OK, all you closet carp fishermen out there: Time to come out.
For all those who have been toying with the notion of breaking into that growing fraternity of carp buffs, but were afraid to ask, opportunity knocks. Next Saturday is the time. The South Platte River, smack in the middle of Denver, is the place.
This event is the inaugural South Platte River Pro-Am Carp Slam, and those who join in the merriment won’t be thought weird or even the least bit strange. In fact, you’ll be in grand company, among some of the most noted fly-fishermen in the territory.
The competition part of the event has been filled; 15 eager anglers already coughed up $175 each to match wits with ol’ “bugle mouth.” What remains is the chance to watch up close and learn – both the technique involved in tempting a fish that’s a lot smarter than it looks and the best places in the river to find them.
You’ll rub elbows with some of the finest fly-fishermen in a convivial atmosphere and maybe even hoist a toast to the winners – or to those cagey carp.
The Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited conceived the event to raise money to improve the metro reaches of the Platte, a stream that can use all the help it can get. In the process, it also hopes to boost awareness of a resource that goes largely untapped.
Considering the price of gasoline and increased competition for the most popular trout spots, a growing number of anglers are discovering the romance of a fish that’s loved in Europe and known in some stateside locations as “Queen of the Rivers.” If the challenge of a large, immensely strong fish that’s wary and tough to deceive turns you on, then there’s a carp waiting somewhere not far from home.
The Platte where it flows through Denver and its near suburbs is the handiest place to look. These fish are big and visible, not subject to the seasonal vagaries that impact the many carp-filled lakes and ponds you’ll also find nearby.
The best time to fish flat water is in spring, just before and immediately after spawning. They spend much of the day in the cool shallows, where they root and tail like bonefish. Midsummer heat sends carp to deep water, no longer available for sight fishing except very early and late in the day.
But they’re always ready in the river, where the only variable is flow. Periodic heavy releases from Chatfield Reservoir, mostly in spring, severely restricts wading and visibility. Such was the case for the original Carp Slam date three weeks earlier, causing a change of schedule and of headquarters.
The place is Andrews on Lincoln, 1111 Lincoln St., where participants will gather at 7 a.m. for a random selection of guides and beats. For spectators, it’s a good time to peg players and find out precisely where the action will be in a tournament zone stretching from the REI store on the north to Evans Avenue on the south.
For those who sleep in, there will be another chance. Following a 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. lunch at Andrews, host Barry Reynolds will conduct a free seminar on carp techniques. A second competition period will be 2-5 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony.
In case you still have some nagging doubts about the propriety of associating with common creatures such as carp, consider that Reynolds recently included carp fishing as a segment in his TV show and that one of the guides will be Riley Cotter, a Vail resident who’s a member of Fly Fishing Team USA.
It promises to be a gala event for years to come. Winner gets to kiss a carp. Losers are the ones who aren’t willing to try something new and fun.
Staff writer Charlie Meyers can be reached at 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com.
