I've had plenty of frustrating shore-bound outings at Saylorville Lake trying to chase carp with flies. Usually I can't find them. Other times, I find them but can't get them to strike. On rare occasions when I get bites, broken lines are often my reward for finally hooking into one. I've caught some good-size ones there on fly gear...but it is far from easy and far from common.

But yesterday I found a small pocket in the back of a small shallow bay where the wind was blowing in...and I could (barely) see some carp feeding there. Occasionally small baitfish would flip out of the water there, as if the carp were hunting them. So, I tossed out small white/flashy patterns. I tried weighted and unweighted, and caught fish on both styles. Basically...white woolly buggers with pearl mylar hackle.