Happyshort

So you’ve found the perfect affiliate program, you’ve signed up and they gave you a website …. now what? “They” say that “all you have to do” is drive traffic to your site … but you don’t have a clue where to begin …

Never fear, Affiliate 101 is here … here’s a list of a few simple, free or inexpensive tasks you can accomplish today.

Detailsfollow, first just the list:

1. Send emails to friends and family;
2. Make new friends o­n the internet;
3. Print out and distribute posters, business cards, and/or postcards;
4. Write articles and post free ads.

First of all, don’t panic. You don’t have to do ALL of these, just whatever you feel comfortable with. But I do heartily suggest that you push the envelope a little o­n your comfort level…

Email Friends and Family

If you’re uncomfortable with contacting family members (they CAN be your sharpest critics) first scan the options, maybe o­ne of the less obtrusive o­nes would work.

Be sure to write o­nLY to friends. Anything else will be considered spam; any worthy company will drop you like a hot potato when they receive legitimate spam complaints.

Consider the friends and family you might write to and decide the best approach for each:

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Here is the most common question that I come across in relation to Internet marketing:

“I can see that there is great potential for success on the Internet but I am a beginner. I don’t really know where to start”

This question is asked by people who either have an existing business which they want to start promoting on the Internet or they are trying to find the right opportunity.

For both cases the answer is the same.

Whatever online business or opportunity you are involved in there is one essential skill that you will have to know.

You will need to know HOW TO PLACE ADVERTS.

Here are some of the things that you start to learn when you submit ads:

The various locations where you can place an ad such as newsgroups, forums, ezines, web sites: and the different rules and methods used for each one such as frequency of posting and size of ads.
How to post information to a mailing list or newsgroup for free but using a signature file to promote your products.
How to code your adverts so that you can identify where the response originates.
How to organise your mail files to handle responses.
How to simplify your own systems so that you have standard replies to common questions.
How to set up autoresponders if necessary to take away the chore of responding manually.
How to deal with the unexpected (for example, even though you may clearly spell out in your ad that a reply should be made to an autoresponder many people will still reply directly to you).
All of this is excellent EXPERIENCE which will prove invaluable for whatever online venture you follow.

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Can you really make big money with affiliate programs? Can you earn a satisfactory income from commissions on selling others’ products? That question has to be on a lot of people’s minds. There are a lot of people considering setting up a website and marketing affiliate products. They wonder whether or not to believe all of the hype. There are also a lot of people who are already marketing affiliate products. Many of these are making very few sales, and they are wondering…. what am I missing!

To answer the first question… yes, you really can earn big money with affiliate programs. There’s just a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Most people are going about it ALL WRONG. That’s
why the majority aren’t making the big money they desire. What are some of the things they are doing wrong, and how can they correct these things?

Far too many people are choosing the wrong affiliate products. They are choosing products that aren’t a good match for their website visitors and ezine subscribers. Trying to market a product to the wrong audience is doomed to fail from the start. Instead, find or create products that meet the expressed needs of your audience. Marketing should not be about trying to convince someone that they need a product that they’re convinced they don’t need. Instead, it should be merely demonstrating that your product is the solution to one of their problems, wants, needs or fears. Selecting the right products or services is essential to achieve any real success marketing affiliate
products.

Many people choose a product that offers too little return on the resources required to make a sale. The commissions earned don’t cover the value of advertising and TIME expended. With these
products or services, even if you make sales, you come out worse than you would be if you had spent the same time working at the local fast food restaurant or car wash.

The solution to the above problem is very simple. Market only products that pay a decent commission. There are many great products available that offer 40 - 100% commission. It generally makes little sense marketing a product paying only 20-30%. The one exception to this rule is products that pay a residual income. The best example of this type of product is web hosting. You earn a lower commission, BUT you earn this commission month after month. Therefore you end up earning more in the long run. If you do market products which are poor sellers, pay low commissions, and don’t offer a residual income, drop them. You time is simply too valuable to do otherwise.

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How much actual profit do you make as an affiliate marketer? Are you even making a profit? Most people who try affiliate marketing make less than $1000 a year. This is not what you’re looking for, right? Instead of giving up, think about why you’re not getting the results you want. Here are a few things to think about:

1. Think positive. If you think you will succeed, you will. If you don’t, you’ll be defeated before you begin.

2. Be committed. Don’t give up at the first problem. Be aware that you will have difficult days and create a mental plan to work through them - before they happen. This plan can be something as simple as providing yourself with a list of steps to go through to problem-solve the setback.

