brendan Pass
Our Angler of the Month for September is Brendan Pass, from the great state of Michigan! Brendan and his brother Austin Pass are two of the USA’s most foremost Carp Anglers and are excellent examples of how stewardship and advocacy for the species can increase the profile of the sport here in the USA and around the world.
This incredible shot was taken by Austin for Brendan on a recent trip in 2022. When you get a chance check out their insta pages for some incredible shots of what the USA has to offer.
Congrats again Brendan…This was a stunning capture and we’re glad that you were able to share the experience with your bro!
Click the photos below to view Brendan’s Instagram page!
Click the photos below to view Austin’s Instagram page!
NOTABLE CAPTURES
August was a banner month for many of our members across the USA and with the Summer coming to an end we are seeing some glorious fish being captured. These photos below caught our attention in the month of August so we thought some extra recognition was warranted. 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!
We are happy to announce that we will be opening up new parts of the lake for this year’s Mill Creek Cup and currently have a total of 24 swims available with the possibility of another two or three!
We are also inviting Carp anglers from anywhere in the USA to come down and pay a visit to us during the social event as well, where we will be unveiling some new products and info of what’s been going on behind the scenes!
If you are interested in joining us for the social event and are not fishing the tournament, please reach out to us via email with your contact info: info@americancarpsociety.com
2022 mill creek cup sponsors
The following businesses will be sponsoring the 2022 Mill Creek Cup! Stay tuned for additional sponsor announcements soon!
TREATY OAK DISTILLING will supply bottles of their finest whiskey for prizes and Ready to Drink Treaty Oak Old Fashioned Cocktails for all participants.
PIZZA HUT will be providing large pepperoni pizzas to each team!
QUALITY INN & SUITES is offering discounted rooms for all anglers participating at $60 + tax. Just let them know you’re participating in the American Carp Society’s Mill Creek Cup when making your reservation.
SONIC will be providing breakfast burritos to all anglers on one of the mornings of the tournament!
This year will see $3,000 in cash prizes as well as a set of ACS MK 3 rods for the biggest fish caught ($1,000 value) . A complete set of American Carper Volumes 1-3 ($195 value) will be awarded for both the largest mirror and also the most unique fish, as judged by the ACS judges.
Each contestant will receive the following :
• NEW UNRELEASED 2023 bait spray from the Barnaby’s Revenge bait range.
• NEW 4KG BARNABY’s REVENGE GROUNDBAIT.
• SWAG BAG and EVENT STICKER.
Other exclusive items to be announced!!
More details will follow, but mark your calendars as this will be the US Carp Angling event of the year…We are looking forward to seeing everyone!
CONTESTANTS SO FAR…
Member
Iulian Ghintu
Dean Holland
John Mihal
Paul Dewaardt
Zach Van Fleet
Phil Saunders
Rita Brown
Andy Klocek
Donovan Rolaff
Pieter Oberholzer
Simon Hodge
Martyn Mayhead
Partner
Mike Bold
Vernon Caroll
Valentyn Loktyev
premier angler
Wayne Boon’s sixth article in a very detailed series on Carp published by Premier Angler is live on their website!
This article covers one of the most thrilling techniques for catching Carp, Float Fishing! Click HERE to view it! If you have not yet read the entire series written by Wayne, you can type American Carp Society in the search bar on their website to find the others!
Premier Angler is a freshwater fishing resource and brand written, edited, curated, and crafted by fishing enthusiasts for fishing enthusiasts.
notable FLY CAPTURES
August was a banner month for many of our carp on the fly members across the USA. With Summer now coming to a close, we are seeing some glorious fish being captured and these photos below certainly caught our attention in the month of August. 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!
carp slam
Registration for CARPSLAM XVI is now open! Amateur competitors, “Slamateurs,” compete in fundraising efforts to benefit the Denver South Platte River, then spend the day teamed up with a pro, targeting Carp on the fly in Colorado’s premier Carp on the fly tournament!
We are working closely with our friends at Denver Trout Unlimited to bring some more exposure to the great ‘Carp Slam’ fly fishing tournament that takes place later this year… and we are happy to announce that The American Carp Society will once again help to sponsor the event and bring awareness to the cause through raising funds.
