The start of 2014 has been depressing so far in terms of fishing time. With all of the arctic weather in our state and starting a new project at work, more time has been spent in front of the fire and computer at home, leaving only time to tie flies and dream of the upcoming spring fishing. Don't get me wrong, I love the solitude of winter fishing, but I am not going to freeze my butt off in sub-zero temps for a 1 or 2 fish day.
One of my New Year's resolutions was to chase different species more this year, with the hope that I will be a much better all-around fisherman by the end of the year. The water that I am planning on spending the most time fishing is the Denver South Platte, chasing around all those monster carp that call it home. Having this river in our back yard is so awesome, and I am looking forward to warmer water and feeding fish, exploring the concrete playground that is the DSP.
In anticipation of the year, I have been tying a #*$& load of carp flies, stuffing them into a bunch of different fly boxes, eagerly awaiting the day when I can unleash them. It is so fun tying them, with all of the different materials that I normally don't use very much. Being able to use large amounts of marabou, zonker strips, soft hackle, and rubber crazy legs allows for lots of fly tying self-expression, taking old patterns and adding your own twist to them that make them fish better in your local waters. It's this room for improvisation that really helps to create some super cool fly patterns.
But there is always room in the box for those patterns that just work, that always seem to find a way to be tied to the end of the line. Below is a peek into my favorite carp patterns for carp along the Front Range, but more specifically, the Denver South Platte. I find that these flies always seem to fool tough carp, and they deserve a special spot in the carp box.
One of my New Year's resolutions was to chase different species more this year, with the hope that I will be a much better all-around fisherman by the end of the year. The water that I am planning on spending the most time fishing is the Denver South Platte, chasing around all those monster carp that call it home. Having this river in our back yard is so awesome, and I am looking forward to warmer water and feeding fish, exploring the concrete playground that is the DSP.
In anticipation of the year, I have been tying a #*$& load of carp flies, stuffing them into a bunch of different fly boxes, eagerly awaiting the day when I can unleash them. It is so fun tying them, with all of the different materials that I normally don't use very much. Being able to use large amounts of marabou, zonker strips, soft hackle, and rubber crazy legs allows for lots of fly tying self-expression, taking old patterns and adding your own twist to them that make them fish better in your local waters. It's this room for improvisation that really helps to create some super cool fly patterns.
But there is always room in the box for those patterns that just work, that always seem to find a way to be tied to the end of the line. Below is a peek into my favorite carp patterns for carp along the Front Range, but more specifically, the Denver South Platte. I find that these flies always seem to fool tough carp, and they deserve a special spot in the carp box.
 |
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment