The Carp Classic on Blackfoot Reservoir

by | Jun 2, 2019 | blackfoot reservoir, carp

Johnny-Boyd-Carp-ClassicIt was Day 2 of the Johnny Boyd Carp Classic here on Blackfoot Reservoir.  My Team, “Could be Worse” of Ben Smith, Trevor Wine and myself were sitting in 10th place out of the 30 Teams.  A comeback to win was doubtful but I’ve learned over the years that anything can happen so we jumped up ready to whip some butt.

 

Blackfoot-ReservoirThere was no messing around as far as choosing our location.  We went to the exact spot I caught our one carp yesterday.  There were fish there.  The water was warmer than other parts of the reservoir so it was unlikely they would move.  The tournament committee let us loose at 8:30 so off we went.

 

carp-on-flyIt wasn’t only my team to the spot.  We have more friends in the tournament including my pal Tim Brune and his team.  They came with us which made it more fun for hanging out.  Before we knew it six of us were casting brown woolly buggers to the occasionally rolling mirror carp.

 

carp-flyfishingRolling or leaping carp get the blood going when you want to catch them.  Unfortunately, I’ve learned that these fish aren’t doing much eating.  I believe the carp are spawning and the jumps are a combination of things from showing off to other carp, staking territory and possibly breaking their egg sacks.  I further think that they are like spawning brown trout that jump, the only time they eat your fly is when you tick them off.

 

carp-competitionThe hours rip by when you’re in a tournament needing to catch a fish.  Out of the six of us not one touched a carp by 1 PM.  It was an uncomfortable feeling with no one catching a single fish yet.  But, instead of sweating it, we decided to have a royal lunch.  We broke out the chairs and a few beers and Ben grilled us all up some brats.

 

Yeti-carpWe didn’t fish hard after lunch.  It was more like three of us casting while the other three were watching.  Watching to see if anyone would get lucky.  Before we knew it we had 20 minutes to go.  Most of the guys reeled it in and packed up their stuff.  It was the rain that was starting that got everyone on “pack it up mood”.  Not me though, I put my rain jacket on and went to work.

 

At 2:50 my fly hit the water and on the first strip I felt a carp grab.  Off he went to the races.  I thought it was more like 2:45.  Ben said, “you better be fast, its 2:52.

 

Johnny-Boyd-carp-classicRemember, we need to be to the weigh in on time.  That was 3 PM.  We were only minutes away but I had to land my fish.  Well, some people give me crap about the heavy tippet I use.  I don’t think fish see heavy tippet regardless of what some say.  And it’s a good thing I believe this.  I had straight 20lb Scientific Anglers flouro and I started backing up and reeling.  This big fish didn’t know what to do.  In seconds he was in Trevor’s net and then to the Yeti.  We took off and made camp by 3:03.  No one noticed we were three minutes late!

 

Jeff-Currier-carp-fishingThis old mirror carp was almost a leather.  He had very few scales and looked like he’d been through a war with his scars.  He weighed 16.1 lbs. and even though Ben and Trevor didn’t come through, this fish propelled us to 6th place.  No medal but not bad.

 

tornadoIt turns out very few fish were caught today.  We got lucky but in a comp you’ll take it any day!  As the award ceremony took place we were rudely interrupted.  About ten miles from us appeared the first tornado I’ve ever seen in my life.  It was a sight to behold and most of us couldn’t take our eyes off it.  Luckily it was headed towards the open flats of Idaho.

 

The Carp Classic raised over $6000 for the cause.  That’s pretty dang good for a bunch of carp bums.  It’s back to Victor in the morning for few days of catching up.  Then tune back in as I finish out the fishing in June in NH, Cape Cod and finally in northern Manitoba.

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing

0 Comments

Welcome to the Blog of Jeff Currier!

Contact Jeff

I started fly fishing at age 7 in the lakes and ponds of New England cutting my teeth on various sunfish, bass, crappie and stocked trout. I went to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I graduated with a Naturalist Degree while I discovered new fishing opportunities for pike, muskellunge, walleyes and various salmonids found in Lake Superior and its tributaries.

From there I headed west to work a few years in the Yellowstone region to simply work as much as most people fish and fish as much as most people work. I did just that, only it lasted over 20 years working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, WY where I departed in 2009. Now it’s time to work for "The Man", working for myself that is.

I pursue my love to paint fish, lecture on every aspect of fly fishing you can imagine and host a few trips to some of the most exotic places you can think of. My ultimate goal is to catch as many species of fish on fly possible from freshwater to saltwater, throughout the world. I presently have taken over 440 species from over 60 countries!

Subscribe to the Blog

Archives

Sponsors