3. Educate yourself. Read as many articles as you can and explore websites covering different areas of marketing. You’ll need to learn a lot about different ways to promote your affiliate products.

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After being in business online for over 7 years, I often need a whack upside the head to remind me that not everyone understands this online stuff the way that we do. In fact, there are tens of thousands of people who venture online regularly, exploring ways to make a little extra money. Some are looking for ways to eventually quit their jobs and work full-time from home.
Since I have been living that dream-life for so long, it sometimes takes me a second to answer questions from complete beginners. I’m talking about people who not only haven’t built their first website, but aren’t even sure what type of product or service they want to sell. They just know that they want to make some extra money and have heard that the internet is an easy way to do it.

How would you respond to a complete online beginner who comes to you seeking advice?

Here’s what I tell them and why…

First of all, there are a lot of scams, hyped-up promises, and just plain “ways to lose your money.” So you do need to look before you leap. You can’t be too careful!

Secondly, building a business online is just like building a business offline. You need to decide “what you are going to sell in your store” before you open the doors. So you need both a plan and a product. Most people will advise you to build a website around a personal interest. That way, while the business is slowly “building up steam,” it will be easier to keep motivated, and it may even be more fun!

The easiest way to get into business online is through what are called affiliate programs. These are programs where you sign up and then you earn a referral commission from selling other’s products. Online, these products are very typically books, software, etc… things that have a low production and delivery cost. Software and electronic books can be delivered as a file that’s downloaded directly to your customers’ computers. So it has very little real delivery cost. Therefore, the person selling it can afford to pay you a hefty commission for helping them sell their product.

I generally recommend that beginners join a few affiliate programs and then begin telling others about them… referring others to the site. This is also where beginners hit the first snag. Who do they tell and how?

People like me have a mailing list of well over 100,000, and over 200 active websites. I can tell people about products and services through my mailing lists. I can tell people about products and services on my websites, which are found through the search engines, articles I write, and affiliate referrals. However, the beginner doesn’t have immediate access to these resources.

So how does the beginner attract people to his products or services? First, you need a website. It is possible to market online without one, but a website gives you a “home-base.” It’s a place that you can center your operation around, refer people to, and use to branch out.

You DON’T necessarily need to have a website designed for you since many affiliate programs do offer them for free. You DO need an affiliate website that you can modify to make it different from all of the other sites promoting the same product(s) or services as yours. If it’s identical to thousands of others, the major search engines won’t list it.

You also need to build a mailing list. This is a list of people who have contacted you and given you permission to stay in contact with them. For many online businesses, people join your list by subscribing to your online newsletters. You send these people your regular newsletter, and over time, develop a relationship with many of them.

It’s very important that you understand that people buy from people that they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST. A newsletter allows you to share information and resources with your subscribers, and eventually causes them to feel this way about you. You have to earn their friendship, trust and admiration. You do this be doing things to help them succeed. It’s that simple.

The easiest way to build a list is to have a signup form on most pages of your site, and ask people to join your list. However, they won’t join unless you give them a good reason. Even though your newsletter may be free, you still have to sell them on the value of joining your list. Your potential subscribers have so many choices of free ezines, that they won’t sign up JUST because you ask them to. Tell them the benefits of being on your list.

So… you need a list, a website, products to sell, and some guidance from people who are actually doing what you want to do.

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It’s not as easy as you may think at first glance.
It’s not as impossible as you may think after giving it a try.
When you own your own business, you only have to work half a day. You can do anything you want with the other twelve hours.

Every day new people are added to the ever growing force of work-at-home Internet Marketers. The market place is vast! Statistics show that new people come online at a rate of approximately 300,000 per day, and currently there are more than 600,000,000 people online worldwide!
So Internet Marketing should be a walk in the park, right? Wrong! It can be fun, challenging, rewarding, aggravating, frustrating, a life’s work, a week’s work ? it can be whatever YOU decide. But it’s not just a walk in the park.

As with any worthwhile venture it is imperative that you come in decisively.

First, if you haven’t already, ask yourself if you really want to succeed and what price you are willing to pay for your success, and then pay close attention to your answer. No matter what the plethora of self appointed “guru’s” tell you in their $19.95 e-book about how easy it was for them to make millions (and that’s not to say they haven’t done it), the real truth is that for the rest of us, it can be a struggle to make money on the Internet; but not impossible. Enough to pay some, if not all your bills? Yes, it can be done.

