Here's a series of photos I shot several summers ago on one of the flats at Ray Roberts. Depicted is my good friend Malcolm, one of the first anglers I ever took carp fishing at Ray Bob. You will notice Malcolm's 10 foot Mowdy flats "scooter" in the background of some of the photos. There's not a better boat for accessing shallow water and it sure draws stares at the boat ramp. Imagine two guys decked out in "fly gear" with a couple of fly rods in the middle of all the bass boats launching on a typical summer morning. Oh, we get lots of jokes . . . "You guys are about 400 miles too far north. yuk. yuk. yuk." "What are ya'll fly fishin' for? CARP? Shit. Ed, did you hear that? These guys are fly fishin' for carp in that liddle biddy boat!"

Anyway, you'll also notice that Malcolm is seriously under-gunned for the carp he caught. If you know your tackle, you'll realize the rod is an old Orvis Superfine (not the beefiest stick around) - and it's fitted with a little Ari T. Hart reel. I can still remember the protest that reel made during the fight, the trout-inspired click drag barely keeping up with the fish. As a matter of fact, you'll notice that Malcolm checks the remaining backing at one point!

And, last but not least, the FISH! This was a great example of a Ray Roberts carp; bright gold (nothing like the dingy "sewer rats" caught elsewhere), vivid orange tip to the tail, muscular and strong. About 5 pounds of reel-clearing power!