ANGLER OF THE MONTH
Our Angler of the month for June 2024 is ACS member Alexei Perciuleac from Illinois!
Alexei has been an ACS member and passionate carp angler for many years here in the USA and has captured some stunning fish. Big congrats to Alexei for his continued stewardship of the species and positive promotion of the sport of U.S Carp fishing.
Check out Alexei’s Insta page for more great fish!
NOTABLE CAPTURES
Going through the photos for Notable Captures each month is always inspiring - just look at the variety of fish this month: huge commons, scaly beasts, fantails, mammoth grassies, and a carp to young Tyler Kross that looks like it could pull his arms off! We greatly appreciate all your tags and mentions, and can’t wait to see what everyone is catching in the month ahead. Get out there! Don’t forget to tag us #americancarpsociety #jointheguiltyones and tag american_carp_society in your stories!
If you haven’t checked out the ACS store in a while you may not know the Barnaby’s Revenge bait brand has greatly expanded and now includes four flavors of regular boilies, pop-ups, flavor sprays, tiger nuts, and paste. It’s the most comprehensive carp bait range made exclusively in the USA and helps support the ACS. We’d love to see more members use the bait and most importantly, see the photos of what they managed to catch on it!
Thanks to everyone for tagging us in their May captures. We look forward to a lot more catches and success for ACS members next month. Please remember to tag captures #americancarpsociety, #jointheguiltyones, and #barnabysrevenge to be featured.
MONTHLY CONTEST WINNER
Will Passeretti, last month’s cover star and Angler of the Month, clearly took notice of our advice to enter both the BCS Carp of the Month Competition and our own ACS Cap Competition simultaneously, because he’s a triple winner for the month of May! He gets the BCS prize, our prize, and a bonus for wearing our cap in the BCS entry. Congratulations Will. We look forward to seeing what you’re going to do with all the bait coming your way.
Just as a reminder, a Barnaby’s Revenge bait package is up for grabs each month just for tagging us #americancarpsociety with your catch pictures on social media and wearing an ACS cap. It doesn’t have to be the season’s biggest carp - just a great carpy shot with one of our caps nice and visible in the frame. If you enter and win a section of the Big Carp Tackle monthly comp wearing your cap, you’ll receive an extra bait bonus from the Barnaby’s range.
MILL CREEK CUP 2024 UPDATE
Mark your calendars - the 2024 Mill Creek Cup will run this year from November 6-9th in Canton Texas. We will be releasing more details in the next 2-3 weeks, but we can share that the big fish prize this year will be a stunning SOLAR Universal Pod, complete with buzz bars and extension legs. We will also have section prizes and cash prizes the competitive juices flowing. A BBQ dinner will be included and a special social event at a brand new location! A good time is guaranteed and spots will fill quickly!
This special event showcases the great social atmosphere and camaraderie that is needed to build the sport in the USA and is an opportunity to meet some special anglers, many that travel across the country each year to participate. Always a great time meeting new people , and fishing a lake with some very special fish, including a number of 40lb+ residents. It’s not an easy lake or a ‘runs’ water and will really test both your mental and physical abilities…C’mon down! Watch this space and the members FB group for more info.
THE FISH OF MILL CREEK
Some nice moody shots and takes from different angles this month - carp photography can be so much more than the classic grip and grin, as these talented folks prove.
CAMO ITEMS NEARLY GONE …
Just a heads-up - there are only a few camo wrapped accessories left in the ACS carp store. Get ‘em before they fade into the background forever …
SPOTTING CARP - DAGUR Guomundsson
As a fly angler, spotting carp will make or break your day. Sometimes they make it easy on you, sometimes it’s a little bit harder. One thing I’ve noticed the more and more I target carp on the fly, is that spotting them becomes like a sixth sense.
Stop thinking about it, and start feeling it out. I learned years ago as a kid in Iceland, looking for salmon in rivers I could only dream about being able to afford fishing in, is that you don’t look for the fish - you look at the bottom, and find what is not the bottom.
The same goes for carp, don’t set out to necessarily spot the fish, look for the bottom, get comfortable with what the bottom looks like and then pick out what isn’t bottom. It sounds stupid simple, but sometimes those are the most effective tips, and this has helped many of my clients spot fish that once they spot them, seem obvious.
Carp are experts at hiding in plain sight - stop letting them embarrass you and become an expert at spotting the obvious.
GALLERY
ACS fly fisher / photographers show us every month that all carp can make interesting photo subjects - they don’t have to be PB’s or twenties. Please remember to tag captures #americancarpsociety, #jointheguiltyones. Please give these guys a follow and an encouraging comment.
