another carp report...

[john montana]

just got back...solid day!

If any of you out there live around Portland, you know how beautiful the weather was today. After a rough couple of weeks in the office, I just couldn't pass the chance to leave early and chase some carp. This lake is fast becoming my go to spot. It is close to the house, and has some really nice size fish in it...and of course there is Highway Cone. Someday I'll get that monster. Today was good...hooked 3 fish, only landed the one but it was another pig of a carp, that pushed 20 lbs easily. This fish was as big around as a volleyball.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5309/2105/1600/20lb%20carp%20017.jpg

As always, the takes are the most memorable parts of carp fishing (though one fish went into my backing not once, but twice! On his second run down the bank he got so much line out it got all tangled in the bankside vegetation, and he got loose. So it goes...) Today this big boy took the fly perfectly. I dropped it about 1 foot ahead of him, he mosied up and tipped down. I never saw the mouth open, but what a moment when you know he took it, and gently apply the pressure to set the hook in solid. Great fish, and once again I had help (this time from an older gentleman) with the net and camera.

All three fish were hooked on a size 14 rubber legged hare's ear. One took the fly with him, but I have more, and will mass produce these babies! Highway Cone made his usual appearance, but at this point, he just laughs at my feeble attempts and sad looking flies. I've got a plan for him now though...

What a splendid day.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5309/2105/1600/20lb%20carp%20016.jpg

One other item of note...I have GOT to get that 4 wt out of the car. That thing is going to be carp kindling any day now.

[D3smartie]

oh yeah but what a 4wt... how do you like that one?

you might need a bigger net :wink:

[AndyK]

I think you found the "honey hole" :yay:!

You still need a bigger scale so we can know how heavy those monsters are...

[Doryfisher]

Nice......

[fishnfun]

I know that lake...

[PittsburghD]

I hope the highway cone isn't the fly you are referring to that is the grey spongy thing in its' mouth. Nice day!

--D

[McKenzie]

John,
That's not Commonwealth lake that you were fishing is it? If you ever need a fishing partner on some Thursday, let me know, I'd love to go fishin' with you.

Have you ever fished Bethany for carp? Or any of the park ponds in Hillsboro?

[john montana]

never fished any of those spots, but i've heard commonweatlth has carp in it. i'm not sure where bethany is. frankly, i think about any body of water around here has carp in it...you just have to find shallow areas where you can see the fish...

i fish mostly on the weekends...skipped out the other day at the last minute. i should do that more often!

[jfsfish2]

McKensie-
Carp there? I go past that place ones in a while. Ok to fish there? Have gone on the funeral pond in Hillsboro on the TV Hiway in the past. Good not hook on there but people catch them. Unforgately people catch the carp and leave them on the ground and walk away. Smells bad!! Limited fishing in there. Have not been there for sometime but that would be a blast to hook into one there.
Jfsfish2

[john montana]

i've heard there are carp in commonwealther, but i haven't checked it out yet. one of these days i'll head over there.

[gottafish]

John wheres Hyway cone over here????

[PDXSteelhead]

I hope there isn't carp in Commonwealth, it's too small of a pond and would ruin the trout/bass fishing.

I've been over there a few times and haven't seen any.

[john montana]

gottafish, for some reason i didn't put that report up...not as many people here seem as interested in carp fishing. for those who want to read about highway cone, here is a link to my blog (or you can check it out on the "other" fly fishing site.) i frequent both ifish and the other one...both great sites.

http://www.carponthefly.blogspot.com/

i've heard from several people that commonwealth has a pretty large carp population. i didn't know there were trout in there though. do they just put stockers in there from time to time?

[mandinga]

thats ******* incredible.


highway cone has been conquered!

wtg john

[PDXSteelhead]

Commonwealth gets stockers in the spring before the water warnms up. Actually hooked a fish with a dry fly and a couple w/ choronomid patterns.

It gets me my fly fishing fix only 5 min from home, and my old lady doesn't mind if I'm only gone for an hour or two.

[duckboy]

Do you eat the carp?

Just curious.

[McKenzie]

Commonwealth has a large carp population - but it doesn't affect the trout fishing one lick. The trout are all stockers, and 90% are fished out within a week or so of the stocking truck's visit. There are some fairly large holdovers - but few of them survive teh summer - water temps can reach 75 degrees in the summer, and the lake is only 8 or 9 feet deep in it's deepest. There's a good population of largemouth and smallmouth bass in the lake, as well as the odd sunfish (have caught very few sunfish in the lake, mostly bass in the 1/2 to 2 lb range, with the oddball 5lb largemouth or 3lb smallie. And there's channel cat and bullhead that hang out on the north end (sandier bottom area) of the pond.

My largest fish out of commonwealth was a 20lb carp, and there's bigger fish in there. I caught the 20lb'er on an ultralight spinning rod w/ 4lb line. 30 minutes of tug-o-war and I had it lipped. Never caught one on a fly yet.

[john montana]

sounds like my kind of lake! i'll definately check it out.

[McKenzie]

I forgot to add - yesterday (Sunday) I went out on my first fishing trip of the year -- it was also the maiden voyage for my newest compulsory acquisition...payday + a sale at GI Joes left me $100 lighter in the wallet -- I picked up some leaders and a Lamiglas G200 9' 8wt 2 piece rod, and a Cortland line for it. I stripped the line off my largest reel - a large arbor Okuma. Thusly equipped, I decided to try my luck, figuring that the warm weather we've had for the last week might've left the water super fishable (low and clear, and warm enough to be active) -- I was disappointed. I knew the stocking truck made a dump recently, thanks to "opening day" (the lake is open year round) - and the lawnchair crowd was out in force. Also watched two ospreys fishing - and irritating the bank anglers as the ospreys were doing better than the worm killers. The water was low - which is good, but the warm weather really promoted algae bloom and the lake was murky as it is in mid summer. Couldn't see a single carp. I spent half an hour blind casting to the spots I've done the best at, and didn't get a thing. Scouted the entire banks twice, and saw nary a fish. Dinked around at the outlet for 10 minutes, caught a fingerling largemouth (barely larger than the #12 nymph I was fishing) and then my pager went off and I had to go to work. At least I didn't get skunked!

John, should you find yourself available some thursday or friday (finally got my friday's back!) and in need for a fishing partner, I'm game. BTW - have you ever tried flyfishing for *********?