Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Results

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.



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.




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.


Redemption.

Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Delivery

Getting rigged up proper for Beaver Island can be a challenge to the average freshwater angler. Unless you fish the salt, much of the gear you have for Great Lakes carp is probably under powered for the task at hand. My last visit out to the island, I got spooled by an ornery young buck carp in the midst of the spawn. All 200 yards of my backing was out for the world to see and I didn't have anything to show for it. That was when I was fishing a Ross F1 #4, mated with a Ross RX 9 weight. This time around, I brought in the big guns, putting aside my Ross Momentum for the F1 #5. I spooled up that badboy with 300 yards of backing and a Scientific Anglers Grand Slam textured taper flyline, designed by Bruce Chard. There is no way I was gonna get spooled this time! While I sat at the house rigging up my rods and reels, I had discovered on Facebook that Chard's Gland Slam taper I just spooled up had just won the Best Saltwater Fly Line award at IFTD earlier that day. Yahtzee!



Fly selection for carp is different on Lake Michigan than anywhere else. Think big. I always bring my kit with me when traveling to fish. It is most unwise to show up at a joint unprepared. Even with research, fly selection can change like the wind and the hell if I'm gonna get caught with my pants down. Bringing my tying kit with allows me to match the current forage, see what kind of flies the guides are fishing and tying, and also provides for some entertainment during our downtime at the house. This go round, the guides were downsizing a bit, so the big beefy, burly stuff that I had tied and brought with were probably gonna be a bit super sized for this trip. See? I would have been screwed if I didn't bring my kit. I ended up tying up some large swimming nymphs as an insurance policy, in efforts to mimic the hex mayfly nymphs that were abundantly present. And it would eventually pay off.


Water temps were pushing seventy degrees near shore. That, coupled with boat time casting from the front deck, meant that it was time for wet wading. I left the waders at the house and geared up in my flats boots, neoprene booties/gaiters, and my Mountain Khaki Granite Creek pants. I've exclusively worn these MK pants when fishing for the last three years now. Not only are they comfortable and quick drying, but the SPF 50 rated material is key to keep my legs from getting burned. Some folks like to sport shorts, not I. I like pants not only for the UV protection, but from shore hazards like stinging nettles, thorns, and stinging insects. I donned my CarpPro MK Granite Creek Windshirt for an upper. This was a wise decision. I wasn't concerned with my core temp from the winds since air temps were ranging from the low 60s in the morning to mid 70s in the afternoon, so the wind proof aspect of the shirt was a crucial advantage to me on this outing. On the boat rides in and out, however, this shirt kept me dry from all the surf spray. Unlike the other campers who had to don jackets in order to stay dry, I was able maintain preparedness without having to change clothes and still maintain my level of comfort. Winning.


I was definitely equipped with the right gear; so how'd I do? Find out soon when Part 3 concludes the Carp Camp recap.

Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Setup

The two hour ferry ride over to Beaver Island from Charlevoix is always a pleasant experience. It gives me an opportunity to clear my head, anticipate my arrival, as well as get myself into the right frame of mind and acclimate myself to island time. Beaver Island Boat Company provides the ferry service, and just a week or so prior to my arrival, word of a failed port engine on the Emerald Isle posted on Facebook, putting she ship out of service indefinitely. The Emerald Isle is BIBCO's flagship boat, the bigger, younger ship in the company's fleet. Service was to resume on the Beaver Islander, a ship I've yet had the pleasure of cruising on. The ferry ride over was nochalant, with little difference between the two ships apart from capacity and vending options, a true testament to the professionalism of BIBCO and their staff. Upon our entrance to St James harbor on the island, we were surprisingly greeted by a biplane, cruising around the island at a low altitude. The familiar sights of the harbor and the bright red roof of the Central Michigan University boathouse brought back pleasant memories of my last visit to the island. It was like visiting an old friend.



Upon arrival, we made our way off the dock and over to the Fisherman's House where we were to make home for the next five nights. I had caught wind of the terrible conditions that plagued Cameron's TFM hosted trip. A few of the guests from TFM's trip stayed back a bit longer and fished an unscheduled day in hopes of breaking the funk now that the weather had cleared up considerably. After meeting and chatting with a few of the carryover guests, I walked over and met Cameron at the boat landing as he was coming in on Kevin's boat. A fine day on the water, but no carp. Hard to believe that between threes boats, six anglers, and four days out, only two carp were landed. Brutal. Although brief, it was nice to chat and catch up with Cameron before he headed off to the air strip to catch his flight out.