OK, let’s discuss how it can be done; how you, the average computer literate person can make money on the Internet.

More than four years ago, as an average computer literate person, I decided to become an Internet Marketer. I had no idea how to do this. First starting with prayer, and then employing the search engines and as many keyword phrases I could think of, I began looking for ideas. I was immediately overwhelmed by all that was out there. Most of which sounded too good to be true! Quickly, it became obvious to me that the promises of make-tons-of-money-with-no-effort-all-for-free had to be at best questionable! Common sense kicked in and told me that traditionally what you get for nothing is still nothing.

Whatever you decide to try, the keys to success are commitment and effort and determination to succeed! Whatever you do, DON’T jump from one opportunity to another without ever really applying yourself to any of them. That is the formula for frustration and failure. That should tell you that you’re looking for something for nothing.

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A dog is an instinctively aggressive creature. In the wild, aggression came in very handy: dogs needed aggression to hunt, to defend themselves from other creatures, and to defend resources such as food, a place to sleep, and a mate. Selective breeding over the centuries has minimized and refined this trait significantly, but there?s just no getting around it: dogs are physically capable of inflicting serious harm (just look at those teeth!) because that?s how they?ve survived and evolved. And Mother Nature is pretty wily ? it?s hard to counteract the power of instinct!

But that doesn?t mean that we, as dog lovers and owners, are entirely helpless when it comes to handling our dogs. There?s a lot that we can do to prevent aggression from rearing its ugly head in the first place ? and even if prevention hasn?t been possible (for whatever reason), there are still steps that we can take to recognize and deal with it efficiently.

- Different aggression types -

There are several different types of canine aggression. The two most common ones are:

- Aggression towards strangers

- Aggression towards family members

You may be wondering why we?re bothering categorizing this stuff: after all, aggression is aggression, and we want to turf it out NOW, not waste time with the details ? right?

Well ? not quite. These two different types of aggression stem from very different causes, and require different types of treatment.

- Aggression towards strangers -

What is it?

It?s pretty easy to tell when a dog?s nervy around strange people. He?s jumpy and on the alert: either he can?t sit still and is constantly fidgeting, leaping at the smallest sound, and pacing around barking and whining; or he?s veerrrry still indeed, sitting rock-steady in one place, staring hard at the object of his suspicions (a visitor, the mailman, someone approaching him on the street while he?s tied up outside a store.)

Why does it happen?

There?s one major reason why a dog doesn?t like strange people: he?s never had the chance to get used to them. Remember, your dog relies 100% on you to broaden his horizons for him: without being taken on lots of outings to see the world and realize for himself, through consistent and positive experiences, that the unknown doesn?t necessarily equal bad news for him, how can he realistically be expected to relax in an unfamiliar situation?

What can I do about it?

The process of accustoming your dog to the world and all the strange people (and animals) that it contains is called socialization. This is an incredibly important aspect of your dog?s upbringing: in fact, it?s pretty hard to overemphasize just how important it is. Socializing your dog means exposing him from a young age (generally speaking, as soon as he?s had his vaccinations) to a wide variety of new experiences, new people, and new animals.

How does socialization prevent stranger aggression?

When you socialize your dog, you?re getting him to learn through experience that new sights and sounds are fun, not scary.

It?s not enough to expose an adult dog to a crowd of unfamiliar people and tell him to ?Settle down, Roxy, it?s OK? ? he has to learn that it?s OK for himself. And he needs to do it from puppyhood for the lesson to sink in.

The more types of people and animals he meets (babies, toddlers, teenagers, old people, men, women, people wearing uniforms, people wearing motorcycle helmets, people carrying umbrellas, etc) in a fun and relaxed context, the more at ease and happy ? and safe around strangers - he?ll be in general.

How can I socialize my dog so that he doesn?t develop a fear of strangers?

Socializing your dog is pretty easy to do ? it?s more of a general effort than a specific training regimen.

First of all, you should take him to puppy preschool. This is a generic term for a series of easy group-training classes for puppies (often performed at the vet clinic, which has the additional benefit of teaching your dog positive associations with the vet!).

