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We River Quest guides have enjoyed fly fishing for carp on Grand Traverse Bay for some years now for our personal pleasure. Three of our guides, Dave DeVries and Steve and Tom Kuieck, have cottages in the Traverse City area so it's a quick trip for us to West Grand Traverse Bay for some excellent carp fly fishing. The carp are in the shallows feeding and spawning, moving in and out of the reeds and rock that characterize the West Bay shoreline. We cruise the shallows with our jet boats, covering lots of water, searching-hunting may be a better word-for the carp. When we spot them, we either cast from the boat or more typically ease our way into the water and wet wade into casting range. Much like bonefish, the carp are usually moving so we cast nymph and crayfish patterns on floating fly lines ahead of them. If all goes per plan, the carp move over to pick up the fly, and it's "Golden Bone" time. Although carp don't set speed records as they strip line from the reel; they can be surprising fast as they power their way into your backing. And that's exactly what happens most of the time: fly line shooting out past the tip with the fly fisherman praying that the backing knot holds.
West Grand Traverse Bay with its crystal clear, deep blue water is a beautiful fly fishing venue and offers the bonus of some very large smallmouth bass. Here, too, sight fishing is the order of the day: spot the bass and cast to it without spooking it and success can be yours on some very specially sized fish. Four pound plus fish are taken on the Bay each year so this is a trophy smallmouth bass fly fishing opportunity. The smallies are beautifully conditioned and very fat. If you've yet to try one of these smallmouth bass and carp fly fishing trips on West Grand Traverse Bay, give it a shot. Here's betting you will find the experience great fun.
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