I made my way back to the house and unpacked, settling in before all of the campers arrived. There were many thoughts running through my head, wondering about how the fishing was going to be over the next several days. We were slated to have a nice stretch of stable weather, though we were unsure how long it would hold out past three days. Conditions were certainly better than for the TFM group, but was weather the only factor at play regarding the tough carp bite? Photos of hex and large drake mayflies started popping up on social media a few weeks prior to Carp Camp. Hex popping around the end of June/early July was common so there wasn't much cause for alarm. On the boat ride over, the ship was covered with hex spinners, still wasn't worried. As I sat down to a grilled dinner with the campers, we chatted and speculated throughout the evening of what was to come of the fishing. Much anticipation.


Day one started with a great breakfast courtesy of the Dalwhinnie. We met up with the Indigo guides and constructed a game plan for the day. We were going to follow the wind and the warm water, fishing the windward sides of the islands and the cups and bays that would catch and hold the warm surface water as it blew in to shore. I had my fly selection picked out and my rods rigged and ready. We grabbed our lunches from the deli, and I saddled up with Sweet Chili Martinez for my first day. We launched the boat and made our way out of the harbor, headed to the west. What we would find when we got to the flats we did not know. The plan was to fish from the boat as much as possible, allowing us to sneak up to the fish as close as we could. This isn't always the easiest tactic. Drifting boats, the wind, weary, deep carp changing course as you cast to them, and water currents, this can all be a challenge. At one point I had done a complete 360 from a fish I was targetting from when I had started my backcast to when the fly was delivered. Disorienting to say the least.



Over the following four days we covered a lot of water and saw a lot of fish. We all hauled a lot of line, got our boots wet, and casted plenty of flies. Sometimes we found ourselves in a complete cluster of tangled line and knotted leader, other times, in a perfect zen like trance of enlightenment, fishing to a pod of fish circling in a pool of bathroom temp water. I would be hard pressed to say that we didn't fish hard. We were thorough. We were complete. We had brought our A game.


To see how the fishing went, stay tuned for Parts Two and Three.

Departure: RFX > CVX > SJX

The meat train has left the building.


Departing The Roughfisher Command Post (RFX) for Charlevoix, MI (CVX) then St James, Beaver Island (SJX).
ETA St James Harbor 1030 07/11/2013


Recent word from Indigo Guide Service is that the pigs have arrived, with plenty of 30# class fish being caught and landed. Even more impressive are the post spawn females weighing in at over thirty pounds.

Let Carp Camp 2013 Commence.

chum bucket

The carp of Beaver Island and Lake Michigan are unlike any other, they prefer meat and plenty of it. Out on the expansive flats of BI, I want to use any advantage I can get to help separate my fly from the abundantly plentiful round gobies and sculpins that the carp feed on. I tied up the Chum Bucket utilizing materials exhibiting visibility in the ultraviolet spectrum. UV visibility always adds an edge in cloudy weather, deeper water, or low light conditions. Even in bright sunlight, UV visibility can make your fly stand out on the flats.


When looking for UV materials to tie with, don't just go by the labels on the materials. Just because an item is marked UV doesn't mean it will show up in the UV spectrum. Sometimes it just gives off a purple UV like appearance instead of actual UV luminescence. Do yourself a favor and pick up a small UV light. I have a keychain sized UV light from Loon that was originally designed to cure their UV epoxies, adhesives, and paints, but now serves as a compact useful tool to bring along to fly shops and craft stores to help identify UV products.

Toss out the Chum Bucket and see what follows.

articulation

articulation [ahr-tik-yuh-ley-shuhn]

From Old French articulacion, from Medieval Latin articulatio

Noun: articulation (plural articulations)
A joint or the collection of joints at which something is articulated, or hinged, for bending.


Who's fishing articulated flies to carp? That's what I thought. Some fodder for the apex predators of Beaver Island.

The Midnight Meat Train

Some meaty morsels for Beaver Island. I have a feeling that the carp of Lake Michigan will enjoy feasting on these slabs of meat. Pass the bbq and hot sauce.




