A Day That Was Maybe a Little Too Nice

I was on the road by 5:00 am heading north to meet up with Dave Fason to explore one of his local lakes outside Greensboro for carp nosing around on the flats.  Everything from the weather app to sun coming up to a cloudless sky told me that it was going to be perfect.  It was going to be warm with little wind and we'd have full sun all day long.  I texted Dave that maybe it was going to be a little too nice.  I ended up being right and it's a bit humorous now that I am writing this while on a weathered out morning on Beaver Island, Michigan with rain and wind keeping us from going out until the afternoon.  

Our guide friend Patrick Hayes had a couple of hours free and we all met at the boat ramp, tossing all the gear and fly rods into the Towee.  We motored across the lake the first spot and Dave stepped on the poling platform.  It was just moments before Dave called out the first carp and the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon was more of the same.  

The fly of the day was Brandon Bailes's Carp Kwan, which we'll be sharing a step-by-step tutorial on T.F.M. soon.  I had a carp bolt out of a cloud of slit to smoke the fly that was being stripped two foot away.  Impressive to get that much of a carp's attention on this fly.  

The lack of success of the day could be blamed on the weather but in reality, my fly casting and placement of the fly in proximity of the many carp that we saw was way less than stellar.  It actually had me thinking that I should practice fly casting more than I do and even invest in come casting lessons.  I brought my "C" game to a place that really deserved an "A" game.  Next time...

Follow along with Dave's latest photography and fly fishing projects on Instagram.  And, if you ever find yourself in Greensboro and want to book a trip, give Patrick Hayes at Mended Fly Fishing a shout.