Both grassies hit while the fly was sinking, but with the current & small strips, it's more likely the fly was moving on a slope vs straight down or horizontal. The first grassy was landed on a modified Crackberry fly. From what I've experienced, if the fly is on the bottom, they don't want any movement.

I can attest to the spooky part in clear water. The presentation probably has to be perfect. Yesterday the water was semi-clear. I was able to see the shadow first, then it moved to a clearer area. when it ate, I saw a slight pause and the mouth open. The crackberry was tied on a Gamakatsu B10S. I was worried about the thinner diameter wire, but it did good. You're lucky if you have water, where the surroundings are relatively flat. Here, it's more like steep banks. To prevent spooking carp, I do the majority of my casting from the top of the bank. If a fish is hooked, you walk it to the nearest place where you can climb/slide down the bank to fight/net the fish. Both grassies were caught from a current diverter, which is basically a metal frame, filled in with dirt/rocks. After a good rain, grass & common carp can be seen stacked up waiting for food items to come to them. There is about a 4-5 ft drop. I use an extendable net, and basically guided the grassy into the net, using the current as a guide.

You're doing good with 5 landed. Now I'm going after consistency

Saylorville was nice and big. I didn't care for the boat traffic though. Next time I get to a class at Camp Dodge, hopefully I can do a little more exploring. I'll message you to see if you're available.

If I ever get off my butt to tie some pike flies, I'm hoping to close out the fishing season by checking that off my wish list.