Geartalk

The Characteristics and Senses of Carp

Carp are among the fastest-growing fish in freshwater, able to reach double-digit weights in a matter of months.

Carp Biology

Carp can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and water conditions. They can survive in lakes that freeze in winter, as well as in rivers and sloughs that can warm to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Skills

Carp Are Difficult to Pattern

No fish species connects the sports of angling and hunting better than carp.

Two fly anglers on a western river caught in a giant rainstorm. They are putting on rain jackets.

Skills

Shocking the System

Experienced anglers know that insect activity controls trout feeding activity. And they know, too, that weather plays a vital role in controlling insect activity.

Cat sitting on the road in Parshall, CO.

Skills

What Makes a Great Angler?

Anglers, especially beginning anglers, generally overvalue knowledge of spots, which basically amounts to knowing how to catch the same fish twice.

Man holding his fist up to his forehead, as he attempts to show how a fly cast works.

Skills

Reconciling Lefty Kreh

Lefty Kreh was a superb caster with efficient mechanics, just as the great casters of today are.

Meadow section of the Upper Colorado River.

Skills

Allowing For Serendipity

Tunnel vision of the mind. I’ve watched friends succumb to the effects of this phenomena many times. They end up going fishing only under sets of conditions known to be optimal…

Drift boat and truck on a road in Wyoming.

Skills

Decoding The Madison River

It finally dawned on me that the only fish I was catching were those rising quietly. It was the explosion risers I couldn’t touch.

Skills

Fishing With Your Feet

Proper positioning–fishing with your feet–is an important part of skillful fly presentation.