Catfish | Carp Flies from Missouriflies.com

Time really got away from me this year. Time is a funny thing. I wake early and fish till dark, the time rushing bye almost in the blink of an eye. More time is what I need and yet there is never enough. All the things I wanted to do and learn, and somehow, its too much. Beyond my reach. 2012? The fishing year is almost at an end for me. In 9 days I take to the roof tops once again to hang Christmas lights in the west St. Louis area. Fishing will not resume until mid December. If I can stand the weather I will have a couple prime opportunities, maybe. There are a couple power plant discharges around…for the hybrids on both the Missouri and the Mississippi. And of course blue cats are supposed to be just as active in the winter as they are in warm water….I’ve gone all year and not caught a blue catfish! Today was lucky for me…

YES!!!

I tied up over sized black leeches with silver crystal flash in the tail last night, lots of legs, extra bead eyes for rattle and weed guards. This pattern produces well(!) Get rid of the legs tie it on a size 4 and you’ve got a killer pattern for any species…go enven smaller and use turkey for the tail and you ‘ve my best grass carp fly! Here she is…. Silver seems to be a hot flash color on the Missouri.

I had on full sink. I made a 30 ft cast straight out. I slowly stripped until I had about 15 ft left out. The line was tight going almost straight down but was not on bottom. I let the line just sit and slowly drift between stripping. With about 12 ft out I saw the tell tail “tap” hit my line. I set the hook, nothing much to note about the fight…typical sorta catch for me I guess, but not typical at all!

One thing to note…I may be overdoing the size of my flies….Check out this blue cat I caught a few years back… and the fly I caught him on

This fly was fished about 8 ft under an indicator…thrown up tight to submerged brush in “my” creek, no current! I can’t stand to fish like that but I was…I was actually looking off over my shoulder when I turned back to see my indicator just under the surface…I did the mental calculus real quick and decided I should set the hook. I set and nothing really happened but I knew it was a late set so I hit it about three more times and then held. It slowly started to move then took off! I think I only had 10 lb test on, but the Konic took care of him no problem. Awesome fish!

Maybe I should be drifting one of these more often out in the main river???tappin bottom and all might be good with something like this… I think so. …Take note the tail of this bead head cadis is fly line, and it has rubber legs too. Blue cats may like the smell or feel of rubber and or plastic. Check out how long that fishes whiskers are in the first photo…those things must come into play no? I have no idea how a fish 8 ft deep in chocolate milk can “see” a fly.

Well, I also got a nice unseen grass carp yesterday! I was throwing a little headstand backstabber/creek stabber to some fish I had disturbed while slowly walking… I figured there might be more fish around and carp often circle back….to see what scared them (at least when is a fly they will). There was some comotion, I think I scared a grassie then another came outa nowhere and took me for a ride. Sweet!