Carp Slam 13
By: Brittany Nickolas • coloradoladyangler (instagram)
The past few years I’ve had a handful of fishy acquaintances fish in Denver Trout Unlimited’s Carp Slam, and while it’s always peeked my interest, I’ve never committed. My friend Erin Crider was the one who was able to finally throw some gasoline on that spark, and I signed up to compete! Competition aside, it was an opportunity for me to fund-raise money for the Denver South Platte, a stretch of river that I really enjoy fishing.
This year, Pros had the opportunity to “pre-pair” with an amateur by donating to the amateur’s campaign. Amateurs also had an opportunity to pick a remaining unpaired Pro in the week prior to the competition. Remaining unpaired Pros and Ams were matched at random the night of the draw party. As soon as I had the chance I sent what I considered a “hail mary” email to select my partner: Rick Mikesell. I was sure that Rick had been snatched up by another Am, so when the notification hit that we were partners I was floored! I was looking forward to fishing with and learning from Rick.
Friday evening we all met up at the Skylark Lounge. Unpaired Pros and Ams were matched at random via a drawing. Next, the Ams drew the beats that their team would be fishing the day of competition. For the morning I drew beat B, and the afternoon Beat E. Some teams lamented over their poor luck with beats; Rick and I were feeling confident that we could make our beats work for us. It was great to see the camaraderie between the teams: giving advice and tips to one another on the beats they had drawn. After some beers, pizza, and friendly banter, we grabbed our swag bags and headed home for the evening.
As I drove to HQ the next morning, the streets and sidewalks were still wet from the thunderstorms that had moved through town overnight. I parked as others were trickling in, making sure that I had everything I needed. When Rick arrived he asked me if I had seen the South Platte yet, which I hadn’t. Rick’s report: chocolate milk. The severe thunderstorms that had moved through the Denver metro area through the evening caused a flash flood in the river. Clarity was gone. Being able to sight fish to carp is crucial, and that was going to prove extremely difficult, if next to impossible. Knowing the conditions were going to be tough helped calm my nerves; if there was going to be an equalizer in this competition, this might be it. Rick and I were about to put in some work, and I was feeling ready. We met our controller who would be with our team that day: Reuben! We were glad to have him on board.
Once the rules wrapped we jumped in the car to head to our first beat since it was pretty far north. Wanting to be at an ideal location on the water prior to the competition officially starting at 0900, we parked, grabbed our gear, and started trekking. We made it riverside with a bit of time to spare and immediately started scouting what we could. Visibility was an inch at best…maybe less. Shrubs, bushes and trees, turned into strainers overnight, were littered with debris. Before Rick and I knew it, Rueben, our controller, gave Rick the go ahead: 0900 was here and it was game on. Rick slowly cruised the bank, scanning every inch of the water looking for fish. I followed his lead and stayed back a bit while scouting; I didn’t want to inadvertently spook a fish and blow a shot.
How long it really was I couldn’t tell you…10 mins? 15 minutes? I had my eyes glued to soft water looking for fish when I heard Rick: he had spotted feeding fish right on the bank, and they were probably no more than 15 feet in front of him. How many there actually were I couldn’t tell you; a tail would appear, then sink back into the murk; then a dorsal fin would appear, and again, sink back into the water. Rick went to work, trying to time shots in the murk while I kept my eyes peeled upstream for any activity. As Rick’s time expired, the fish moved out.
Rueben gave the all clear for me to start fishing. I did the only thing I could think of: I started nymphing the soft water and foam lines. Nymphing for carp in the river has been my primary technique, and at this moment I was just wanting to have a hook in the water. It didn’t take long before Rick told me the feeding fish he was working were back! I crept up behind them, walking slowly with deliberate steps. The fish were less than 10 feet in front of me and I was trying to stop the shakes from nerves. Talking in whispers, Rick started guiding me through the plan of attack. Mentally, I was trying not to lose it: this was going to be a drag and drop situation in water that you couldn’t see your fly, let alone the fish’s head OR the fish eating it!
