GRAND FORKS, N.D. _ The carp were there, sucking up seeds or bugs or whatever else might have been floating down the surface of the Red River.
Fly casting below Riverside Dam in Grand Forks, Steve Ficocello could see the fish as their orange lips broke the surface of the river.
With the precision of an experienced fly caster, Ficocello routinely placed his fly within lipping distance of the carp. More than once, his 7-weight fly rod loaded up, heightening the anticipation of a potential strike.
But try as he might, Ficocello couldn't hook one of the hard-charging rough fish on this steamy June afternoon.
Close, but no carp.
"Carp are really tough to hook," Ficocello said. "They don't give you a real strong indication when they eat. It's more a flip of the tail or a puff of the gills."
Ficocello hadn't come to the river with the sole intent of fishing for carp, and so he had tied on a homemade smallmouth bass fly on which he'd removed the lead eyes and heavier parts.
The fly basically resembled a bunch of rabbit hair with a bit of flash, perhaps not the kind of thing a seed-sucking carp would find to its liking. But when a sizeable school of carp is swimming within a fly's cast, there's only one thing to do: Try to catch them.
"Usually with carp, the 'buggier' the better," Ficocello said of his fly preference. "It's tough because they're not like a gamefish where they bite and turn, where you feel a little punch.
"For all I know, they could have eaten it two dozen times."
