Carpicide 2014 - Twin Cities, Minnesota

Announcing Carpicide 2014, hosted in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, June 20th through 21st, 2014. Details are still being finalized at this point, with more events and info to follow. Here is what the fellows at Isthmus Fly Fishing, co sponsors of the event along with CarpPro, have to say so far:

What: Carp Fly Fishing Tournament to benefit Trout Unlimited
Where? Lake Hiawatha, Lake Nokomis, Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake, The Mississippi River from 8th Ave down to the 35E bridge and Minnehaha Creek. Any small ponds, tributaries, drainage ditches and other carp holding water within site of these bodies of water are also fair game.
Event Schedule:
June 20th, 7pm – Kickoff meeting – TBD
Registration and payment can be made at the kickoff, or before the start of the tournament on Saturday morning at 8am. There will be a presentation by Dan Frasier of CarpPro magazine and also a talk by Trout Unlimited on Friday night.
June 21st, 8am – Tournament Start. Anglers MUST be present at Lake Hiawatha Beach on Saturday morning in order to get their numbers and tournament packets.
June 21st 6pm – Tournament Ends. Anglers must be present at the Hexagon Bar at 6pm sharp in order for their fish to be included.
General Info:
Cost per participant is $25 (pay on Friday Night or Saturday morning, all proceeds go to Trout Unlimited)
Fly Fishing Only!
Every man, woman, and child for themselves!
Barbless Hooks Only
Boats are permitted
Each angler will get a number in their tournament packets on Saturday morning. When a fish is landed, the angler must take a picture of the fish with the number present in the picture, measure and weigh the fish.
Anglers must provide their own digital camera and scale. If a scale is not available a tape measure of the length and girth of the fish must be taken to estimate the weight of the fish.
These rules and regulations were developed very hastily and may change by June 21st 2014.
Please call Jared @ 608-335-8837 with questions.

I will be there, will you?

Rough and Tumble

Just another hard-nosed carp from the backwaters of the Minnesota River.

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.

street walkers

A couple of dirty sluts, the Electric Fetus and Pink Taco.

Hey, baby. You got girlfriend Vietnam?
Not just this minute.
Well, baby, me so horny. Me so HORNY. Me love you long time. You party?
Yeah, we might party. How much?
Fifteen dollar.
Fifteen dollars for both of us?
No. Each you fifteen dollar. Me love you long time. Me so HORNY.
Fifteen dollar too beaucoup. Five dollars each.
Me sucky-sucky. Me love you too much.
Five dollars is all my mom allows me to spend.
Okay. Ten dollar each.
What do we get for ten dollars?
Every t'ing you want.
Everything?
Every t'ing.
Well, old buddy, feel like spending some of your hard-earned money?

Bitch, you got my money?

The Badasses of Beaver Island

A few of my favorite candid portaits of some of the Beaver Island players.

Is the bark worse than the bite?

Recall the High Gravity challenge from awhile back. Here's a new addition to the mix, Pit Bull High Gravity Ice. Coming to you from Pig's Eye brewing, you know it can't be good. Rolling in at 10.2% ABV, this malt liquor rides in the middle of the pack for potency among high gravity beverages.


The taste test challenge is complete with the results soon to follow. Stay tuned. Find out who's number one.

Tacticool

I want, no NEED one of these. Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 MOE Edition Rifle, for the mall ninja in all of us.

The High Five

Not content that Hurricane High Gravity is the cheapest tastiest swill out there on the market, I took a few reader's suggestions and recently diversified with a few different brands of high gravity malt beverages. I picked up the royal sampler for some taste tasting and review, because that's the kind of service we provide.

The Lineup:
Hurricane High Gravity, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., 8.1% ABV
Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager, Steel Brewing Company, 8.1% ABV
Schlitz High Gravity V.S.L., JOS. Schlitz Brewing Co. (Pabst), 8.5% ABV
Camo Black Ice, Camo Brewing Company, 10.5% ABV
Earthquake High Gravity Lager, City Brewing Company, LLC, 12% ABV

The criterion for testing is simple. First, each product needs to be classified as a High Gravity Lager, with a minimum ABV of 8.0%. Second, the product needs to be cheaper than $2.00 per can and something that is easily concealed and transportable. Nothing wrong with 40oz. bottles, but 24 oz. cans are more portable and help minimize the burning sip of death, commonly associated with the last vile sip of piss-warm malt liquor that's been warmed from your hand holding the glass bottle. Finally, the beverage must be one that is available year round and easy to find in stores. No sense in getting your hopes up for a drink that is only available on rare occasions. This is a daily driver beer.