Still some room left for Carp Camp on Beaver Island. Rock Bottom Pricing: $1300 (Referral deal not eligible). Visit the Carp Camp page and use the contact form to book. Hard to believe it's only a couple weeks away.

Last Call - Carp Camp 2013

Just recently, a couple of spots have opened back up for Carp Camp 2013, due to a scheduling conflict with some of the guests' prior obligations. Believe me when I say this, I think it was harder for those folks to have to give up their spot at Carp Camp than it was for me to have to put these spots back up for sale.

Their loss is your gain. As easy as it would have been to give these spots over to some good 'ol boys behind the scenes and have the trip immediately booked up full again, that is counter to what Carp Camp is all about. I am going to do what's fair and put these spots back up for sale to the general public, specifically the viewers and fans of the Roughfish Nation. I don't want Carp Camp 2013 to be filled up with a bunch of pros. While that would be fun in its own right, I want to give the average angler a shot at the big time and see what it's like to fish to monster trophy carp, and see what it's like to "live the life" for a week. So all you folks out there will get first pick at one of these coveted spots. I can guarantee you that these remaining spots will book up quick, so act fast!


Just in case you are on the fence and not quite sure what all entails the camper at Carp Camp, here are a few of the details:


Carp Camp 2013 runs from July 11th through 16th, 2013, on Beaver Island, Michigan.
Camp barbeque provided by your host and guides on the evening of your arrival.
Five nights lodging at The Fisherman's House, fully equipped with a modern kitchen, washer/dryer, TV, enclosed porch, and open deck with grill.
Four and a half days of guided fly fishing provided by Indigo Guide Service, sight fishing to monster carp in crystal clear water on the flats of the Beaver Island archipelago.
Breakfast and lunch are provided by the Dalwhinnie Bakery & Deli daily, dinners are on your own after the first night.
Roughfisher Fly Fishing will be providing all guests with a custom assortment or flies tied specifically for Beaver Island, including patterns like the Mustache Ride and Landing Strip. Feather Craft will be providing a Meat Locker to house all that meaty goodness!
Countless of other swag and goodies to be handed out to each camper, graciously donated by my sponsors. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but the goodies alone being handed out during camp retail at over $300.


Carp Camp 2013 hosted by roughfisher.com is priced at $1499 per person with a $500 deposit to be paid at the time of reservation. Balance is due upon arrival on Beaver Island. If you have any questions or would like to be part of this trip please fill out the form below:

For more information about Carp Camp 2013, please check out the Carp Camp 2013 page.

The Global War On Cyprinids (GWOC)

Joint Resolution

To authorize the use of Imperial Roughfish Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the Roughfish Empire.

Whereas, on January 24, 2013, acts of political dissent, treason, and terrorism, were committed against the Roughfish Empire and its citizens; and

Whereas, such acts render it both necessary and appropriate that the Roughfish Empire exercise its rights to self-defense and to protect Roughfish citizens both at home and abroad; and

Whereas, in light of the threat to the national security and foreign policy of the Roughfish Empire posed by these grave acts of treason and terrorism; and

Whereas, such acts continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the Roughfish Empire; and

Whereas, the Emperor has authority to take action to deter and prevent acts of treason and terrorism against the Roughfish Empire: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Security Council of the Roughfish Empire assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the `Global War On Cyprinids'.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF IMPERIAL ROUGHFISH ARMED FORCES.
(a) IN GENERAL- That the Emperor is authorized to use all necessary and appropriate force against those cyprinids he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the acts of treason and dissent that occurred on January 24, 2013, or harbored such cyprinids, in order to prevent any future acts of of treason or terrorism against the Roughfish Empire by such cyprinids.
(b) That the Emperor is authorized to establish the creation of a Special Warfare Unit, assigned to the task of infiltration, suppression, and termination of Cyprinid command, with extreme prejudice.


Admiral of the Imperial Roughfish Armed Forces.
Secretary-General of the Security Council and

Emperor of the Roughfish Empire

Flats of the Third Coast

Flats of the Third Coast from FP Media on Vimeo.

Check out the new Beaver Island video from Caleb of fishpornfix.com. You might even catch my ugly mug if you look close. Makes me want to go back and cruise the flats again.

