Colorado Carp Habit and its export to the Farm

I feel a little naughty every time I do it.  Lately, I’ve been throwing flies for carp.  Big fuckers.  The kind of fish that you see swimming around and wonder if it’s gonna jump out of the lake and bite you.  One rammed into my foot after I spooked it, and I yelped like a little girl.  When you hook into one, the reel screams like a hummingbird.

Like all good fish stories, there’s a part I’ve left out.  You’ve got to get past the fact that you’re likely in some urban lake with litter scattered along the shore.   And you’ve got to disregard the bottom-feeding yuck-factor of a carp.  When that fly rod doubles over, though, you’ll go back to the fun. 

Hooking into one

When my grandfather got remarried a few weeks ago, he gave me an excuse to try to import that Colorado carp habit to the pond in Missouri.       

Colorado Carp Habit

At 79, my grandfather just got hitched for the second time.  He’d been a widower since last summer.  My grandmother passed away, and instead of cashing in his chips and quickly following suit, Grandpa figured on getting a woman back into the picture. It had worked for him as a 20 year old.  It should certainly do so again sixty years later. 

We were all thrilled that he remained active and vital after her death.  He took a road trip out to long-forgotten Air Force bases peppering the West., stopping to see family along the way.  Then he headed back to Kansas City.  He had a girlfriend waiting. 

He was reengaged something like 6 months after her death.  What can I say?  That guy likes being married.  Fortunately for me, he also likes the farm. 

The Farm

My mom suggested that we include a stop there after the wedding.  After the marriage ceremony, we eased the rented Kia off of County Road N and into the driveway.

I’m glad my grandpa has tried so hard to make it a place where we all feel at home.  Those ponds and fields have been the backdrop to so many of my favorite family memories.  I love it there.   I also like that he’s got three grass carp in the pond.  My goal on this last trip was to try to combine the beauty of the Farm with the fun of catching a BIG fish.  Unfortunately, I came up empty at the lake while I was out there.   Fortunately, we had bacon and Scrabble.  Hopefully I’ll get a chance to try again this summer. 

The springtime trophy for the biggest fish (beautiful environs or otherwise) easily goes to Dave.  He just landed a 40-plus pound carp here on the Front Range.    

GIGANTOR!

Abaluba in your back yard.