In a puppy preschool class, about ten or so puppy owners get together with a qualified trainer (often there?ll be at least two trainers present ? the more there are, the better, since it means you get more one-on-one time with a professional) and start teaching their puppies the basic obedience commands: sit, stay, and so on.

Even though the obedience work is very helpful and is a great way to start your puppy on the road to being a trustworthy adult dog, really the best part of puppy preschool is the play sessions: several times throughout the class, the puppies are encouraged to run around off-leash and play amongst themselves.

This is an ideal environment for them to learn good social skills: there?s a whole bunch of unfamiliar dogs present (which teaches them how to interact with strange dogs), there?s a whole bunch of unfamiliar people present (which teaches them that new faces are nothing to be afraid of), and the environment is safe and controlled (there?s at least one certified trainer present to make sure that things don?t get out of hand).

Socialization doesn?t just stop with puppy preschool, though. It?s an ongoing effort throughout the life of your puppy and dog: he needs to be taken to a whole bunch of new places and environments.

Remember not to overwhelm him: start off slow, and build up his tolerance gradually.

- Aggression towards family members -

There are two common reasons why a dog is aggressive towards members of his own human family:

- He?s trying to defend something he thinks of as his from a perceived threat (you).

This is known as resource guarding, and though it may sound innocuous, there?s actually a lot more going on here than your dog simply trying to keep his kibble to himself.

- He?s not comfortable with the treatment/handling he?s getting from you or other members of the family.

What?s resource guarding?

Resource guarding is pretty common among dogs. The term refers to overly-possessive behavior on behalf of your dog: for instance, snarling at you if you approach him when he?s eating, or giving you ?the eye? (a flinty-eyed, direct stare) if you reach your hand out to take a toy away from him.

All dogs can be possessive from time to time ? it?s in their natures. Sometimes they?re possessive over things with no conceivable value: inedible trash, balled up pieces of paper or tissue, old socks. More frequently, however, resource-guarding becomes an issue over items with a very real and understandable value: food and toys.

Why does it happen?

It all boils down to the issue of dominance. Let me take a moment to explain this concept: dogs are pack animals. This means that they?re used to a very structured environment: in a dog-pack, each individual animal is ranked in a hierarchy of position and power (or ?dominance?) in relation to every other animal. Each animal is aware of the rank of every other animal, which means he knows specifically how to act in any given situation (whether to back down, whether to push the issue, whether to muscle in or not on somebody else?s turf, etc etc).

To your dog, the family environment is no different to the dog-pack environment. Your dog has ranked each member of the family, and has his own perception of where he ranks in that environment as well.

This is where it gets interesting: if your dog perceives himself as higher up on the social totem-pole than other family members, he?s going to get cheeky. If he?s really got an overinflated sense of his own importance, he?ll start to act aggressively.

Why? Because dominance and aggression are the exclusive rights of a superior-ranked animal. No underdog would ever show aggression or act dominantly to a higher-ranked animal (the consequences would be dire, and he knows it!)

Resource guarding is a classic example of dominant behavior: only a higher-ranked dog (a ?dominant? dog) would act aggressively in defence of resources.

To put it plainly: if it was clear to your dog that he is not, in fact, the leader of the family, he?d never even dream of trying to prevent you from taking his food or toys ? because a lower-ranking dog (him) will always go along with what the higher-ranking dogs (you and your family) say.

So what can I do about it? The best treatment for dominant, aggressive behavior is consistent, frequent obedience work, which will underline your authority over your dog. Just two fifteen-minute sessions a day will make it perfectly clear to your dog that you?re the boss, and that it pays to do what you say.

You can make this fact clear to him by rewarding him (with treats and lavish praise) for obeying a command, and isolating him (putting him in ?time-out?, either outside the house or in a room by himself) for misbehaviour.

- If you?re not entirely confident doing this yourself, you may wish to consider enlisting the assistance of a qualified dog-trainer.

- Brush up on your understanding of canine psychology and communication, so that you understand what he?s trying to say ? this will help you to nip any dominant behaviors in the bud, and to communicate your own authority more effectively

- Train regularly: keep obedience sessions short and productive (no more than fifteen minutes ? maybe two or three of these per day).

Why doesn?t my dog like to be handled?

All dogs have different handling thresholds. Some dogs like lots of cuddles, and are perfectly content to be hugged, kissed, and have arms slung over their shoulders (this is the ultimate ?I?m the boss? gesture to a dog, which is why a lot of them won?t tolerate it.) Others ? usually the ones not accustomed to a great deal of physical contact from a very young age ? aren?t comfortable with too much full-body contact and will get nervy and agitated if someone persists in trying to hug them.