NEWBIES - LUKE WILSON
This month has been one for the record books. Not for the typical reasons. Not for catching the most or the biggest fish. Rather, it was because of the new memories I’ve made and the new memories I now share with some new carpers.
The joy of sharing your passion and seeing someone get hooked is held even closer than most fish I've landed. It's like planting a tree and watching that tree sprout and handing the responsibility to the hands of someone new. It is now your turn to grow and nurture this new sapling.
The first trip this month someone new tagged along was a sensational one. I had invited my cousin Jack, on a whim, to come down and try carping out on the boat for a weekend. I was absolutely thrilled when he agreed to come on such short notice. The drive between us is just under two hours one way, so it is a bit of a longer drive.
Now, I had always bragged about how fun carping was on the fly and we had gone out once before a while back to walk along the banks. It wasn’t a failure because he did hook onto a fish, but he wasn’t able to land any. This time I was sure we’d have some better luck. One of his new hobbies was flying drones and getting some extraordinary aerial footage. I told him to bring his drone along and see if we could get some awesome shots of us fishing, since I truly am terrible at getting some nice shots myself. I was even more excited for our trip when he agreed to do that as well.
I spent the time between the invitation and the excursion tying flies, charging the battery on the boat, and making sure our chances of landing fish were irrefutable. But, the weather called for rain that day. It wouldn’t stop the fishing, we both agreed, but it would hinder some drone flights.
We hit the water around 10 and for the most part it seemed like the rain would hold off for our day. It was cool and humid that morning. The air was thick and crisp, and so fresh. We both eagerly awaited the first fish we would see. He stood at the bow of my little Jon boat, myself at the back controlling the speed of our path along the edge. Both eyes peeled. Jack spotted the first carp underneath a honeysuckle that lay over the edge of the water. A daring cast, but Jackson is a daring fellow. He laid out a short cast to the right of the fish. It landed in between the fish and a rock.
It seems that most times I try and show someone something really cool, it never works how I want it to and I feel like the display they witness doesn’t show the true astoundment I try to portray to them. This time was different. The eat was something you dream of. I was more excited that the carp had swam over instantly and sucked back the fly without hesitation than I was about the carp being at the end of the line. It really couldn’t have gone any better.
The fight was just as good and with the first fish we had seen that day, Jack had landed his first ever carp on the fly in amazing style.
We beached the boat on a small island and Jack took this time to fly his drone about. He had captured a new view, and new beauty from the lake that I had never gotten the chance to see before.
Shortly after the rain came down and we had to bring it back in. The rest of the day was spent trying to hide beneath tree branches and out of the rain. Right before we had called it a day the rain had cleared and we managed to get one more in the boat. The trip was a successful one and I'm glad the day gave us such good opportunities.
As we all know, not all trips work out as well as that one did. The next trip was with a good friend of mine, Grayson. Grayson had come fishing with me for smallmouth in the creek and we quickly became good fishing pals. I had convinced him to pick up my fly rod in the creek, but beside those few casts he’s never had any experience with the fly rod. I knew this trip with Grayson would be difficult to land a carp, but it would be lots of fun to get out and get him started.
It was a tough day to be on the boat and to start fly fishing for carp. Overcast skies reflected on the water, casting a stern glare that prohibited us from seeing many fish along the shore. There was also a strong, constant wind that pushed all of our casts to the side. This must’ve been especially difficult for Gray, because this is the only second second time he’s ever had a fly rod in his hands, yet he hardly seemed demotivated by these obstacles. Fish came and went and never came for our flies. I became upset because I so deeply wanted to get him on a fish.
I loved fishing with Gray because even though we missed all of our many chances, he always kept the positive energy high and kept me from feeling disappointed that I let him down from not putting him on a fish. He didn’t see it that way at all. He was just always looking for the next one.
After a while, we began talking and letting the time slip by. I began sharing some of my many stories about carping and how it truly was very difficult, but the reward always paid off. I told him about the legendary goldfish that swam around with the carp. I had only seen it a handful of times, and it almost seemed like an urban legend. I would cast and cast and never be able to land the fish, or even fool him into sniffing my fly. Ironically, within seconds of finishing my story, I heard Gray exclaim excitedly, “There’s the goldfish! Right there!” I laughed, thinking he was playing along with my crazy stories. I turned to see him pointing under a tree and sure enough there was the damn goldfish. I couldn’t believe it.
He handed me the rod and told me to cast. I did it to no avail. That memory will be forever burned into my brain. We were out of time and sadly didn’t catch any fish that day, but the trip was well worth it. Gray and I have already planned several others in the future. And I’m sure with Gray’s determination it’s only a matter of time before he lands one.