Simply click on the photo below to donate to the cause! Please share this link on your social media pages and with your friends and fellow anglers…it’s a great cause!
the “last cast”
BY: LUKE WILSON
There’s a simple phrase that’s been tossed around all my life. In my youth, I didn’t really care to understand it. Over time, with countless opportunities for contemplation, it started to make more and more sense. I'd hear it when the bite was slow, “It’s called fishing not catching.” It takes a true angler to understand that phrase, not every cast is bringing something in. We have no guarantee to catch fish while we are out there. That’s why every cast counts, and you better make a damn good effort to make those casts count while you’re casting to carp, a half-assed cast won't get you a golden ghost. I know that now, but when I was younger, and boredom struck before the fish did, I found myself tooling around more than casting to catch a fish. My last cast came after a meager half-hour after the last bite. But as I matured, my last cast began to stretch further and further from the first. I can’t tell you where the switch was, but now I find that my “last cast” means nothing of the sort, but more of a reminder that I should probably get going eventually. One more turns into two, and two turns into twenty.
My first mirror carp came on a “last cast.” I had spent the year really diving into the act of fly fishing for carp. Something I love about the carp is the amount of time that you can fish for them. I started steadily catching carp in April, and found myself wading the flats almost all the way to November. There aren’t many fish in WNY that you can actively search for during such a long time frame. Button up Hawaiian shirts, trunks, and crocs slowly became layers, jackets, and waders. As long as I had time, and the lake didn’t freeze over, I would go out as long as I could. Inevitably, the time came where my days on the water were at their end. I decided to take one final trip, a grand finale for carp, I dedicated a big chunk of that day to being out on the water. Since the weather began to cool, the fish were lethargic. I was gifted a smaller fish towards the beginning of the day, but after that it was hard to move the carp. The fish were hard to find and most of them were not interested in taking the fly. This continued until I finished my planned route and was about to take the exit trail. I wasn’t ready to leave the carp behind for the year. I took mindless blind casts to take in the act one last time before I left it behind. My last cast turned into me casting repeatedly to overhanging tree limbs and shrubbery, bare from the changing seasons, despite not seeing any nervous water or fish. I took another blind cast to a spot I caught a few throughout the year. When I began stripping my line, I felt a weight. I was shocked to see a fish at the end of my line, but my surprise was tenfold when I saw the pattern of the fish. The smoothness, the lack of scaling, the split coloration of dark tan above and a bright gold on the belly. I was satisfied, and on that note the carp were safe from me until next year.
Have you ever had those days where things just aren’t going your way? You’ve spooked nearly all the fish you cast to, and the ones who showed any interest just gave it a sniff. On top of that, the traffic on the lake just gets to be a little too much between the jet skis, the pontooners, or the kayakers who are all oblivious to anyone but themselves. There isn’t really too much you can do other than keep looking and keep casting. On those busy days, the wake rolls up onto the shore and muddies the water with a reddish brown tint. It becomes even harder to spot a fish when the water rolls over stones just beyond shore, fooling the desirous mind into mistakenly thinking that there is nervous water just ahead. But, if you keep looking you get lucky. A tail or a shimmer may break the stained water enough to be seen. Keep casting and keep looking. My second mirror came on a day like that. I was ready to throw in the towel. I walked nearly the whole bank looking for a sign of a golden ghost, but the wake had stained the water and the traffic spooked most of the fish. I told myself to take my “last cast” but that led to me casting the whole way back. My “last cast” went into the double digits, and if they hadn't then I would have walked past one of the most gorgeous fish I had ever seen. I got a second mirror carp solely on my reluctance to leave.
We have no guarantee to catch fish while we’re out there. That’s why every cast counts. Treat each cast like it's your last. Make your casts “last cast” worthy. Truth be told, “last casts” don’t really exist for the true fishermen. My last cast never meant that. There's always another cast that follows my so-called last cast. There’s just a further spacing in between this cast and the next when I call it a day. Instead of worrying about the “last cast,” focus on the next cast. The next cast is the important one. The last cast I’ll take will be the day I die. My last cast can’t exist until after my death because as long as I’m alive, there’s always a chance I’ll be shooting a fly out to some golden ghosts. And then, who’s to say there won’t be a chance in heaven?
