Happy Fish = Happy Angler

I don't like getting skunked. I had to rectify that situation, so I went back out to the C&O Canal yesterday. I walked the entire stretch 2.5 mile stretch from Lock 8 to Lock 6. The water was even muddier than yesterday. Most places had less than 6 inch visibility. I am still trying to figure out what drives the water clarity on the Canal. There was no rain and no changes in water depth suggesting no releases of water into or out of the canal. The only thing I can think of is the wind. It was a bit breezy yesterday. The good news, though, was the fish were extremely active. Fish were mudding everywhere, and I didn't see a single fish just floating.

Most of the afternoon was simply spent looking for fish with a couple futile casts. Finally, I stumbled upon a perfect stretch of water about 50 feet long. Clear water about 2 feet deep with several feeding fish. I pick out the one in the best position and dropped my fly a couple feet in front of the fish. It glided over, opened it's mouth, and inhaled the fly. Fish on. A few minutes later, my first carp of 2015 was in the net. I ran into a fellow member of Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders, our local DC fly fishing club, while I was fighting the fish. He and his wife were gracious enough to give me the assist on the photography.

First carp of 2015

After the release, the rest of that stretch was spooked and mudded up from the fight. I had to resort to casting to fish with an indicator if I wanted a chance at another hook up. Find them was no problem. Finding ones where I could tell which direction the fish was facing was another challenge. I found a few nice fish tailing just like a bonefish or redfish. By the end of the afternoon, I was able to pick off two more nice carp using a fly under the indicator.

The fight is on!

This carp was aggressively tailing. You can see the silt cloud he was kicking up.

Only bringing a 55-250mm lens makes fish selfies really difficult

This bass slammed my fly at one point. I repeat my comment about fishing selfies.

Last fish of the day

Three deer stopped by for a snack

Some Lock 7 scenery

Early Season Skunk

I went out to the C&O Canal today between locks 7 and 8. This was some skunky early season fishing. We're just barely past ice-out from this winter's brutal cold, and the water temps aren't much above 40 degrees. If you've been to the canal before, you know the water is never clear, but today we were met with some extra muddy water. Visibility in most places was less than 2 feet which makes for some difficult spotting of fish. Forget about seeing the fish take your fly. I got a good look from the first carp we saw, but couldn't get the hook to stick. The fish were far less spooky than usual today, likely because of the muddy water. Most of the carp were still in "holding" mode where they're just relaxing with absolutely no intent to eat. Even still, we managed to find a few eaters, but struggled getting their attention. A few follows was about it. Nick managed to get an eat at the very end of the day, but couldn't come tight. At least it was a nice day.

Chasing carp on the fly through our Nation's Capital.

A couple years ago, I started getting bored with my usual fishing routines in Washington, DC. After a conversation with the fishing manager at Orvis, he suggested I try my luck at carp. A couple years later, I look back realizing the insane amount of time I've dedicated to going after these fish around the District. As I've shared my experiences with my friends and local fly fishing club, I've realized how great of an interest there is in targeting these fish yet how little information is available. My mission here is to share my experiences fly fishing for carp around Washington DC and hopefully help a few people get into these fish along the way, too! While you're waiting for new content, feel free to check out my other wesbite, www.findthefishing.com, to help you find a fishing guide as you navigate your way around our country's lakes, streams, and oceans.