July Edition
ODOM WU PHOTOGRAPHY
For the month of July we were compelled to change things up a bit and feature the incredible photography work of Odom Wu from Texas.…Not only a great Angler, but an insane photographer as well as this picture shows. It’s this type of imagery that captures the imagination and portrays our beloved fish in the most creative light possible…Big congrats to Odom on this epic shot….worthy of the spotlight!
Click HERE to view more of Odom’s photography on Instagram!
We saw these shots and they floored us…Everything about them works…Sometimes it’s the creative angles and the small details that can really make the shot. These are two great examples of capturing that special moment from behind the lens. We love to see our members stepping up their photography skills…great job guys!
Photo By: Tyson Vineyard
Photo By: John Hummell
Lake Bled
ACS Member and good friend, Paul Cioca, recently took a trip overseas to the mighty Lake Bled as well as a few other incredible venues. He was good enough to get us a shot of the lake wearing his ACS hat as well! Congrats Paul, we cannot wait to see your fish shots!
NOTABLE CAPTURES
A special shout out to young Tyler Kross for his epic June captures…we loved these shots!
June was a banner month for many of our members across the USA. With the Summer now officially upon us, we are seeing some glorious fish being captured. These photos below certainly caught our attention in the month of June. Congratulations to everyone on the success of their angling sessions this past month…We appreciate all of your tags and mentions, and can’t wait to see what everyone is catching over this next month! Don’t forget to tag us #americancarpsociety #jointheguiltyones and tag american_carp_society in your stories!
Congratulations Team Usa
Congratulations to Team USA for their placing at the European Carp Championships! By all accounts it was a very intense event with some incredible angling by all involved. Big congrats to all of the countries that participated!
Bogdan Bucur is with Henryk Burza and Cira Marius.
NOTABLE CAPTURES
June was a banner month for many of our Carp on the Fly Members across the USA. With the Summer now officially upon us, we are seeing some glorious fish being captured. These photos below certainly caught our attention in the month of June. Congratulations to everyone on the success of their angling sessions this past month…We appreciate all of your tags and mentions, and can’t wait to see what everyone is catching over this next month! Don’t forget to tag us and spread the word, #americancarpsociety #jointheguiltyones and tag american_carp_society in your stories!
Rednecks and Golden Bones
BY: LUKE WILSON
My good friend, Brendan, recently came back from an out of state college. He’s been my fishing buddy since childhood, so what better way to catch up than to go fishing? We decided to take a go for walleye and smallies beneath the falls at our local lake. I brought my fly rod just in case there are opportunities to throw for some carp. I tell everyone I talk fishing with, “If you have a fly rod, you should try for the golden bones.” My friends definitely hear it the most. I usually get the same reaction. A questioning interest on how carp fishing would even work on the fly rod. Disbelief that they will take a multitude of flies ranging from crayfish to mulberries. I always finish with a statement along the lines of, “The only way you can really know what it's like, is to go after them yourself.”
Once we parked in our spot, we both made a notice of the dark clouds rolling in. We sat in the car for a minute checking the weather app on our phone, and he had to listen to me ramble on about carp. He was interested, but he wasn’t sold yet. Our phones said the clouds didn’t bring any chance of rain. Despite their ominous looks, we decided that the clouds were bluffing and made our way down to the spot. Modern technology can be very useful for the fisherman, but a fisherman also has gut feelings that he should listen too. This particular spot we chose is not an easy spot to get to. First, you have to hop over the rails on the canal path and make your way down the side of a steep hill. The footing is poor but it’s a quick trip that takes you right under the falls. The bonus is that you hardly ever see anyone else make the trip down, so you often have the spot to yourself. Brendan and I began fishing and then the rain came like a wall. It was like clockwork. We got down, set up our rods, took a few casts, and the rain came. It started with a light rain and immediately became downpour. It happened so fast that by the time we said, “Hey, it’s starting to rain,” and went for cover, we were already soaked. After a minute or two we decided we already got wet, so we just recollected ourselves and continued fishing. I thought this would be a good time to get the fly rod out for some carp and tool around. My friend walked closer to the falls and I walked further down to slower waters. He began catching a few smallmouth and I got one or two along the edge. I hadn’t seen any carp. Just my luck, I thought. Whenever I try to show someone how crazy it is to catch them on the fly, it never works out. It’s like they have a sixth sense and completely vanish from the area. I threw a blind cast along the edge under a floating log that was pushed to shore. I raised the tip of my rod to prepare for a roll cast and it was abruptly stopped. My initial thought was,” Great. I just hooked the log.” Then the log took off and I wasn’t ready. It just so happened to be a carp. The carp left with such speed it took all the slack line I had ready for my roll cast. I thought that in the translation from slack to reel I would lose him. Luckily, the fish stayed on and I managed to bring him to shore. After seeing what had occurred, I was able to persuade my friend to bring out his own fly rod and I told him we’d make a day for carp on the fly.