We quickly realized that the fly I had rigged wasn’t going to work well for the situation. Without missing a beat, Rick handed me his rod to use. The game of patience was unreal as I watched alternating backs and tails creep up and sink back out of sight. I landed a shot that put the fly about an inch in front of the fish’s face. After what seemed like eternity I saw a slight change in the line. I lifted the rod, felt resistance and set the hook; the fish was on! The fish bolted out into the current; I was able to turn him back to the shore and into slower water. What a relief when Rick scooped that fish into the net! Our team’s first carp of the competition came in at 29.5 inches.
With renewed energy, Rick and I put our foot to the ground. Following the steep bank, we would poke our heads through the thick bushes to scout the water. The combination of the terrain and speed of the water made me skeptical we would spot fish like we had before. I’m pretty sure Rick did a double-take, and spotted a fish in a swirl of foam! Immediately he went to work. With no room for spectators on the steep bank, I hung back. Giddy with disbelief that Rick had sighted another fish, I silently hoped he would get an eat. Rick snagged his fly on debris; unable to easily free the rig, Rick asked for my rod. Curiosity got the best of me, and soon I found myself trying to peer through the bushes to watch. I found a good vantage point just in time: Rick had a bend in the rod- the fish was on! There were so many ways that landing the fish could’ve gone wrong…but it went right and Rick scooped it into the net! Another 26.5 inches of carp towards our team total!
With time running down we kept pushing, slogging our way through cattails and black mud. I barely noticed stepping over a dead beaver and deer leg, and laughed when I did. By the time we stopped again at a fishy looking spot it was the last hour of competition: Rick and I could fish at the same time! Unable to see anything obvious, I threw my nymph rig in a soft spot. Watching…watching…tick-SET
On the walk back to the car we laughed over our unbelievable morning. Reuben gave us an update on the other competitors, and we were currently in the lead with our team total. I was glad to hear that other teams were able to get fish in the net. We had an impromptu lunch from 7-11, chugging Gatorade and resting in the shade, getting ready for the afternoon. The sky was clear, the sun was hot, and we were ready to get back at it.
The afternoon session was more of the same from the morning: poor visibility in the water and covering tons of ground. Unfortunately what was missing were the fish. Walking up and down the beat, covering both sides, we didn’t spot a single carp. As our time ran out, Reuben spotted a rainbow trout that had come out of the water, but that was it. I had hopes of maybe catching an exotic specie, but even then we were ghosted. Time expired; the competition was over! While I was more than happy with the effort our team had put in, I was still hoping that it was enough to keep us at the top.
Back at HQ, teams trickled in from their afternoon beats. We shared our experiences over beers and BBQ, checking out the items in the silent auction that would raise money for the South Platte. When it came time for the awards ceremony, the butterflies once again crept into my stomach….was all the hard work enough? Third placed was announced…not us. Second place…again not us. The champs for the 13th annual Carp Slam: Rick Mikesell and Brittany Nickolas! With a team total of 80.00 inches from 3 carp we took first place. It was a surreal moment walking up to accept the trophy, and I couldn’t have been more proud. All of the practice months beforehand and the hard work that Rick and I put on the water that day paid off more than I could’ve ever imagined. Additionally, some major cash was raised for the Denver South Platte by everyone, which was the true success!
Championship aside, I still reflect on what else I gained from fishing in the Carp Slam: knowledge from Rick. I picked his brain as much as I could while I had the opportunity. Just watching Rick fish was a lesson! When I would’ve done X, he did Y. For example, when he snagged his rig, he put his rod down and used mine instead of trying to free it and potentially spook the fish out. It sounds remedial, but now I use that situation in my quest to be a better, more effective angler.
I would like to say a huge thanks to the following: Denver Trout Unlimited; the Pros who volunteered their time to compete with us Ams: those who volunteered their time as controllers or filled other roles to make the Carp Slam as successful as possible; all the sponsors; Patrick with UrbanAnglersUSA for giving me the chance to share my experience. Of course, a HUGE thanks to my partner Rick for sharing his time and knowledge with me on the river. Tight lines to all, and hopefully we’ll be seeing you next year!
CarpSlam 13
CarpSlam 13
CarpSlam 13