Link to olive unhackled bugger in the Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1523300042/3-pack-of-olive-unhackled-wooly-bugger
It was an angry sea that day. Not really, I just like to start good fishing stories that way. This is a good story so I wanted to give it a proper intro. In reality, it was a cool and foggy morning with no wind at Rocky Hollow Park in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. This was my second trip to the lake at the park in a week. I had caught a 3 pound largemouth on my previous trip and was hoping to replicate the results on this outing. I had also seen some common and grass carp there recently and always appreciate the chance to possibly tussle with either of those species.
It took a little while for me to put the pieces of the fishing puzzle together but eventually I started catching fish. I was throwing, you guess it, two size 6 unhackled wooly buggers. This rig had been extremely productive for me all of June and I unofficially dubbed it as the fly of summer 2025. I kept riding this wave of momentum and it kept producing.
As I drifted with a small breeze, I approached a spot that got my attention on my last visit to the lake. I had seen a decent size carp breach near the bank in this area and I was hopeful that it was still hanging out in the same spot. I think (and this is a guess) that sometimes carp jump out of the water when they are feeding. I think they also do it out of sheer boredom. Regardless, and at the very least, it communicates that they are in the area and active.
I didn’t expect to catch a carp. They are as smart as they are picky eaters and they seem to elude me most of the time. On the other hand, I know they will eat small minnows. I was hopeful that the carp were keying on the same food source as the bass and that I might hook one. If fishing had taught me anything, there is always a chance for something magical to happen. The unpredictability of this sport is one of the things I love with all my heart!
As I threw my tandem streamer rig toward the bank and stripped to to my small boat, hope danced in my mind. This was also a spot where I had caught some nice bass in the past which added to the intrigue and motivated my focus. I knew I had to be ready to set the hook on anything that ate one of my streamers. When I felt a definite tug on my line, I set the hook with passion and ferocity.
The first thing I felt was a head shake. More head shakes followed which made me think that I had hooked a decent bass. The fish then made slow, methodical tugs toward the bottom of the lake. This made me think that I had hooked a catfish. On three different occasions, the fish went from open to water to cover. This confused me and I quit trying to guess what I had hooked into. As the fish started to tire, I was able to pull it up to the surface of the water. The yellow and orange colors that I saw in the face and tail told me that I had indeed hooked a carp. That was when things got serious.
In my experience and in tales I have heard/read, I know that a lot of fish get lost when they are close to being landed at the edge of a boat. I grabbed my net, which I was grateful to have, and tried to balance between keeping just the right amount of pressure on the fish and maneuvering the net under the fish. Relief washed over me when I raised the net with the carp secured inside.
I had not caught a carp in years and had never caught one on a steamer. The excitement was so palpable that I let out a joyous “Wooooo!” The fisherman on the opposite bank could not have missed hearing it and a little embarrassment crept into my psyche but the adrenaline rush flushed it out pretty fast! For a moment, I just stared at the fish and tried to soak in the moment. I took pictures and video about 30 seconds later.
After admiring the gift that I had been given, I eased the fish back into the water. It swam straight down to the bottom of the lake but left me a heck of a story and memory to add to my library. No, the sea was not angry that day but it did leave an impression on me!
Link to olive unhackled bugger in the Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1523300042/3-pack-of-olive-unhackled-wooly-bugger
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