WHAT!? Giant Carp on a 5WT fly rod! - Fly Fishing Carp - McFly Angler Episode 17

I have never caught a Carp on a fly rod before, so I wanted to give it a try. Last time I went on the San Juan River I saw quite a few carp feeding on the bottom in a shallow section of the river. I wasn't setup for carp at that time and only had a 3wt fly rod with me. So I decided come back with my 5wt and come back for them another day. Turns out a 5wt is not really enough as well and this carp fought me for 21 minutes! Which felt like forever. By the end of the fight, I was so exhausted, I felt like my arms were gonna fall off. He was so large, and I was so tired, that I had trouble picking him up.

They say carp fishing is like fishing for bonefish. They are finicky fish, that spook easy. You can site fish for them, but you need long, thin leader. They fight hard, and feel like your hooked onto the back of a freight train when they run. SO they make for a very formidable sport fish, one that many say is even tougher than bonefish.

This is the first time I am fishing with my new vest, neck gaiter, and gloves. I love them! The vest helped by allowing me to bring water with me, and put extra things in the backpack. And even though the sun was in full blast, the neck gaiter and gloves kept me from getting burnt. Here are the links to where you can get these items.
Vest - http://amzn.to/2prdztR
Neck Gaiter - http://amzn.to/2pWF0yF
Gloves - http://amzn.to/2qT3iYG

Also, I was using a custom fly rod I built myself. The blank was one I got from the Hook and the Hackle, and it worked well. It was practically bent in half on this fish and still didnt break. Its an awesome blank, and not badly priced! Here is a link to the Xi series blank from Hook and Hackle. http://store.hookhack.com/Xi-Rod-Building-Blanks/products/1036/

Also I was using a Sage 2250 which is a cast aluminum real. It has a great drag, in which handled this beast perfectly. Here is a link for you go get that reel as well if your interested. - http://amzn.to/2qhBkc1