Carp

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
My buddy @Engee went scouting today, like the DA he can be, he went scouting without a flyrod. Oh my, Randy! What he saw were carp busy mudding, slowly cruising and dipping their snouts down into the bottom sediment, he saw this on a partly cloudy day when carp are hard to see. No fly rod? Sounds like something I'd do.

Last summer @flywiese came over to the Basin several times - I tried to get Jerry into carp but he'd timed his trips after that awful hot spell and the fish were mostly just gone. Given Engee's discovery today, I thought maybe I ought to look at my carp fly boxes (yes, "boxes") and tie up a few bugs. I suppose with only 400 or so carp flies I can always use a few dozen more?

Twenty-four years ago, Darc Knobel turned me onto carp fishing. We'd been trying to get them to eat fishing from the shores of a big lake, it wasn't working. Anyway, somewhere along the line, he started putting it together. Boats help. One morning we launched his boat and motored up the lake to the Highway Flats. Carp were in this relatively shallow bay by the thousand - some were in spawn mode but many were mudding. The sediment was so stirred up you couldn't see bottom in two feet of water; visibility was probably less than a foot. DK put me on the bow and slowly poled his 14' boat along pointing out fresh "poofs". Poofs (not to be confused with puffy jackets) are fresh mud plumes that are swirling and caused by carp actively digging into the bottom in search of something to eat. When the water is so cloudy you can't really see fish, poofs are a sign the fish is there. Back to the point - I had shots at several fish, felt two but my timing was off (it sucked). Each time I missed the fish, I'd let out a loud hoot. After the third missed fish and third loud hoot, Darc pointed out that we could see dozens of waking fish fleeing from me making so much noise and if I didn't shut up, he was going to hit me with the push pole.

I listened. I learned and the next fish I hooked and landed: I too was hooked. I don't keep a diary or tally of carp caught - hundreds for sure. They're a blast. As Basin lakes become too warm for trout angling, carp waters warm up enough to get their juices flowing, mine too. 70F water is ideal, at least in my experience.

3.JPG

Standing on the bow of a boat in murky, muddy water, look for that "poof", or look for the tail if the fish is tilted - sometimes I see a carp tail waving underwater so I have a good idea where the fishes mouth is. In muddy water, I don't think the pattern is too critical - in the early days, the go to carp fly in mud was a black woolly worm with webby grizzly hackle and weighted so it would sink.

If the water is so muddy you can't see the fish, how do you know when the fish might have eaten? Here's what you won't usually feel: the take. In my experience, carp take the fly and spit it out very quickly, so fast you most like won't feel them eat. I look for a change in the "poof" column or if the tail is visible, the tail to move sideways - that's a very good indicator the carp has eaten, set quickly!

As the years have gone by, I've mostly moved away from fishing the muddy water, I much prefer wading clearer water. In clear water, the carp are easier to spot; same for the carp - they can see me much easier. Slow, steady, quiet, stealth. Generally, I wade with 30 or 40 feet of line looped in my left hand (I cast right handed) with the fly line out the tip of the rod and my rod over my left shoulder so the fly is behind me. This technique allows me to launch a cast quickly if I'm lucky enough to see a feeding fish that doesn't see me first.

DSCF2243.JPG

Clear, warm water. Carp are easily spooked, especially in conditions as shown above.

I fish with an 8 weight and a floating line. My leaders are generally about the length of my rod, my tippet is Maxima Ultragreen 10 pound minimum. Last year I started tying "trouser worm' patterns. What an interesting idea for a fly: a big floating tail that helps keep the hook point from fouling.

Trouser worm.JPG

@Jim F. was good enough to send me a foam cutting tool that I use to cut/punch the 2 mm foam. I really like the little bit of orange to help me see the fly.

Another fly I've found that works well, sometimes, is a Clouser Swimming Nymph - I had a couple great days before the major heat wave. Several years ago I got into the "jig fly" craze; man - sometimes a little jig under an indicator will fool a trout, smallmouth and carp all on the same day. That will put a smile on my face every time.

