September Edition
james king
Our Angler of the Month for September is James King from the great state of Texas!
Originally from the UK, James has been an American Carp Society member for a number of years now, focusing his passion on some monster buffs and targeting carp in lakes that are off the beaten path. A truly dedicated Angler who loves the sport with a passion. Big congrats James on your catches this year…Keep up the great work!
Click HERE to check out his instagram page!
NOTABLE CAPTURES
August was a banner month for many of our members across the USA and with the Summer coming to an end we are seeing some glorious fish being captured. These photos below caught our attention in the month of August and so we thought that some extra recognition was warranted. Congratulations to everyone on the success of their angling sessions this past month…We appreciate all of your tags and mentions, and can’t wait to see what everyone is catching over this next month! Don’t forget to tag us #americancarpsociety #jointheguiltyones and mention @american_carp_society in your stories!
•. Sam Nichols
Gerald lee
Our friend Gerald Lee with some incredible fish captured on the fly….with his trusty dogs in tow!
“This is a jumbo sized carp fish i caught on my fly pole.. it's no easy task to get a fly in front of a fish feeding in 8 feet of water but it can be done. Midge tip fly line is finding its way into my carp fishing bag. I'm finding it has a lots of benefits…”
BEN TAVARES
“Thought you guys would like this one, been battling serious illnesses and weakness from Lyme disease for months now! Felt good to finally get back to my favorite spots on the beautiful Hudson River!
Went back this morning before sun-up to beat the heat, had 6 fish, biggest being a near 22lber! Got way too hot by mid-day and had to leave ‘em biting!”
barnaby’s revenge captures!
bobby oney
“Finally had a few days with temps dropping into the low 60s at night. I had to take advantage and get out for an overnight session at a new spot. Lost one early just after sunset, but was lucky enough to get a redo around 4am.”
“After a few seasons of trying different baits and bait strategies (predominantly just plastics on the hair and low-cost, simple pack baits) I have reverted to my old tried and trusted from ACS.
I’m certain confidence is about the biggest factor in carp (and Buffalo) fishing and so even though it takes a bit longer to prepare my pack bait (with lots of crushed and chopped boilies and tiger nuts) the pay off and ‘price per fish’ is definitely worth it. I hope everyone catches their dream fish this year, I’m off to a flyer and happy about it.”
Sneak peek of the new 2024 ACS membership Stickers about to drop…
new paul cioca film
Please check out the latest film from our good friend Paul Cioca. Part One of ‘USA Drive and Survive’ is now available for viewing on YouTube. Featuring some incredible U.S anglers that represent the sport in its very best light, this is a well spent 50 minutes of your time.
If you haven’t had chance to watch it yet, please takes the time to do so…and like and subscribe to Paul’s channel. This is the future of the sport here in the USA with the spotlight being shone firmly on the fish and looking at the real camaraderie that can be found bank-side amongst top US Carp Anglers.
larry dostal
** THIS IS IMPORTANT - PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO HELP **
To all of our members and friends worldwide - Your help in this is really appreciated! PLEASE SUBMIT COMMENTS AT THE LINKS BELOW** from our friend Larry Dostal:
Larry Dostal, Nebraska American Carp Society Guide here with a an urgent "call to action" regarding THE premier public carp fishery in Nebraska.
The issue here is, the state agency spending over $200,000 on a Rotenone renovation (poisoning) of a truly special carp fishery with no public input, to re-establish a stocked rainbow trout fishery. No evidence or input provided from the angling community that a trout fishery is desired over the current status quo.
I was hoping for any support or promotion or help you could offer.
Public comments can be submitted with a simple fillable form by clicking: HERE!
Nebraska Game & Parks public relations manager:
Shawna Richter-Ryerson
shawna.richter-ryerson@nebraska.gov
402-471-5565
Nebraska Game & Parks communications director:
Christy Firestone
christy.rasmussen@nebraska.gov
402-471-5593
tyler kross
Congratulations Tyler!!
carp slam xvii
We are proud to be sponsoring the 2023 CARP SLAM once again!
Calling all Carp Anglers!!
This is a wonderful carp event and worthy cause each year to give something back to the sport that we all love! DTU does a great job for all of the anglers and the future of the sport On the Denver South Platte River. They are raising funds to improve angling access for children, veterans and disabled anglers along the River by building ‘lifetime angling access areas’. Join the event or donate to the cause to show your support and automatically be entered for a chance to win!
The American Carp Society supports enhancing angling for carp on the DSP!!
All donations help the Denver South Platte and Trout in the Classroom
CARP SLAM XVII – SOUTH PLATTE PRO/AM – SEPTEMBER 16th, 2023 –CARPSLAM.ORG
A fly fishing tournament testing world class fly anglers | Presented by Denver Trout Unlimited | #carpslam2023
This fly fishing tournament helps restore the health and habitat of Denver South Platte River, supports our environmental education programs like Trout-in-the-Classroom and Meet-the-RIver team building events, helps fund our continued fight for pollution protection on our home waterway.
We are working with other stakeholders to add 10 beats of Lifetime Angling Access Areas to the five major projects slated for the Denver South Platte over the next ten years.
We'll tell the story of this river on the rise through youth programs, trout-in-the-classroom, river bank cleanups, visitor outings, and social media.
Here's your chance to do something great for the future of urban fishing in the heart of Denver!
Click HERE for more details!
