was something more to it than just being at the right place at the right time. These fish were off, and after four solid days of fishing (and two weeks of guiding by Indigo) it was apparent that these fish were just plain stuffed. They couldn't fit another bite into their corpulent little mouths after gorging on hex and drake mayflies. It was like the equivalent of going to a Vegas all you can eat buffet after staying up all night eating cheesy poofs and bonbons, swilling them down with coke and mountain dew. These fish were full. They were in a food coma. Some of them were seemingly punch drunk, not even flinching as we're bouncing lead eyed flies right off their mustached mouths. It wasn't until I lobbed a heavy sculpin pattern out in front of a pod of carp where I saw a healthy sized fish take the leap of faith and lunge forward a couple feet to swoop down and suck in that fly. Not only did I get the approach, the presentation, and the visual of the hook up, but it was a plus twenty fish. I got the fish. Just as I was about ready to write off Beaver Island, this carp comes in and saves the trip on the last full day at Carp Camp.

BI Carp
Redemption.

August 5, 2013

3 Rivers Carp Cup August 17, 2013

3 Rivers Carp Cup
Don’t miss out on the fun, the bragging rights, the great prizes, and the chance to hook the biggest, ugliest fish you’ve ever caught on the fly at the 3 Rivers Carp Cup in Knoxville, TN.

This year’s 3 Rivers Carp Cup (3RCC) is to be held on Saturday, August 17th on the French Broad, Holston,
and Tennessee Rivers located throughout the greater Knoxville area. The 3 Rivers Carp Cup is a one day
fly fishing only tournament to benefit the Legacy Parks Foundation.
Legacy Parks Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which works to assure that our community
enjoys exceptional recreational opportunities, natural beauty and open spaces, and that those assets
exist for generations to come. One of the primary areas of focus of Legacy Parks is to maintain the health
of and access to our local waterways.

Knoxville's history and growth is tied to our waterways and our rivers continue to define much of our
region. The 3RCC is a fundraiser to support the continued development of recreational opportunities
along the Holston and French Broad Rivers located below Cherokee and Douglas Dams respectively. At
present, access along the French Broad Blueway is adequate but incomplete while public access along
the Holston River is extremely limited and as a result this unique outdoor asset is currently underutilized
by a variety of users. All proceeds from the 3 Rivers Carp Cup will go to support increased access
opportunities on both rivers for a variety of users including fishermen, recreational paddlers, and wildlife
enthusiasts.

The 3RCC allows anglers to fish for the elusive carp along some of East Tennessee’s most scenic
waterways. The carp may be the most difficult fish to take on a fly and provides real challenges to the fly
angler. Last year’s tournament saw 44 anglers from all over the United States chasing carp in support of
the Legacy Parks Foundation. The momentum and enthusiasm for the 3 Rivers Carp Cup is building and
we expect to have an even larger contention this year with participation from as far away as France.

• Registration Fee: $50 (includes an official Carp Cup fishing shirt, drinks, and hors d’oevres.
• Dates: Meet and Greet: August 16, 2013 6-8pm. Tournament: August 17, 2013, 8am-6pm.
• For more information visit 3riverscarpcup.com
• To register call Allen Gillespie (3RCC Tournament Director) at 865-200-5271
or email: allen@3riversangler.com.