FlatsLander guided trips
The best time of year for carp is mid- to late summer, although carp can be caught from after the spawn in the spring until mid November. We will usually meet before sunrise and travel to the boat ramp. If conditions are favorable we will make a short run to a spot where we look for schooling wipers busting shad on the surface. For these surface Wipers we cast 8 weight rods with large Clousers, Deceivers or poppers until the sun gets high enough to spot carp in the shallows. Then we motor to a calm spot and push along the shallow shoreline looking for feeding carp. Sometimes, it is best to park the boat and wade for carp when the situation allows. If it is too early in the year for wipers, we will start a little later in the morning and spend the day hunting carp. We might get shots at gar, drum and buffalo as we fish the shallows, and we frequently pick up smallmouth bass along the rocky shorelines.
We try a number of areas looking for fish during the day. Wind, sunlight and water conditions will determine the variety of locations we can comfortably fish. If you’re fishing with the Professor, his Mitzi 15 can be launched at the Milford Reflecting Pond providing another option for part of the day. The Reflecting Pond has a spot where we often catch large carp, wipers, catfish and even drum. Some very large gar are present in the pond, and you may get a shot at them. Your guide will tell you if the Reflecting Pond option is available when you book your trip.
Another summer option is a river wade fishing trip. Usually we fish the Republican River below Milford, but the Kansas River sometimes fishes well, too. We’ll wade the shallows in search of carp, gar, largemouth and smallmouth bass, wipers, white bass, drum, and who knows what else. This is spot and stalk sight fishing that is very challenging, but enjoyable.
A spring trip for wipers in the Republican River is a very hit or miss endeavor. You never know until you go. Wipers run up the river in a false spawning run, and many conditions affect when they enter the river and when they leave. The Wipers are not in the river for very long, but when they are, the fishing can be spectacular. This may be your best shot at a large wiper, and we are talking about fish over 10 pounds as a very real possibility. If you’re interested in this trip, contact us before March and we will put you on the notification list. Our rate for this trip is our hourly rate of $25/hour, so if there are not fish in the river, you won’t pay much to find out. If there are fish, you will not want to leave!
A fall or winter trip for wipers with Chad Richardson and the FlatsLander guides is another unique experience. We troll with Chad with deep diving plugs to find the wipers, then take a shot at them with fly rods and full sinking lines. We supply all the gear you will need. Catching a wiper on a fly rod from 30 feet deep is a unique experience and one that, honestly, doesn’t happen too often, but our clients frequently have so much fun trolling that they don’t mind when the fly rod action is slow. Chad almost always finds and catches wipers, and we even landed a 60+ pound buffalo last fall on conventional tackle.
Wiper fly fishing is usually done with larger fly rods – 8-weights, or even 10s. Those rods are heavier and harder to cast than smaller trout and panfish rods, especially with the large flies used to match the natural shad forage. If you want to take on wipers on the surface you’ll want to be confident with your basic casting stroke to handle the larger rods, and the ability to execute a single or double haul will give you a bit more distance and keep your fly in the strike zone longer.
Casting
The most common problem we encounter in our clients is casting ability. We ask that you be honest with us and yourself regarding your skills. We want to know what you’re capable of so that we can tailor the trip to your abilities. Most of our carp fishing is a visual game, and while it doesn’t require long casts, it does require a good deal of accuracy. Your fly needs to be close enough for the fish to see it, which means placing it close. Can you regularly land a fly inside a 3 foot circle target at 25 feet? Can you do it with less than 3 false casts? What about a 2 foot circle? How about at 40 feet? Sometimes when the visibility is low our casts are shorter than 25 feet. If you have a chance, practice making casts at those distances quickly and with a minimal number of false casts. Due to the construction of fly lines, close casts can be more difficult than longer ones, so practice making accurate casts at 15 to 20 feet as well.
Wind is a constant companion in Kansas and an open, lazy casting loop will get knocked down and fall short. Work on keeping your loops tight. The double haul will also help your line cut the wind by increasing your line speed. If you’re practicing for a saltwater trip, your accuracy at distance needs to increase to 40 to 60 feet with a minimal number of false casts.
What can you do to prepare? Practice. Practice hitting a 2 foot circle until you can do it almost every time from 25 feet, then move out to 30 feet, then 40. False casts can spook fish, so learn to make those casts with one or two false casts. Work on tight loops and practice hauling to increase line speed.
And, above all, tell us about your casting skills. If you wish, we can structure your trip to include time to practice those casting skills on which you need to work. Often, a few simple tips and adjustments to your casting stroke will add 10 to 20 feet to your cast and improve your accuracy.
What to expect
We can easily guide one or two anglers on the trips we offer, however, only one angler can fish at a time in most cases. With fly rod casting, it takes a really well coordinated team for both anglers to cast at the same time without tangling lines. If you are fishing with a buddy, we will let you decide who gets to fish and how you rotate. Typically, there are two ways to decide; by time, or by fish. You may decide that each angler gets a 30 minute session before switching. Or, you may decide to change after each fish caught. Time is the most equitable, but once in a while there will be a brief period of hot action, and alternating fish works best at those times. You are welcome to take a break, switch anglers, eat a snack or grab a drink any time during the day. On really hot summer days, you’re even welcome to go for a swim. Just ask, we will try to accommodate your wishes.
Equipment
We can provide all fishing equipment or you may use your own. We use Temple Fork Outfitters Fly Rods, and have just about every TFO series of rod in various weights, so let us know if you want to try out the Axiom, or TiCr, or any of the other series. We use TFO Large Arbor and Prism reels for most situations, and they are spooled with Scientific Anglers fly lines. We’re usually throwing floating lines – for carp it is usually either a Redfish taper, or a Sharkskin line. For the winter wipers, we use an SA Deepwater express full sinking line, and an SA Streamer Express for river wipers.
We build our own furled leaders ( "Do The Twist": How to build a furled leader without the use of tools or jigs ) that make up the butt and mid-sections of the leader, then add a tippet with a loop to loop connection. All our leaders are tied with Ande line, as we want to be properly rigged just in case you catch a world record fish. As IGFA International Representatives, we can help you submit that world record, too.
We use Mustad circle hooks (C51S, C71S-SS and Demon series) exclusively. With circle hooks, you do not set the hook. Just take out any slack generated during the strip until you feel the fish. He will usually take off when he feels pressure, and the fight is on! Setting the hook with a circle hook will just pull the fly out of his mouth, so DO NOT set the hook!
As mentioned, we use circle hooks for all our fishing, and they are barbless. Once you see the boat, and the poling platform where the guide stands, you’ll understand why. If you hit or hook us on a backcast, and it does happen, we want to be able to remove that hook easily. You’re welcome to bring your own flies, but they need to be debarbed before you put them on the boat.
What to bring
Bring comfortable, cool clothes for the summer. We recommend quick-drying nylon clothes that are loose fitting. Bring sun screen if you’re sensitive to the sun, and a hat with a dark underbrim to reduce glare into your eyes.
We like to fish in bare feet on the boat so we can feel when we’re stepping or standing on the fly line. If you aren’t comfortable with going barefoot, bring some light socks.
Polarized sunglasses are an absolute must for the sight fishing we do. They need not be expensive ones, just polarized.
Bring any snacks you want, and drinks. For insurance purposes, leave the beer and other alcohol back at the parking lot. We’ll be happy to toast your catch with a cold one after we’re done for the day.