Clousers swimming nymph - carp variation.JPG
Clouser Swimming Nymphs

I really like bright sunny days for carping. A little "W" can help, sometimes. Sunblock: SPF 55, a hoody, a big floppy hat and a buff are my attire when carping. I also wear long, quick dry pants. Subtle colors help.

I've never actually weighed a carp - and I never see behemoths that are as deep as they are long like I see on some of the British sites, but between DK, Engee and yours truly, we've all hooked carp that had the backing knot out the tip in a second or two. It's common to have a carp make multiple long, fast runs.

big carp.JPG

A long run, it takes time to get a big carp to the boat or to the bank.

P7190195.JPG

A little too much wind, sometimes it comes up quickly. Darc and I had to beach his boat one time, it was a long walk to the park to retrieve the truck and trailer.

smallie on a beadhead.JPG

Who but a carp fisherman would ever call a big smallie "by catch"?

IMG_1410.JPG

Mirror, mirror on the lake.......

Time to clean my carp fly line, adding four new flies to the box.

IMG_0994.jpg

A couple fuzzy carrot nymphs and a couple soft hackles.
 
Last edited:

PhilR

Whale Shark
Forum Supporter
Went after carp last year when it was too hot to chase trout, and it was a blast. Sight fishing for good size spooky fish, who’ll fight hard. Looking forward to things warming up again
 

Kado

Steelhead
My buddy @Engee went scouting today, like the DA he can be, he went scouting without a flyrod. Oh my, Randy! What he saw were carp busy mudding, slowly cruising and dipping their snouts down into the bottom sediment, he saw this on a partly cloudy day when carp are hard to see. No fly rod? Sounds like something I'd do.

Last summer @flywiese came over to the Basin several times - I tried to get Jerry into carp but he'd timed his trips after that awful hot spell and the fish were mostly just gone. Given Engee's discovery today, I thought maybe I ought to look at my carp fly boxes (yes, "boxes") and tie up a few bugs. I suppose with only 400 or so carp flies I can always use a few dozen more?

Twenty-four years ago, Darc Knobel turned me onto carp fishing. We'd been trying to get them to eat fishing from the shores of a big lake, it wasn't working. Anyway, somewhere along the line, he started putting it together. Boats help. One morning we launched his boat and motored up the lake to the Highway Flats. Carp were in this relatively shallow bay by the thousand - some were in spawn mode but many were mudding. The sediment was so stirred up you couldn't see bottom in two feet of water; visibility was probably less than a foot. DK put me on the bow and slowly poled his 14' boat along pointing out fresh "poofs". Poofs (not to be confused with puffy jackets) are fresh mud plumes that are swirling and caused by carp actively digging into the bottom in search of something to eat. When the water is so cloudy you can't really see fish, poofs are a sign the fish is there. Back to the point - I had shots at several fish, felt two but my timing was off (it sucked). Each time I missed the fish, I'd let out a loud hoot. After the third missed fish and third loud hoot, Darc pointed out that we could see dozens of waking fish fleeing from me making so much noise and if I didn't shut up, he was going to hit me with the push pole.

I listened. I learned and the next fish I hooked and landed: I too was hooked. I don't keep a diary or tally of carp caught - hundreds for sure. They're a blast. As Basin lakes become too warm for trout angling, carp waters warm up enough to get their juices flowing, mine too. 70F water is ideal, at least in my experience.

View attachment 13471

Standing on the bow of a boat in murky, muddy water, look for that "poof", or look for the tail if the fish is tilted - sometimes I see a carp tail waving underwater so I have a good idea where the fishes mouth is. In muddy water, I don't think the pattern is too critical - in the early days, the go to carp fly in mud was a black woolly worm with webby grizzly hackle and weighted so it would sink.

If the water is so muddy you can't see the fish, how do you know when the fish might have eaten? Here's what you won't usually feel: the take. In my experience, carp take the fly and spit it out very quickly, so fast you most like won't feel them eat. I look for a change in the "poof" column or if the tail is visible, the tail to move sideways - that's a very good indicator the carp has eaten, set quickly!