We hatched a plan to take my boat out to the lake, and we could fish the flats and the coves. My boat is a 12 foot aluminum boat, and I had made a casting deck for it with the help of my dad and brothers. Her name is The Winky Blu, because a boat with no name is bad luck. Despite The Winky Blu being a redneck skiff, Brendan was motivated to land a carp on the trip. The sun was hot that day. We could tell as soon as we were on the water. The air was still cool from the morning, but the sun's heat could still be felt. The first spot I usually hit is pretty close from where we launch, so I had him ready to go with a real soft landing fly to help deter the chances of spooking one away, although it is inevitable in carp fishing. We puttered over and saw our first fish of the day. It was a loner cruising along the banks. Brendan casted the fly eagerly to the golden bone, only to be completely ignored as the fish just kept swimming by. That was the only fish we saw in the first cove, a normally loaded spot. The next one we saw was a decent sized fish as we just were entering cove number 2. It was roughly around 6-8lbs, not a monster but definitely not small. Another loner cruising along the banks. We snuck by and it was close enough to make a good cast. The fly landed about two feet in front of the carp. “Let it sit,” I told him, “then right before he gets there, give the fly the slightest tap.” The carp stopped his traveling, and we watched him grab the fly. He was hooked up, and in seconds, was not. We had been beaten once more. But, we were getting closer. We got the bite that time, and we were even more excited than before.
After our first two encounters, it was a slow day. It was devastatingly hot as the sun rose higher in the early summer sky. All of my initial spots to hit had been let downs. We saw very few carp that offered us an opportunity to cast. We saw very few fish in general. Despite the lack of luck, my friend was still enthusiastic about getting a carp. I was very impressed because I know how tricky these fish are and how they can really dampen one's spirit because of the challenge they bring. He was willing to continue to put in the work and I couldn't let him down.
We made our way along the banks and ended up across the lake, a trip I usually don't take. The gamble had paid off though, this is when we really started seeing them. But, carpin’ is anything but easy. The golden bones were deep in downed trees. A recipe for disaster. One hook up here and they will take you right in the death trap and entanglement of all the branches and snags. We waited for our chances where one would stray a little too far. We turned a few heads but only got sniffs. We swapped flies, but they still wouldn't commit. Disappointing, but still captivating. We moved onto the next.
The last spot across the entire lake held the best chances for us. There were multiple fish. We threw in the anchor and could fish nearly 360 degrees around us. It was the golden opportunity to land one of these brutes. Brendan saw one that was cruising along the surface. It was quite the distance away and towards my end of the boat so he told me to try at him. I didn’t have a dry, but a light fly with bead eyes that sank slowly and dropped really light. I plopped one in front of him and I saw him dive. About six inches under the water he grabbed my fly. That was our first carp of the day after 4 and a half hours. It was all we needed to get pumped again after being cooked by the sun. It broke our Jinx and soon after Brendan had a perfect chance to get one. Fifteen feet towards the shore was a carp pushing around for food. Just what we needed. A nervous water carp willing to jump on the next thing he sees. Brendan laid out a nice little short cast, just past the carp and about a foot to the right. Immediately I told him to drag and drop. He lifted his rod slowly, dragging the fly past the fish, inches away from his eyes. We saw his head turn and he dropped the fly. The take was obvious. The fish was on, and it was putting up a rowdy fight. He said the fight was making his arm sore, which made me laugh. We landed his first carp on the fly and I think it couldn’t be better. It was a lot of hard work and the take, as well as the fight was something that will bring him back again. After all day in the sun, we had gotten our summer tans. We were just a couple of rednecks fishing for golden bones. He is now part of the guilty few who come back for more golden bones.