The current reigning champion is Hurricane High Gravity, but only because it has been previously uncontested. I am not going to go out on a limb and pick a predict winner just yet, though Earthquake gets the early lead simply for its high alcohol by volume rating. Only one with a refined palate such as myself will be able to assess and rank each entry fairly, unless you happen to be an expert critique of turpentine and mineral spirits. If so, we can form a consortium of swillers, a brain trust, if you will. I'll follow up with the rank and file of each candidate, as well as all the nefarious and putrid details of each beverage, and reveal my choice in a future post. There are no losers; All five of these drinks rang up for less than $10, with enough change left over to buy a lucky lotto ticket or a slim jim.

Now these are the kind of product reviews we can handle.

Caveat Emptor: The above mentioned beverages were purchased at full retail price by the roughfisher. There is no incentive or financial gain to be made from the review, other than a hopeful roughfisher wishing to be picked up for sponsorship by one of these beverage companies.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming....

It's been awhile since we've featured some fly tying content so here's a little somethin' somethin' to get you started. Starting off with some hare and squirrel dub in the flavor of DSP grey. A little bump was added to the UV blend to make it sparkletastic.

Knock knock
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock knock
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock knock
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

Seriously though, this is some more smooth rollin' dub of the orange variety. Another rendition of the KB "Kinds Buds" blend, just a bit more orangetastic. And for the chem-free folks, some Bro is what the doctor ordered, Orange Julius style.




Always a winner in my circle, Yerba Buena is not the least bit harsh, even if it may resemble some mexi-brick schwag. Smooth.

No stems no seeds that you don't need, Acapulco Gold is...

Peacock Power. This blend is indispensable. 'Nuff said.


Aww jeah!

Under the Influence

Everyone seems to want to be writing up a best of show awards from the recent 2010 IFTD show in Denver earlier this month. Not to be outdone, here are a few of the *high*lights from Denver according to the roughfisher.


BEST FILM: 2010 Drake Film Awards

When Guiding Goes Gangster from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

BEST COSTUME: ¡El bandito!


BEST STREAMSIDE INVASIVE SPECIES: Humulus lupulus


BEST TRUCKER HAT: Kyle "Mr. Social Media" Perkins


BEST STREAMSIDE SCORE: Ribbed for her pleasure


BEST FISH PORN: Roughfisher's mirror from the DSP, Gracie behind the lens


BEST SPREAD: Gracie's house


BEST POSEUR: Gracie at the casting pond


BEST BROMANCE: "When Gracie Met Roughie"


BEST PARTY FOUL: 2010 Drake Film Awards After Party

Bravo! Looks like next year's competition in the Big Easy will be tough to beat...

Browntown

Hard to believe it's September already. The weeks have flown by, countless days wasted working instead of being spent out on the river. Morning lows are finally threatening to dip into the thirties. Crimson hues are beginning to encompass the fringes of those saccharin laden maples, contrasting against the golden yellow school buses studiously making their way through the neighborhood route. While fall marks the return to school for most children, September also means that the International Fly Tackle Dealer (IFTD) Show is just around the corner.


This year the roughfisher is making the voyage west to Denver to make the retailer show. That means a taco truck full of sick carnitas burritos, afternoons on the Dirty South Platte, and evenings chugging down some High Gravity a mile high. Thanks to MG the roughfisher has a couch to crash on and a throne to leave his mark behind. Sure, we will hit the show, make a few bizness transactions, and crash the annual after show parties like the Drake Flyfishing Video Awards. We'll be privy to sneak peaks at new products for 2011, maybe even post a few gear pics or reviews; I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time. I only wonder if Anheuser-Busch will be there so I can get sponsored by High Gravity...

We will be on the prowl. Our posse runs deep; flanked with the Primal Fly crew Denver is about to get the taste slapped out of its mouth. Time to go browntown and wreck some shit.

Declassified

A rare look from inside the Roughfisher Command Post.


Declassified photo from Saturday night. Prost!

Olaf, Berserker!

Longtime reader Brother Olaf has shared a few of his brilliant musings and designs. You can check out his works over at his zazzle site.

Take that in the nutz you dirty bowfisherman. How's it feel?