Bring it With You When You Go
BY: LUKE WILSON
Late summer is always a hot time for chasing carp on the fly, both metaphorically and literally. These fish bite well during the summer heat, which makes them great targets for this time of year. It is a unique characteristic of these hardy fish, and one that keeps them growing more and more popular amongst traditional and fly anglers alike. This time of year always reminds me of going back to school, now it is reinforced as the youngest of the Wilson family is leaving for college. It can be sensed in the nostalgic scent of the air, the hot days beginning to cool down quite a bit more when the sun goes down, yellow jackets and various other black and yellow bee and bee-like insects appear around every sweet treat, and all the people who want to “get out and do something before the summer ends.” Much like the yellow jackets that begin to search for anything they might consider tasty, I find that carp are oftentimes much hungrier, or rather feeding more consistently, during the late months of summer, such as August and September. I can lay out a cast to a slow rolling cruiser who is now much more likely to stop his meandering and check out my fly that had sunk past him, which in previous months would have been ignored. As many animals are aware, summer is ending and the best time to get nice and full is before the food gets scarce when autumn comes and the days are shorter and cooler. Before he had to leave for school, the youngest brother, Josh, was excited to show me a new fly he had tied and was wanting to try it out. We made a day of it in hopes of sending him off the right way. When he gets bored of his schoolwork he can remind himself of the carp we would catch this trip, and all summer long.
Like many of our trips, we hopped around a lot this day. We started at the closest section of the creek near my house early in the morning. Finding the carp usually is much easier in the creek during late summer. The fish start becoming easier to find because the low water level usually leaves a good pool for the carp to sit in. They usually stay around that area going back and forth between the deep, cool hole and the shallow waters surrounding the pool. To our surprise, the creek was much higher than normal this time of year. The steady rain we had much of summer never allowed the creek to obtain its normal low levels during the end of summer. On top of the rain, much of the headwaters were being let out due to a project far upstream. The creek usually fluctuates so much from spring to late summer on its own, dropping feet from its peak months ago. Our initial thoughts of this sight were positive. But the water had become stained and the current was so strong that seeing the carp before we could walk within casting range was nearly impossible. The creek just didn’t allow it at the time. What was normally only a foot deep had almost become closer to three. It had been a fairly wet summer but the creek still was abnormally high. After a quick loop and little luck, one smaller carp had been caught off guard with his face in a grassy blindfold, it was decided that we would be much better off at the lake where when the water is high the edges touch further back giving us more shallows to search rather than limiting our vision and ability to cast to the carp. Josh’s last trip before school would take him away had to be a worthy one, and if hopping spots was gonna help then it had to happen. One thing I tell people about fly fishing for carp is that they shouldn't spend time looking for carp that aren't there. They are sight based fishing. Meaning, if you don't see any carp, move on. Don't waste your time looking for ones that aren't there, and don't be afraid to move on from a slow spot. Spotting fish requires constant movement sometimes.
We made it to the lake quickly. It was still much higher than normal as the creek feeds the lake. It was a Friday and an hour and some change before noon when we were out on the water. Since the water was so high we tried a different side of the lake. Instead of hitting our normal spots we wanted to see what new spots we could find along the edges with the water being pushed so high. The banks had changed dramatically with the water levels. But they held plenty of carp exploring as far up as they could. Our first encounter came almost ten minutes after we hit the water. A smaller carp was tailing far up the bank. He almost couldn't be seen, but the nervous water had given his location away. Josh was able to throw his fly towards the fish and it was sucked down fast. The way the fish was fighting we thought we had miscalculated its true size. Josh's rod was doubled over and it was pulling drag effortlessly. Soon the fish did what carp are known for and began dragging the end of his line towards cover. The water on the banks had begun touching overhanging shrubs so the fish could get right up behind them and that's just what he did. The fight took a turn for the worst when we saw his fly line become entangled in the reaching hand of the shrubs. We quickly took the boat toward shore and before I could say anything Josh had jumped out of the boat and was untangling his line as quick as lightning. To my surprise he had somehow managed to get enough untangled to continue to fight the fish and I quickly netted it when it came closer. For a smaller carp it was loaded to the brim with strength. And it was a great way to start off the lake. We soon discovered that there were many carp exploring the new shoreline, but all under the cover of overhanging branches and shrubbery. Casting at many of these fish were impossible but if you could get one to notice your fly they were intrigued. Not all of them were interested in taking the fly, but they all showed some interest in what had landed on the edge of the vegetation and had sunk past them to the bottom. If you were able to get under the cover with a side cast or hit just the very edge of the brush the carp would move to investigate. This led to some exciting takes and many flies hung up. Accuracy is needed to fish for carp, and we worked hard to practice our precision that day.
A good day of fishing always leaves you with something. For us that day, we made ourselves more accurate casters by testing our luck casting under low hanging trees and shrubs. If you are too scared to snag a fly, you won't be able to get the ones under the trees. We left with pride in ourselves after landing some fish on a new fly, and even more pride after a group of kayakers had seen us land a big one and began cheering. Josh can leave home knowing that he always has a spot to come back and fish for some carp. He can leave knowing that taking risks is necessary in life if you want to catch what you're after, adjustments are always happening, and a snag doesn't mean the fish is off the line. He can bring with him stories of the golden ghost, and share them with some new friends. Perhaps one day taking up the activity and joining the guilty ones who find pleasure in chasing after a “garbage fish.” One man's trash is another man's treasure. As summer continues to wind down, let us not waste the nice weather we will soon be missing so dearly. Carp on.
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“Thank you American Carp Society for your leadership… A Company that represents the USA Carp Angling scene in a positive light with professionalism. Great products, service and education for the next generation of US Carp Anglers!” - Mark W , PA