The carp, which is generally referred to as a "trash fish" in the U.S., is slowly gaining a following among fly fishers. And it's no wonder, after you hear Egan explain the sight-fishing technique required to hook a carp and the size and fight of the fish.

"If you can't see a carp, there's no use casting," said Egan of this version of freshwater bone fishing. He has landed common carp up to 36 inches long and grass carp up to 40 inches long. Those carp would be in the 30- to 40-pound range, and 10-pound-plus carp aren't unusual.

Egan uses a six-weight fly rod and as much as 300 yards of backing on his reel, which gives you some idea of the fight in the fish.

A carp will eat anything any other fish will eat, according to Egan. Crawfish, shad and various nymph patterns are among his favorites.

"I fish twice a week," Egan said. "From the end of June through August, 50 percent of my fishing will be for carp."

Don't knock it until you've tried it, Egan says.

The Arkansas influence

There were two anglers from Arkansas among the 12 competitors in the Fly Fishing event — 2001 gold medal winner and 2002 bronze medal winner Chuck Farneth of Little Rock and first-time qualifier John Wilson of Russellville.

But it was another Arkansan who had the most influence on the event. Fly fishing legend Dave Whitlock, who lives near the White and North Fork rivers in Arkansas' Ozarks, was listed by gold medal winner Lance Egan and bronze medalist Ryan Barnes as a person they respected in the sport.

"Dave has been around forever and has helped change fly design by thinking outside the box," said Egan, who refers to Whitlock as his mentor.

And, oh, there's a carp factor, too.

Barnes noted that he respected Whitlock, "because of his open-mindedness and his ability to fish for other species than trout, specifically carp."

Beaucoup respect

Many suspected that the Doubles Fishing competitors would have an air of superiority when it came to their skill levels compared to their fishing partner, not so! Jim (JK) Kalkofen, Director of the Professional Walleye Trail said he experienced nothing but mutual respect and admiration between the bass and walleye pros.

"I have to say, nothing but tremendous respect has been represented by these pros," said Kalkofen. "They really have incredible respect for each other abilities. In fact I heard Rick Clunn say I am not the man he is referring to Ron Seelhoff and his trolling skills."

Parsons plague continues

Everybody who understands tournament fishing, or sport fishing in general, understands the idea is to get the fish into the boat. Hall-of-Fame walleye pro Gary Parsons gets that concept, but has not been applying too well so far at the Great Outdoor Games.

"My plague of losing fish during competition has continued," said Parson after Day One. "This was the worst day Shaw and I had here. We lost a good walleye, and then another came off. Heck, we were even losing bass the same way. We both really pooched some fish today."

Lane poster boy for Slimfast?

Timber sports athlete Dion Lane has been working his tail off to drop poundage for the 2004 season of timber events. He is weighing a relatively svelte 285 pounds, approximately 50 pounds lighter than last season. Lane is losing the L-B's because he wants to improve his endurance.

"I have been doing some high altitude training to improve my oxygen uptake," said Lane. "I have lost weight, but I am looking to drop another 20 pounds or so."

Look out "Jared the Subway guy," here comes Dion Lane!

Timber guru speaks

Rob Scheer, the Great Outdoor Games Timber Sports Organizer, is very insightful when it comes to what it takes to excel at timber sports. However, even the gurus of the sports have Yogi Berra-like moments.

"To get good at cutting wood you have to cut wood," said Rob Scheer.