I received a free reel from MFC a while ago and finally got around to getting a line on it and taking it for a ride. The plan was to make a long day and try and get a couple apache trout but the gas pump decided to crush that idea. Besides you can't really test the drag on a reel on trout......hmmm....what to do. Yup, go chase some carp on a 5 wt.
Fly selection when slumming is fairly difficult. Basically you want a fly that the fish you are targeting (in this case carp) will eat as well as anything else in the lake with fins. Is the backstabber the greatest slumming fly around? I can't say for sure but it is on a short list that includes the rubber legged dragon and the woolly bugger.
This particular fishery is a dirty bitch. You don't see carp you see signs of carp like bubbles and ripply water. Today was pretty good and in a couple hours I managed two carp weighing in around 5 lbs. each. The drag on the madison was smooth like butter and handled both fish nicely. The fish however didn't have any inclination to stick around for a photo shoot and being netless they won that debate.
I really like the reel handle. It is flat but not overly bulky to nail you in the knuckles when you hook into a big carp. If you like flat handles check out this reel.
The beauty of slumming is you can hook up with anything.......
The backstabber even works on channel cats. This is a first for me and who knows this could be the first catfish caught on a MFC reel. I am betting the R&D group didn't target catfish.
Fly selection when slumming is fairly difficult. Basically you want a fly that the fish you are targeting (in this case carp) will eat as well as anything else in the lake with fins. Is the backstabber the greatest slumming fly around? I can't say for sure but it is on a short list that includes the rubber legged dragon and the woolly bugger.
I really like the reel handle. It is flat but not overly bulky to nail you in the knuckles when you hook into a big carp. If you like flat handles check out this reel.
The backstabber even works on channel cats. This is a first for me and who knows this could be the first catfish caught on a MFC reel. I am betting the R&D group didn't target catfish.
Carp fishing with this good looking of a reel is like pulling into the trailer park with a tricked out Chevy pickup complete with woofers blaring Kid Rock....bad ass! Thanks MFC and OBN!! Stayed tuned with the price of gas I am sure there are many more adventures in slumming in the near future.
Check the reels out here. http://www.montanafly.com/Camo/Reels.html
Great looking reel,where do you look at the prices and weights of these reels?Thanks,Great article!
ReplyDeleteI put a link up to MFC site for the reels. You can probably just check with your local shop that is an MFC dealer for prices. Hope it helps and thanks for reading.
ReplyDeleteLove to go slumming with the fly rod. Rough fish are a great fight and can be pretty skiddish. Tied up some grass carp flies today , one of the designs came from your blog. Found that same great grass imitation in my local craft store. Can't wait to try it out. Now following your blog really enjoy it. If you want to see my versions of the flies check it out here: http://aparrotlooksat51.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThat Catfish is really cool. I havent lucked into one of those in years. I wish I knew how to catch them more on purpose, this post is giving me an itch.
ReplyDeleteScratch that itch!
ReplyDeleteCatfish on a fly...sweet! Hmmm this "itch" is catching...
ReplyDelete