We got a hold of Ivan not too long ago to check in and catch up on whats good these days with his blog Yukon Goes Fishing as well as see how the fishing has been in his neck of the woods. Besides shooting and editing some of the most sensational fly fishing shorts on the web, Ivan has been fishing his butt of this year hooking up on some monster Browns, 'Bows, and yes, Carp. Check out what Ivan had to say in one of our TLTFF exclusive Carp Week "Fly Interviews"...
1. Tell us a little about yourself, where you hail from, what got you into fly fishing, etc.
-I was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. Go Phillies. Went to college in Ohio and eventually moved out to Montana for grad school. I currently reside in Denver, Colorad-bro. While I dabbled in fly fishing a couple times during my youth, I really got serious about the sport in 2009.
2. What is YGF all about, how did it start and how do you make such sick-ass videos?
-Like many blogs, Yukon Goes Fishing started as a way to share my experiences on the fly with my friends and family. As my obsession for the sport grew, I found myself watching every bit of video I could find on vimeo and youtube. I was still relatively new to the sport and had no experience filming or editing, but I wanted to emulate what I saw in the Humblefisherman and Jay Zimmerman's videos. I liked the way video shorts could tell a brief yet detailed story of a day or multi-day trip. So, I started making videos. Really really bad videos. But, really really bad videos were more fun to make than writing yet another trip report.
3. What got you into fly fishing for carp, how long have you been doing it?
-I have been fly fishing for carp since April 2013. I did go out and search for carp on warmer winter days in late 2012 and early 2013, but I didn't see any fish...so, that hardly counts as fly fishing for carp. The impetus for getting into fly fishing for carp was moving down to Denver. I had fished for carp once while in Montana and was lucky enough to land one, but they were few and far between in western Montana. But, Denver and the rest of the Front Range are a carp angler's playground and I was looking for a new challenge in the realm of fly fishing. Carp have certainly provided one.
4. Do you tie flies, if so, how long?
-Nope. I want to, but not yet.
5. Give us some tips, tricks, etc for making us (readers) better fly fisherman for carp.
-I don't feel like I've been carping long enough to give actual advice regarding techniques or how-to's regarding the fly fishing for carp. However, I do feel comfortable saying the following: Expect the worse and hope for the best. Be prepared for success. Check knots, check tippet, check hook points. It took me a solid month of concentrated effort before I started landing them with regularity. A lot of bad luck and angler error occurred during that first month, but it was well worth the wait.
6. Whats your ideal carp water?
-Water with a lot of targets.
7. Whats your ideal carp setup?
-The ideal setup depends on the water I am fishing. If I am fishing the South Platte in town or some big, windy reservoir in the mountains, I prefer to fish an 8 weight rod with a 9 to 10 foot Rio leader tapering to 1x flourocarbon. The Redington Vapen* has done that job quite well. When I am fishing some of the smaller front range reservoirs or creeks that typically have smaller carp and closer casting quarters, I use a 6 weight rod with 9 to 10 foot Rio leader tapering to 3x flourocarbon. The mid-flex Orvis Helios 2 is the perfect rod for that job.
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*See Ivan's review of the Redington Vapen rod in today's (re)post.
8. What your favorite carp fly, your go-to, the one that seems to always catch a lip?
-My go-to fly is Jay Zimmerman's Backstabber in black and olive. It only fails when I suck at fishing.
9. Whats the best carp story you have for us?
-One of my favorite parts about fly fishing for carp in Colorado is the variety of places carp can take you. From getting key advice from a couple drunks on the South Platte to the striking beauty of South Park, carp live in some interesting places. I have fished for carp in golf driving range ponds and ponds that may or may not be parts of waste water treatment plants. However, my favorite story is about the one that got away. I was fishing a section of the South Platte close to home. I had bungled a couple good shots at solid fish. I was walking slowly downstream and saw one of the largest freshwater fish I've seen in person. I cast to the large carp. He ate. I was using my six weight and I was under gunned. I was into my backing quickly. Over the course of the next hour, I saw my backing on four separate occasions. It would reappear out of the depths with two or three friends. They were respectable sized carp. It dwarfed them. Unable to beach the carp, I attempted to net him. As I reached to net the carp, my 2x tippet popped and the DSP monster swam away. I was in shock. I packed up my stuff and went home.
10. Where can we find you?
-You can find YGF at http://yukongoesfishing.com, on Instagram at instagram.com/yukongoesfishing
11. Any last words of advice?
-Like Michael Buffer would say if he was about to go fly fishing for carp, "Let's get ready to get humbled!!!!!!!!!!"
A big thanks goes out to Ivan for helping us out with Carp Week and doing this interview! Today is a YGF day so check out his review and video. Make sure you give YGF some love through his social media outlets too (abovie in interview)!
Don't forget to check out Ivan's newest YGF edit "Cielo Grande" that dropped yesterday...
Boom...The TLTFF Crew
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