Fat Herringbone with No Medallion - E.S.

One hour came free today.  River is still relatively high and turbid.  Some ponds are showing life though.  This was typical MN carping situation: careful walking, few chances, make one work.  Did one lap.  40% into it and I hadn't seen a fish of any specie.  Figuring it was still busty.  [key choice number 1:] Kept walking though, ahead and not back out the way I came.  On the east side of the pond there was presented the first visual on a carp in year 2013.  May 8th.  Solo fish, moving slowly along the shore.  Catchable.  But also very wary.  Saw me as I saw her...   blown.  Continue on.  Windward side of pond, here were some fish.  Maybe 3-4 as far as I could tell (water not entirely clear).  First couple were moving; tough; no good.  Blew a couple without seeing the fish bodies.  Waited.  Found one fish, feeding, deep enough that I could barely see tail.  Nothing else.  Dropped fly.  Again.  Spooked.  More facets here and there but nothing too great.  I started walking out...    [key choice number 2:] but then I went back to basic precepts of carping as it pertains to state of MN: you don't get target richness.  You can't just keep walking the shore and find feeding fish.  So I walked off the water a bit and looped back.  These fish were not entirely put off.  Gave it to a fish again and couldn't get a take.  Looped back...   one more time.  The fish had settled.  Found one positioned parallel to shore, unaware.  Could just, just make out gray dorsal line and general fish shape.  Dropped the fly at the head-end and counted down.  Zero movement.  Zero indicators.  But the count was about right and the path of the fly looked pretty good.  So I picked up the rod.  There it was indeed.  Fly pierced lip to the bend.  Without a net, I played the fish a bit; approx five minutes.  Took off my shoes and socks while staying tight to the carp.  Waded to ankles or so and beached the sow fat mother.  Digital scale read 13 lbs.  This is what we have: few chances so damn-well make them count.  Trout are trout and we love you and everything else but man it felt good to battle a weighty fish to a handshake and release.