Jacob, one of my best friends, was the next to be the special guest of honor. He had gone out with me on the boat several times, but he used my fly rod to cast the fish, and it was very seldom that we ended up landing any. For Christmas, he had gotten his own fly rod, and we were determined to break it in. We took out the boat one day after work And looked for some golden ghosts with Jake’s very own fly rod in hand. I had tied up some flies to give him and let him pick out his own fly to use. We had several chances and some good takes but for some reason we couldn’t land any. The hookset would be missed or they’d shake free, but Jake was used to being out on the boat and seeing how difficult the fishing was, he knew he needed to perfect his cast ladies fish and he was well on his way.
That first trip we took almost ended in failure to land any fish. We were pushing our time, already late, we wanted to make one last trip along the far edge of the lake as we are headed south down the edge. We saw a wall of rain, and it slowly made our way to us. Just as the rain hit us we came along a stretch that had several tailing carp, their backs protruding from the water on some occasions. Cast after cast they would look, but still we struggled to land any. We were now wet from rain, and returning back to the launch we had seen one last carp along the edge. We agreed, “This is it. This is the last chance."
He laid out a good cast, but the fish was tucked beneath some weeds. To our surprise, the fish came out from the weeds and took the fly. He pricked him in the lip but didn’t hook him. He remained in the same spot circling. Another cast, another take. Again no fish. One more cast. Sure enough the carp took the fly three times and on the third time the fish was on. This was an erratic fish, and it was a hell of a fighter. He dodged tree limbs in the water and as soon as we got him to the boat, the carp went straight underneath us.
His rod was bent in half and the fish was under the boat. I was nervous that the fish would break off, the fight lasted quite a while and even after diving directly beneath the boat, he was able to lift its head above the water and I quickly dove the net into the water and netted it as quickly as I could. An amazing take, an amazing fight, and a dreadfully nerve-racking net job landed Jake his first fish on his new fly rod.
After that day, we’ve gone out a few more times this month, and I watched him grow rather quickly. Soon, he was catching carp all on his own, as I was down the shore, watching from a distance. It was a proud moment to see him catching carp on his own now with no help from me whatsoever.
The last of my tales is another good one. My sister and her boyfriend, who has only fished once before, in his life, came up to go fishing with us. What a better way to test him out. If you could land a fish, he’s all right in our books. Instead of doing my normal fly fishing, we set up rods with bait and sinkers. It was a big trip, my brother, my girlfriend, my sister, her boyfriend, and I all along the bank, waiting for a rod to bend. We spent time talking and getting to know him more as we waited for our bites. If he could handle our enthusiasm and our craziness about fishing, I’m sure he’d fit right in. Soon he did catch a carp of his own.
He exclaimed how they fought so much harder than he ever would’ve thought. My girlfriend, whose luck with carp has always been iffy, landed an amazing mirror carp. I was down farther along the shore, so my brother was helping her land a fish, and I heard the screaming of excitement. “Mirror, mirror!” he exclaimed. I came rushing over. Me and him have gone out carping for a while now, and he’s always been in my right hand on the boat. If anyone's a better fisherman than me it surely is him, yet he has never landed a mirror carp, and he always wanted to do so. So, when my girlfriend pulled out a mirror before he did, he was a tad jealous. I felt bad for giggling, but my brother was excited and jealous at the same time.
Honestly, it couldn’t have gone any better. My sister was fishing for smaller fish with jigs and miraculously, caught a pike. The day was filled with excitement. To end our trip, we all decided to get food from the local food truck. It was an ideal day to catch up and bring him into our lives. I look forward to bringing my sister and her new boyfriend out more and getting him on the water.
Spending quality time with those closest to you and sharing your passion with others. It is in some ways far more rewarding than landing the fish itself. We create lasting memories for yourself, and for those who we invite along. I always try my hardest to get others, especially newbies, to land some fish. I get more excited when they do than I would be for myself.
But sometimes I get lost trying to show them how great it really is and forget to say how truly difficult it can be getting golden ghosts on the fly. So I get disappointed that we may have not caught any, or didn’t see as many as we hoped or that we saw plenty but failed to fool a single one. But the funny part is that no matter the outcome, they appreciated it and looked forward to going out even more now. And saw the past not as failures but great days. That seemed to rekindle more fire in my soul than landing any fish has. It has put into my soul that I should fish like it was my first time every time and just bring my knowledge with me to add along. Grateful to spend time on the water and enjoy all the little things that are often overshadowed by just being focused on landing a fish.
