Hey there fellow Smolters, we have some good, yet small news! The entered smolts did a fine job of smolting, and our judges have judged. We’re enthused to announce the April Smolt of the Month.
The Smoltie goes to… Kurt Olesek and this carp-blocking micro bass from the shallows of Colorado’s Western Slope carp grounds.
Kurt reports: “On a hot July day, fishing the swollen Colorado River searching for carp with Roaring Fork legend and late Tripp Dobson, we pulled into Smolt Slough. Poling along the mud flat, getting chowed by horseflies, we spotted an abnormally large carp happily grubbing, head down, tail on display like the bright orange flag used by a DOT worker slowing down traffic, completely unaware of the demise he was about to encounter.
With the precision of a roman archer, Tripp delivered his slump buster mere inches in front of the behemoth. We both watched in anticipation as the slumpy sank slowly into the dark mud cloud, about to be inhaled with a flare of the gills. Suddenly, out of the cloud, sped this little bass who grabbed Tripp’s fly, ruining any chance of the double digit carp getting caught. Although the fight wasn’t the same as a trophy carp, this guy was worthy of a capture. RIP Tripp, miss you brother!”
Above: The carp-blocking son-of-a-gun, which ended up being a good thing for this greedy fella. Photo: Kurt Olesek
We’re sending minute congratulations to Kurt and Tripp! Enjoy the micro bragging rights, and we’re hoping there’s no more carp-blockers in the future! And remember: treat the fish kindly, this year’s smolts are next year’s hawgs.
All monthly winners are eligible to win a grand prize package from Decked—including a full set of their D-Co cases (valued over $900)—as well as a trophy custom-made by The Flyfish Journal staff. Monthly winners receive prize packages including a Stealth Work Station from Patagonia Fly Fishing and good goods from The Flyfish Journal.
And of course, those minuscule bragging rights…
A big thanks to our prize sponsors Decked and Patagonia Fly Fishing.
Head to the main Smolt of the Month contest page for more information on how to enter your enormously small catches and review past Smolts of the Month. Each monthly contest window will be open for the duration of each month, so go small or go home and get after it!
We’ve also compiled a runners-up list with a few honorable and outstanding entries in no particular order:
Here: A Canary Kurper with an appetite for eggs. Photo: Pieter Snyders
Pieter Snyders writes: “We were out in Gauteng, South Africa, targeting Smallscale and Largescale Yellowfish when this overambitious little gremlin of a fish—otherwise known as a Canary Kurper—launched itself at my trusty Sunnyside Up egg fly. With the enthusiasm of a kid diving for candy, it smashed the fly, a brief skirmish followed, and before I knew it, the little missile had gone airborne and landed straight in my hand. Not exactly the monster we were after, but hey, style points count!
Above: Green Sunfish are related to Beluga whales and sturgeon, yeah? Photo: Christopher Schaberg
Christopher Schaberg reports from the urban fisheries of St. Louis: “Look at this beluga Green Sunfish I caught in my golf course lagoons in Forest Park! It nearly snapped my Eagle Claw Featherlight rod.”
Here: A masterclass in the art of making a tiny fish look even tinier. Photo: Pete Cook
Pete Cook writes: “My son Charlie caught this brown trout on the South Platte North of Antero Junction, Colorado. The fly was a size 20 parachute Adams. The hardest part about catching this one was getting caught in the grass on the back cast once you set the hook.”