Big Fish

detail 

detail

Carp schooling in the shallows below the dam
pencil, watercolor
07-05-14

It was treat to see the spectacle of a dozen or more large carp swimming back and forth in the shallow water at the face of the dam yesterday. I saw them in the morning when I'm customarily "sur la motif" (a la Cézanne). I returned at 4:00 p.m. with my wife and the carp were still there only the light was better. I could count 15-17 fish. They are each about 2-3 feet long. They are gray with large scales.

I've met a few purists, fly fishermen mostly, who disdain fishing for carp. A traditional and dependable carp bait is canned corn. I came across this in my online research: dough balls (exactly what they are I'm not sure —bread?) are good carp bait. On an interesting note, one fellow was convinced that dough balls exposed to his wife's feminine "hormones" were the best carp bait of all. The person relating this bit of fishing lore went on to say that even though the man's wife did not like carp she liked him enough to provide this specialized service [source].

Probably just another fish story!