When my blog starts with a photo of a busted up shopping cart laying in an off-color Phoenix, Arizona canal you wouldn’t expect me to write about a successful fishing day.  However not only was our fishing great, but I drove away from La Mesa RV with a brand new van!

Fishing on the urban canal was indeed fruitful.  I was with my buddy Steve Berry once again.  Steve and his wife Lisa always host me when I’m here.  Steve is very involved with the fly fishing community here in AZ and is half owner in Nomada Fly Fish.  We fish and Steve takes me to all my speaking gigs.  Along with us today was Mike Faulkinbury and Gentry Smith, both of whom were on the blog this past February when I was fishing down here.

Mike is a fine fly tyer and Gentry an amazing photographer and Steve’s partner in Nomada.  For a fella like me, its great fishing with all three of these guys.  While I was set with a few nice flies of my own, Mike offered me one of his custom damsel nymphs.  Mike was fishing his fly and he picked up a few small largemouth, a bluegill and a tilapia before anyone else had a strike.

Before you knew it, Steve and I were slowly retrieving Mike’s fly slightly downstream and across.  Its funny, I describe the technique like we are swinging for steelhead in BC, but no, this was on the canal.  Sure enough we both laid into some hefty Arizona tilapia!

There are always some grass carp and a few big commons patrolling this particular canal.  For grassies you need to see them and although we spotted a few, they weren’t visible often enough to pursue them.  After a few tilapia all of us worked hard on the puffs of mud we could see created by common carp sifting for food along bottom.

Mike was first to hook up a carp but he broke off.  In the next hour after Steve hooked two and lost them both.  I was pretty sure I had a follow and felt one suck in my damsel but missed him.

Last February I caught a beast slightly downstream of where we were.  I figured I’d go check on my spot from spring.  I walked the stretch slowly, looking for signs.  I saw a couple puffs of mud but not much.

It only takes one of these big wise fish to make a day so I eased my way to the canal edge where the muds were taking place.  The spot was about 3 feet deep and not only could I see the mud puffs but occasionally I’d catch a glimpse of the tail.  These fish were feeding hard digging their noses into the mucky bottom.  All I had to do is get my fly in sight and I knew I’d have one.  That took me 30 minutes but my persistence paid off and I hooked up!

A Blackfoot mirror carp puts up a heck of a fight but I can handle it being I have room to maneuver.  But here in a tiny canal, these huge carp go nuts.  I was using my Winston 5-weight Air and it was all I could do to slow him down.  Lucky for me I was using 3X Scientific Anglers Absolute Fluoro.  All I can say is, I’m extremely impressed with their new tippet materials.

It took a few minutes but eventually Mike noticed my battle stance from afar.  He called Gentry (who brings the net) and soon all of us were gazing into the canal waiting for a glimmer of bronze to appear.  Soon I raised this fish off the bottom and into sight.  Next I slid him into the net.  I had the twin, if not the same exact fish that I caught in this spot last February.  An awesome ending to my AZ fishing 2021!

After I released the fish Steve said we needed to run.  He was right.  At 1:30 I was scheduled for an orientation and pick up of Granny’s and my new van.  We hustled to Steve’s truck.  I was covered in the scent of carp but I didn’t care.  When you buy a new rig like this you can smell and look however you want.  They were actually stoked with our adventure and soon I was driving off the lot.

Its hard to believe Granny and I have our first new vehicle.  I’ve only had old cars and have run each into the ground.  It’s likely I’ll drive this for the rest of my life.  That will be our goal.  25 years.  Maybe we can stay healthy for 30.  Who knows but no doubt this comfortable upgrade from climbing in the back of an Explorer should help the longevity of this body!

It’s been a great visit to AZ but time to fly back to NH tomorrow where over the next ten days I’ll prepare and pack for the biggest adventure of 2021.  Stay tuned. . . . .

Once again, it’s time to remind everyone that Christmas is coming on fast and I have “Gifts for the angler that has everything”.  Visit my Webstore for my famous fish coffee mugs, beer steins, sun shirts, sun hoodies and visit my friends at Pescador on the Fly to order my 10” and 5” fish decals!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing