Fly Fishing for CARP! YEE HA!

[IdahoJoe]

Has anyone ever flyfished for carp? Do they even eat aquatic insects? It sure seems like it would be fun to catch one on a fly rod. YEE HA! I caught a small Catfish last week on a bugger. It sure has got me thinking of what other species could be caught on a fly rod.

[septik]

Joe,

I sure don't know if a fly will work or not, but I'm amazed at just how far those things can jump out of the water. They have been all over the place when I'm out bass fishing. Does anyone know if they're feeding (I have no idea what they might be hitting if they are) or are they just doing some spastic little carp thing? Let us know if you have any luck, Joe.

--Casey

[Shimanoman]

Hey Idaho;- When they are jumping and splashing around I believe they are mating. I have used a flyrod for fishing them- but I cheated- I used a couple of kernels of corn which I had soaked in pure vanilla extract. I threaded these onto a small, gold octopus hook and allowed them to sink with the downstream currentinto an area where I could see them schooling. It wasn't long before one picked it up and started to swim away. I set the hook and the battle was on!!the fish that day were quite modest between 10&15 lbs They made my reel not just sing but scream! These fish are not leapers but they are real strong runners. They are extremely skittish and although I never say never,you will probably be a very long time before you can catch these fish on just your ability as a fly fisherman. Even the shadow of your flyline in the air will sometimes spook the whole school and they will disappear. You,unless you are an absolute purist,(which I happily, am not) may have to resort to "cheating " in order to catch this wonderfully wary, "trash "Fish.-Regards,- Shimanoman

[Timinator]

Here's a link to fly fishing for carp and fly patterns.

http://www.msu.edu/~connert/carpfly.htm

I've never done it myself, but I will. I've heard it's the closest thing to bonefish that you can find in freshwater. Sounds like fun.

[kbookert]

I have caught Carp before, I can not imagine catching one on a fly rod. That must be pretty wicked!

[greatbarracuda]

There are a small number of flyfishermen who do target carp in my area and they call them 'golden bonefish'. Use a lot of small nymphs patterns. They might fight alrite but personally can't bring myself to target coarse fish.

[Shimanoman]

Hi greatbarracuda;-If IGFA recognises the coarse Carp in both the open world record line class and Fly fishing category, why wouldn't you?? Try it ,you might find that it's a great challenge. The Europeans have known this for centuries - we in North America are just catching up. Regards,-Shimanoman

[Sliverexpress]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum, and this is my first post. I caught my first carp last summer in Ontario's Grand River. I was fishing and catching trout through out the day when my nymph drifted down a long run into slow water. That was when a big carp sucked it down, and the fight was ON!

It was a blast, the fish never jumped but man did it take off and off and off and off. The whole battle took one hour. I basically had to tire it out by tugging on the line occassionally. It woud then run and then come back to the side of the riffles. We repeated this process about a dozen times. Till we both got tired!

I was using my Orvis T3 4wt rod, with wf4-f line, 6x leader, 7x tippet, and I think it was a size 16-18 green caddis nymph. This equipment was abused that day!

I'm gonna give them another try at a "clean" lake about 30 minutes from my home next spring. I'm hooked!

[Shimanoman]

Silverexpress;- WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!! May you have many more battles like the one you described!!! If you target carp with your 4 wt and a nymph, you can give yourself an edge by occasionaly dipping the nymph in extract of vanilla as you fish it. Regards,- Shimanoman

[Gonzo]

This is my first post on here, but in the U.K we fish for Carp with really light gear. My rod of choice is a little 8ft 3# rod, using a 6lb point. We use a couple of different patterns of flies and my favorite is the Bonio.
This year I've landed quite a few fish, and the biggest I have included pictures of below...


18lb


17lb


That rod sure does bend!


16lb

[Shimanoman]

Gonzo:- WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!In North America, we have been spoiled. Only within the past 20 years or so have there been folks who are prepared to give the Carp (Usually referred to as Trash) its due as an incredibly wary adversary which, when hooked, can do some serious damage to light tackle. Your photos show that you're no slouch in the angling department either. Regards,- Shimanoman

[SenkoSnack808]

I far I have have been taught carp eat insects, crawfish, and small baitfish. I have caught all my carp on bass tackle by mistake but it sure is fun, I caught them on tubes so I think they like crawdads.




Corey

[mhood]

Have you carpers seen the cover shot on texasfishingforum.com yet. There are a bunch of folks here in Texas who are taking carp fishing very seriously.

[Gonzo]

A very nice fish, on that link, but it has been caught on a static set-up (Buzzer & bivvy style as I call it).

I've caught loads that way - years ago - before I discovered the gentle art of fly fishing!

[DUZBASS]

Here is my best, white amur, 7wt, 2x tippet, fly i thought up called the conehead carp salad. Carp are the ultimate freshwater fly fishing challenge, THE GOLDEN BONEFISH.



another small common caught on a bread fly I have been experimenting with