Big Meat

Now THIS, is a Lake Michigan carp fly, the John Holmes of carp flies. The Landing Strip proved me well out on the flats of Lake Michigan and Beaver Island, mimicking a round goby, the forage of choice. The fly also managed to put me on some carp and smallmouth here in Minnesota too, likely representing a sculpin, frog, or juvenile smallmouth. Those smallies are indeed cannibals. Careful around those pike too, as I've had a few of these bit off by those toothy critters. Better use a wire leader in esox country.


Yes, that fly really is four inches long, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. And yes, carp do eat flies that big. Big carp.

Sausage Haus

So the roughfisher has been slacking a bit in both the fishing and blogging department. I apologize folks. But I have been busy in the background grinding up some fresh meats in the seedy underground laboratory at the Roughfisher Command Post. In addition to making some 8 quarts of napa cabbage, daikon radish, and cucumber kimchis, I've managed to stuff about forty-five pounds of beef, pork and venison, transforming plain old protein into the delectable charcuterie known as sausage.



I ended up with six varieties of sausage, a Wisconsin-style bratwurst, Italian sausage, a smoked Italian, smoked jalapeño cheddar, smoked bulgogi inspired snack sticks, and a fresh salsa verde pork sausage.




There was lots of fun behind the grill. My favorite experiment was the chile verde pork sausage. Crafted on a whim, I ground pork shoulder, onion, garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, and tomatillos, stuffed it into a hog casing, and cooked it on the grill. I served it on a brat-style hard roll and garnished it with fresh onion, cilantro and salsa verde. Most definitely a winner!


Thankfully I saved a few sausages for the freezer to nourish me through the winter...

smart business decisions

What do you do with all of the countless fly leftovers and daddy's got to eat? You trade flies for beef. Prime 100% grass fed locally raised beef. I'm glad someone's got a use for all the test flies and holdover patterns from the past several years, but frankly it was an insult to them to be sitting in my fly boxes not even getting a chance to see light of day or breathe some fresh air. Now, there's two winners involved here. My buddy gets to stack his fly boxes with some roughfisher originals and I get some tasty beef from Thousand Hills Cattle Company. Winner.


I think I've just found a new niche market, bartering flies for food and drink. Now if anyone's got some homebrewed IPA, barleywine ale, or imperial stouts they're willing to trade for, I'm listening.
Use the contact link to get in touch.

home on the range

My XD45 just got a little brother, the Springfield Armory XD9SC, a sub compact chambered in 9mm. The 9mm round is not my ideal cartridge for a service weapon, as I would favor the .40 S&W instead as it is a ballisticly superior round. Cost, however, is a main concern these days, and with many law enforcement agencies switching back from .40 S&W to the 9mm, ammunition for my XD9SC has just become a lot more affordable than for the XD40 I used to own. Add to the fact that my XD9SC is going to be primarily used as a conceal carry weapon, it's small frame and high capacity magazine will prove to be more effective than the XD40. A little carnage at the range, 350 rounds of cheap russian steel and some american brass. Besides, if I ever need to pack some big heat, I'll just carry my .45.

eXtreme Duty

Say hello to my little friend...



What do you do when the rivers are STILL blown high and wide? You hit the gun range and brush up on your tactical shooting skills, that's what. My home river has been in flood stage since runoff began in late March, and even still, it was near record flows before then throughout the previous summer, fall, and winter. Rendering the river near unfishable for the fly guy, and extremely difficult for even the bait tosser, I haven't spent a ton of time on the water this summer. With no relief in sight, the only thing I can do is grin and bear it, and focus on another pastime of mine, shooting. The firearm du jour is a Springfield Armory XD 45, chambered in .45 ACP. This badboy has got the knock down power to subdue even the brashest of criminals, and will serve duty as a back up firearm while out in the field and woods should any bears, cats, 'yotes, or rogue wolves threaten my well being.


That's gonna leave a mark... 230 grains of hurt.


It's a bit of jump moving from the XD 40 chambered in .40 S&W to the .45, but after a few hundred rounds under my belt, I'm already becoming accustomed to the extra oomph as the XD 45 fires as smooth as buttah. Looks like I found a trusty new companion.

Independence Log

Two can play at this game....


One pound of bacon.


Two pounds of beef.


A half pound of cheese.


Cooked over low heat until an internal temp of 165°F is reached.


Enjoy.

Thanks for the inspiration goes out to my Fat Guy brethren. Thanks Brothers! It may not have been as pretty as your "bacon stripe" but it was just as delicious!