I like my alone time, my peace of mind on the water. When I'm fishing knee deep on a red dirt flat on a partially stained lake, or on the casting deck of my little Jon boat. But, sometimes it's just better when you have a fishing buddy to bring along. Spending quality time with those closest to you and sharing your passion with others can never be beaten. Sharing favorite tunes on the car ride there. Sharing your favorite spot or fly. We create lasting memories for yourself, and for those who we invite along. Something we can look back on and take away from. Stories to add to our ever growing list of fishing tales. And that’s just how I’ll always want to be remembered. A kid with a red neck fishing for golden bones, who is always trying to get you to join the guilty ones. Someone who's happy to go fishing with you whether we catch a trophy or get skunked. Sometimes what it takes for you to realize what fishing is actually all about is just to bring someone along and reconnect with yourself, your waters, and your lifelong pals.
The ACS Pellet Range
Wanting to add to the Barnaby’s Revenge Range of products, we had been searching for a combination of pellets that would work for U.S. Anglers in all seasons and conditions. During the summer months with warmer temperatures, a high leakage oily pellet will disburse its flavors and contents throughout the water table at a reasonable rate. In colder temperatures less oil is required as it breaks down at a far slower pace and so we decided to develop a combination of products that would check all of the boxes.
THE PELLET
Perfect for your PVA bag, stick mix or method mix, the ACS Pellet is a dark, almost black in color, flavorful pellet filled with Calcium, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid and Amino Acids. Containing 30% protein this is a highly nutritious custom blended pellet that is designed for use throughout the year. Available in all your favorite Barnaby’s Revenge flavors, ASTERBURY CREME , MANDALA GOLD & DESERT FRUIT, this is sure to be a great addition for your sessions and is conveniently available in a resealable bag.
AVAILABLE in 4KG RESEALABLE BAGS
LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE
HANDMADE IN THE USA
THE HEMP OIL PELLET
The Barnaby’s Revenge HEMP OIL PELLET is a high attractant oily pellet containing 30% protein. It has a break down time of about 15 minutes and is ideal for PVA bags, method mixes and spodding. Used in conjunction with our hemp oil for that extra edge it will create a wonderful oil slick within your swim, drawing in the carp from distance.
Available in resealable 4KG bags it is best used in the summer months with warmer water temperatures for optimum leakage.
AVAILABLE IN 4KG RESEALABLE BAGS
MADE IN THE USA
LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE
THE PREMIER HOOK RANGE
We are proud to announce the latest addition to the American Carper Products catalogue. The new PREMIER Range of Vanadium specialist Carp hooks. 'Forged in Fire' these are both the sharpest and strongest hooks that we have found for specimen carp angling in the USA today. With a needle sharp point they are sticky sharp straight out of the packet and with a hardened steel point they will not dull quickly or let you down. Made from XC80 Steel wire…the very best in the business. We will be adding to the patterns available and will start with the release of the K9.
This link to see how they are made
SIZE 4 & 6 AVAILABLE
SUPER HIGH QUALITY
LIMITED QUANTITIES AVAILABLE
THE ACS 4 SLATE COASTER SET IN BOX
Available this month we will be releasing our newest ACS coaster.
These are laser engraved slate coasters in a wooden presentation box. Featuring the ACS Guilty Logo on each coaster, the set of four has rubber feat for surface protection.
4 COASTERS PER SET
JUST 5 SETS AVAILABLE
Coming up TUESDAY JULY 12th we have a wonderful interview with Tim Marshall on The American Carper Podcast.
An all around great angler, advocate of the sport and friend and member of the American Carp Society, Tim has been angling for carp for many years, specializing in targeting his beloved species from a boat. We take a look at his approach now and compare it to when he first started fishing for the species. An incredibly insightful Angler….don’t miss this episode!
We have these last few ACS ball caps on sale! Once they’re gone…they’re gone!
THE ACS STARS ’N’ STRIPES GUILTY - from $21.95 to $17.95!
THE ACS CLASSIC OLIVE GREEN 5 PANEL BALL CAP from $21.95 to $17.95!
THE ACS OLD SCHOOL CAMO from $21.95 to $17.95!