Out-witted by Carp Again

The great weather lately has finally forced me into a fishing trip.  Tonight, I drove out to Cheney to check on my Carp flats from early Spring.  The water was low, making the trek through the swampy delta much easier than the last time I was there.  Rounding the final bend in the Ninnescah, I took in my first Autumn view of my "secret" flat. 

Despite the pungent smell of bird crap fuming from the newly exposed island, the water looked perfect.  I could see swirls and wakes, which I hoped to be actively feeding carp, in the shallow water.  I waded out slowly,  hoping to see a tailing carp before spooking it.  After getting out about 100 yards, I decided to stop and make a few blind casts, hoping the fish would move in around me.  As I went to pull up my third retrieve for another cast, my fly rod pulled back hard.  The fish made a strong initial run, hugging the bottom and heading towards the dam.  I survived the initial run, and managed to get back some line.  This pattern continued for about 5 minutes before the hooked popped out.  Oddly, it was probably the least disappointed I've ever been about losing a big fish.  I was just glad they were hungry. 

I saw a wake to my 4 o'clock and fired a cast on top of it.  I got to 2 on my 3 second count when the water boiled and my line once again started screaming out to sea.  This time the hooked popped out after only a few seconds.  

Several more fish were missed before I finally brought one in.  I was surprised, and a bit disappointed, when I pulled this out of the murky water.

The fish went about 20 inches, but wasn't what I was after.   I wondered if all the fish I was hooking into were catfish.  The action slowed down as the sun set, but it was fun while it lasted.