Another common cause of handling-induced aggression is a bad grooming experience: nail-clipping and bathing are the two common culprits.

When you clip a dog?s nails, it?s very easy to ?quick? him ? that is, cut the blood vessel that runs inside the nail. This is extremely painful to a dog, and is a sure-fire way to cause a long-lasting aversion to those clippers.

Being washed is something that a great many dogs have difficulty dealing with ? a lot of owners, when confronted with a wild-eyed, half-washed, upset dog, feel that in order to complete the wash they have to forcibly restrain him. This only adds to the dog?s sense of panic, and reinforces his impression of a wash as something to be avoided at all costs ? if necessary, to defend himself from it with a display of teeth and hackles.

Can I ?retrain? him to enjoy being handled and groomed?

In a word: yes. It?s a lot easier if you start from a young age ? handle your puppy a lot, get him used to being touched and rubbed all over. Young dogs generally enjoy being handled ? it?s only older ones who haven?t had a lot of physical contact throughout their lives that sometimes find physical affection difficult to accept.

Practice picking up his paws and touching them with the clipper; practice taking him into the bath (or outside, under the faucet ? whatever works for you, but warm water is much more pleasant for a dog than a freezing spray of ice-water!), and augment the process throughout with lots of praise and the occasional small treat.

For an older dog that may already have had several unpleasant handling/grooming experiences, things are a little more difficult. You need to undo the damage already caused by those bad experiences, which you can do by taking things very slowly ? with an emphasis on keeping your dog calm.

The instant he starts to show signs of stress, stop immediately and let him relax. Try to make the whole thing into a game: give him lots of praise, pats, and treats.

Take things slowly. Don?t push it too far: if you get nervous, stop.

Dogs show aggression for a reason: they?re warning you to back off, or else! If your dog just can?t seem to accept being groomed, no matter how much practice you put in, it?s best to hand the job over to the professionals.

Your vet will clip his nails for you (make sure you tell him first that he gets aggressive when the clippers come out, so your vet can take the necessary precautions!). As far as washing and brushing goes, the dog-grooming business is a flourishing industry: for a small fee, you can get your dog washed, clipped, brushed, and whatever else you require by experienced professionals (again, make sure you tell them about your dog?s reaction to the experience first!)

For more information on handling aggressive and dominant behaviors, as well as a great deal of detailed information on a host of other common dog behavior problems, check out SitStayFetch.

It?s a complete owner?s guide to owning, rearing, and training your dog, and it deals with all aspects of dog ownership.

To get the inside word on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors like aggression and dominance in your dog, SitStayFetch is well worth a look.

Darrin Donaldson
You can visit the SitStayFetch site by clicking on the link below:
http://www.k9-secrets.890m.com/aggression

Dogs belong in packs and when they are domesticated, they still look at their families as their ‘packs.’ They need to be social and they need attention. The way dogs have been domesticated has created a bit of a problem. Allowing your dog to spend time with other dogs is not satisfactory. They need time with their human friends. Sure, we have lives that are extremely busy, so it can be difficult to give our dogs as much attention as we need. As we rush around like maniacs trying to get important things done, trying to spend time with our dogs can feel like a burden.

When you’re feeling like this, spending time with your dog sure can seem like more of a chore than having a relaxing, fun time with your four legged friend. Taking him or her for a walk can feel like a chore among a million chores that you have to accomplish. This definitely lessens the quality of the time you spend with your dog. It shouldn’t be this way but sometimes it seems like life has you by the collar!

The way that we live really does affect our dogs. For instance, if we are stressed out all the time, what kind of personal time we have, our general demeanors really have a lot to do with our dogs’ temperament. The dogs sometimes take on their human companions’ moods and feelings - to the point that if you’re depressed or stressed out all the time, your dog can be anxious and depressed as well. Also, if we are busy with certain things, walking the dog or spending time with him can be pushed to the back burner and your dog will truly suffer because of this. There are a few things that you can do to make time for your dog so that he or she is not lonely!

