October 2024 - 29

IF YOU GO
By Dave Zoby
You'll need at least a seven-weight rod to tangle
with large carp on Pathfinder. The guides use
floating lines and reels designed for saltwater
fishing. The flies vary, but most are damselfly
and crayfish patterns you can find in most fly
shops. Part of the pleasure of fishing from a
flats-style boat is you get to sight-cast to individual
fish. But if your budget doesn't allow for a
guided trip, you can access much of Pathfinder
Reservoir by foot. It's surrounded by public land
and offers lots of access.
In the summer of 2020 and unable to travel,
I plied the rocky shores of Pathfinder in search
of carp. I caught a few, but I worked for them,
sometimes spending a whole day with only one
take. They are more difficult to see when you
are wading or rock-hopping the shoreline, but
a do-it-yourself carp trip is possible if you are
willing to put in the time. May is the spawning-season
for these fish, and though they
congregate in huge masses, they are difficult
to catch at that time. Late June and July seem
to be the best times to break away from your
favorite trout stream and try for a carp on the fly.
Bill Mixer shows off a common carp from Pathfinder Reservoir. (Photo by Dave Zoby)
problems for the resident trout.
" Winterkill took care of that, and we haven't
seen many since, " he said.
Carp are considered excellent food fish in France
and other countries. For whatever reason, that
never happened here. Americans don't often eat
carp, but Jackson has tried it many times. For years
I've heard people say they do not eat carp because
of the muddy taste. But when pressed, these same
people admit they've never really tasted it.
Jackson described a fishing buddy who harvests
carp once a year.
" He takes
it pretty seriously. Carp are a
non-sporting fish species, so there's no limit on
them. He treats it like an all-out harvest. He'll
come out with a water tank, a horse trough sort
of thing in his pickup, and he'll catch 30-50 in
a day, " Jackson said. He has sampled many carp
and compares them to tilapia, or any other white
fish. Hahn said he tried smoked carp and it was
similar to other smoked fish you might encounter.
In another nod to history, Jackson described a
commercial endeavor from Riverton that used to
net carp on Pathfinder Reservoir. These fish were
processed for cat food. " They would catch thousands
of pounds a week, " he said. The company
dissolved the operation because it wasn't financially
viable. It seemed these fish were destined to live
in obscurity. And that's the way it was until the
fly-fishing community discovered them. Who knew
that anglers would come from halfway around
the world and pay hundreds of dollars to catch
these fish, snap a photo, and let them go? They
were financially viable after all; it just took a few
decades and some enterprising Wyoming fishing
guides to pave the path.
There is now a fleet of flats-style boats in Casper.
Carp-specific flies and gear can be found in local
shops. There are guides who can take you out in
search of these prairie bonefish. Jackson chuckles
when he talks about the enthusiasm people have
for carp fishing.
" They may have a saltwater trip coming up, and
casting to carp is a great way to practice those long
accurate casts, " he said. " And the great thing about
this fishery is that there are lots of chances - it
seems you never run out of fish to cast to. "
- Dave Zoby is a freelance writer based in Casper.
Wyoming Wildlife | 29
October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024
