After two weeks of trout fishing here and there you know I had to squeeze in a day of fly fishing for carp. Visiting South African pal, Garth Wellman, wasn’t so sure about the idea when I first tossed it out there, especially after the two days of epic trout fishing I’ve showed him. But … Read more
There’s nothing like the morning of Day 1 in a fly fishing competition. Whether it’s the World Championships like I experienced in South Africa this past February, or today for the Johnny Boyd Carp Classic right here on my beloved Blackfoot Reservoir, tournaments add a lot of excitement to a day of fishing. This one … Read more
Teammate Ben Smith rolled into camp at a decent hour last night here on Blackfoot Reservoir. We visited around the campfire but hit the sack fairly early. We now have our full team of Ben Smith, Trevor Wine and myself for the Johnny Boyd Carp Classic. The event starts tomorrow so today we practiced. … Read more
This weekend is the annual Johnny Boyd Carp Classic on Blackfoot Reservoir. The tourney is a fundraiser for a fly fishing industry person in need. This year it’s for fishing guide Travis Rydberg who was in a car accident 18 months ago. This is a fly fishing only tourney that has gone on for 15 … Read more
Granny and I headed to Blackfoot Reservoir the other evening with plans to get up early and enjoy next morning’s Callibaetis hatch and possibly catch some big rainbows. Then when the hatch dwindled we planned to fish mirror carp. We arrived around 7 PM and Granny made one of her usual camping feasts. At … Read more
August 22, 2017 It was early to bed early to rise after the Total Solar Eclipse yesterday. Then today Granny and I took the family to Blackfoot Reservoir for a night of camping and carping. For years this annual camping trip has steered up the Gros Ventre River but I felt it was time … Read more
Everything seemed right before I left Victor to meet my friend Tom Hansen for a day trip of fly fishing for mirror carp on Blackfoot Reservoir. The forecast had sunshine, light winds and temperatures in the 80°s, absolutely ideal carp conditions. When we arrived at around 9 AM to rig up the massive waterbody was … Read more
May 3 – 6, 2016 It’s refreshing to finally get home, fish at home and enjoy spring. Of course, it’s the start of our spring runoff so our river fishing options are limited. Most our tailwaters such as the South Fork and Lower Henry’s Fork are fishing well but boat traffic is thick. Instead of … Read more
It wasn’t worth speeding and fishtailing treacherously down the dusty roads of Idaho like it was our first time fly fishing for huge carp. Today’s Blackfoot Reservoir trip wasn’t only my most humbling carp day ever but also the most strenuous hiking and fishing day of the year. That’s saying a lot after Tuesday. … Read more
I finally got out with my longtime friend and blog regular of past years, Gary Eckman. Gary is the man responsible for me giving the chance to fish the Jackson Hole One Fly the last five years because he’s placed me on his team. But this year Gary doesn’t have a One Fly Team for … Read more
Say the word reservoir to a trout fly fishermen and they run for cover like cutthroat in the radar of an osprey. Mention furthermore that the reservoir is only 33% full and they envision a dried up cracked earth desert. Personally, I love fly fishing the reservoirs simply because I know I’ll have a body … Read more
It’s a specialty of mine getting folks to fish for more than salmonids. Here in trout filled Idaho we have excellent fly fishing for carp but the challenge is getting people to do it. Even one of my business partners in Fish and Game Art Gifts, Harvey Cohen, who sees my carp mugs sell like crazy, … Read more