* Take your dog with you when you are out doing the normal daily tasks. Whether you have to go pay bills, drive your children here or there or even going out for a drive, take your dog. He or she will love going, even if she has to sit in the car. Getting out of the house and having something different to look at is a great thing for your dog to get a chance to do. If you will have other people in the car, for instance if you will be driving your kids around or picking up friends, this is a great way for your furry friend to socialize. One thing you should be sure of is to never leave your dog for more than a half an hour in the car and you should NEVER leave your dog in the car on a hot day. This could result in fatal injuries due to the heat.

* Let your pooch sleep in the bedroom with you at night. He or she doesn’t have to sleep on the bed - they can have a cozy spot in the corner. Still, just the time together with you is enough to put him or her at ease. Neither one of you have to do anything but you’re spending time together anyway. This is a great thing to do. If you’ve noticed how dogs lie together when they are puppies, you will understand that dogs have an instinct to be close to the pack during times when they are vulnerable, like sleeping. This helps them to feel secure and safe. So, for an easy way to keep your dog happy and healthy, allow them to sleep in the bedroom with you at night. * Try exploring different areas with your dog. Becoming accustomed to the same old route can also become boring. Although dogs like familiar surroundings, they also appreciate exploring new areas and seeing new things. Taking your dog through the woods or down a new path or even to the beach would be a great idea. You could even take your dog on a hike. The key is for you to enjoy the time you spend together as well because then you will want to do it more often and that will help the relationship between you and your dog!

* Spend time with your dog while you’re doing other things. You can multi-task and you won’t have to feel guilty that you’re not spending time with your dog. For instance, while you are watching television, you can brush and groom your dog. Or, if you’re ready for a relaxing nap, allow your pooch to hop up on the couch and snooze along with you (unless of course he or she is a large breed dog - then you might get pushed off onto the floor!) Doing simple things like this can be very enjoyable for your dog and doesn’t take much extra effort and no extra time from you!

* Encourage the other members of your household to play with your dog and spend time with him or her. If you live alone, you could hire a dog walker a few times a week (someone that you fully trust with your pet) and allow your dog the chance to interact with others and have a good time. If the dog lives in a house with children, this is great because children usually have tons of time and energy. Make sure that your dog understands that he or she is not dominant over the children and that the dog will obey the children’s commands before you allow the child to play with the dog alone. Not only will this help keep your dog happy and well-adjusted, but it takes some of the responsibility off of your shoulders as well.

While you still need to spend a good amount of time with your dog, giving him or her attention, making sure that he or she is healthy and happy, you can make your life easier in some ways using the tips and tricks above.

Kristi Carter

Is your dog traumatized when you leave him alone? Don’t get mad or frustrated. He may be suffering from dog separation anxiety. Learn proven and humane tips to help him overcome dog separation anxiety once and for all! Visit http://www.dogseparationanxiety.net today!

With gas nearing $4.50 these days, its time to look at your fishing options. Lets see, your first option is to drive 2 1/2 hours to the nearest trout river and spend $70 on gas. What you’ll get is a great day pursing the fish we all love. Trout are great, I would be crazy to argue that. The problem here is affordability. You might be able to afford one, maybe two trips a month at these gas prices. Okay but lets be serious here. Is fly fishing once a month really going to cut it? For me the answer is a resounding “No Way!” I’m completely addicted to this sport, and because of this, I need to get as much time on the water as possible! So, unless you are independently wealthy or live on the river you’re feeling the pinch, I know I am.

Your second option is one I’m really excited about. You see, I pass this pond on the way home everyday. It just so happens this pond is full of fish. By fish I mean carp, yes, I said, “carp.” So for last couple weeks I have been stopping by the pond with my 6 weight rod and testing the water. What I found was a real eye opener! Now I have been hearing the carp buzz for the last couple years. Numerous articles have recently defended, and even elevated its reputation as a sport fish. I had become more and more intrigued by the stories I was hearing. I’m here to tell you all this hype is justified! In the last couple weeks I have been challenged like no trout I’ve known. I have been rejected so many times this week I don’t even want to admit it. It’s been awesome! I love the challenge; it makes it so much sweeter when you actually hook one. A carp will challenge you like no other fish I know in freshwater. Carp have even been dubbed “Rocky Mountain Bonefish,” and “Golden Bonefish,” because of the way they tail the flats, just like their saltwater comparison. They have incredible strength and stamina as well. All you need is some medium to larger size trout nymphs, a floating line, and a strike indicator. You can go without the indicator but I’ve found carp take the fly subtly when tailing and rooting around. Once I added an indicator my hook ups improved noticeably.

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