September 22-23, 2020
It was chilly on the back porch drinking my coffee this past week. With the days shortening by nearly three minutes every 24 hours, it won’t just be the mornings that are crisp by the end of the month. Fall is right on schedule and my friends the mirror carp of Blackfoot Reservoir will go from tailing on the flats to burrowing down deep in the mud and weeds for the winter. This week I felt the need to hold on to one more so Tuesday midday Granny and I packed the Explorer and made the beautiful two hour drive.
When we arrived, it was hot and sunny but the wind blew strong. While I jumped into my Simms G4Z waders in an instant, Granny mulled around then decided it could be her last time kicking back drinking a beer and reading a book in the sun until next May. It was a horrible thought but she might be right. I positioned my truck to block the wind and told her to enjoy.
With the wind my visibility was poor for spotting carp. To make it tougher the sun was blocked by a layer of thin clouds and forest fire smoke. In my head I was telling myself the challenge was strengthening my skills – and no doubt it was – but if it was a little easier I wouldn’t complain.
Despite the hindrances, it didn’t take long for me to spot a sign of a carp. I wish I could tell you it was a tail but it wasn’t. But it was a puff of mud undoubtedly stirred by a carp stuffing his nose in the bottom searching for food. I plunked my crayfish pattern in there and before I even started to strip the fish was on!
Granny was reading but she’s always watching me. She grabbed my phone and made her way down for a few clicks. I’m glad she came because this mirror is a true specimen as far as scales and color.
Remarkably I’d find a few mudding carp. It was hard to tell if it was mud from a fish or from waves breaking in the shallows but I must have been feeling it because I hooked three more and landed one more. Though we didn’t get to Blackfoot until around 3 PM, it was a successful afternoon to make up for the beating I took last trip up.
We had some friends from Pinedale meet us for camping. They also snuffed out a carp each this afternoon on the far side of Blackfoot. We had a feast, drank some beers and watched a stunning sunset followed by the moon setting like it was mars casting an eerie red color from the smoke.
Today I planned on finding some tailing carp in clear water. Well, it didn’t work out that way. The water on the flats felt very cold against my legs. I couldn’t even find a mudding carp. I fished hard but never stuck a fish.
I don’t like ending my carp season with a blank but I guess its good to be reminded as to how challenging fly fishing for carp actually is. 2020 has been a magnificent carp year and todays breakfast wasn’t too bad either!
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