As the years have gone by, I've mostly moved away from fishing the muddy water, I much prefer wading clearer water. In clear water, the carp are easier to spot; same for the carp - they can see me much easier. Slow, steady, quiet, stealth. Generally, I wade with 30 or 40 feet of line looped in my left hand (I cast right handed) with the fly line out the tip of the rod and my rod over my left shoulder so the fly is behind me. This technique allows me to launch a cast quickly if I'm lucky enough to see a feeding fish that doesn't see me first.

View attachment 13472

Clear, warm water. Carp are easily spooked, especially in conditions as shown above.

I fish with an 8 weight and a floating line. My leaders are generally about the length of my rod, my tippet is Maxima Ultragreen 10 pound minimum. Last year I started tying "trouser worm' patterns. What an interesting idea for a fly: a big floating tail that helps keep the hook point from fouling.

View attachment 13473

@Jim F. was good enough to send me a foam cutting tool that I use to cut/punch the 2 mm foam. I really like the little bit of orange to help me see the fly.

Another fly I've found that works well, sometimes, is a Clouser Swimming Nymph - I had a couple great days before the major heat wave. Several years ago I got into the "jig fly" craze; man - sometimes a little jig under an indicator will fool a trout, smallmouth and carp all on the same day. That will put a smile on my face every time.

View attachment 13474
Clouser Swimming Nymphs

I really like bright sunny days for carping. A little "W" can help, sometimes. Sunblock: SPF 55, a hoody, a big floppy hat and a buff are my attire when carping. I also wear long, quick dry pants. Subtle colors help.

I've never actually weighed a carp - and I never see behemoths that are as deep as they are long like I see on some of the British sites, but between DK, Engee and yours truly, we've all hooked carp that had the backing knot out the tip in a second or two. It's common to have a carp make multiple long, fast runs.

View attachment 13478

A long run, it takes time to get a big carp to the boat or to the bank.

View attachment 13475

A little too much wind, sometimes it comes up quickly. Darc and I had to beach his boat one time, it was a long walk to the park to retrieve the truck and trailer.

View attachment 13476

Who but a carp fisherman would ever call a big smallie "by catch"?

View attachment 13477

Mirror, mirror on the lake.......

Time to clean my carp fly line, adding four new flies to the box.

View attachment 13479

A couple fuzzy carrot nymphs and a couple soft hackles.
Thanks for the great write up. Do you have to lead them or just try to cast close and as soft as possible? If you hook set and it turns out not to be a take, does that blow that cast, or keep trying to play the fish and not recast? Thanks.
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
Thanks for the great write up. Do you have to lead them or just try to cast close and as soft as possible? If you hook set and it turns out not to be a take, does that blow that cast, or keep trying to play the fish and not recast? Thanks.
In clear water, I lead the fish - even try to anticipate where the fish might be heading (that works rarely :cool:), when fishing muddy water and looking at their tail wagging or plume puffs - I want that fly to land right in front of them to see if I notice a change in poofs or tail orientation.... Setting and missing is pretty much a done deal yet I can never resist casting back to a carp that hasn't just blown out.
Trout set? Or strip set?
Both, actually. When I'm on the bow of a boat a trout set often works best; I seem to be inconsistent when wading whether top trout set or strip set, most of the time I strip set.

I recently bought a box full of dubbing from Fly Tyers Dungeon - I have high hopes for that mad scientists "super kraken mud puppy" and krap dubbing; lots of wiggly stuff (rubber bands?) in the dubbing.
 

Kado

Steelhead
That dubbing is so buggy looking! I tied up a bunch of mantis shrimp flies with it for a trip to hawaii, the guide wanted to know where to get it. Didn't help me get a bone though....
 

clarkman

average member
Forum Supporter
I recently bought a box full of dubbing from Fly Tyers Dungeon - I have high hopes for that mad scientists "super kraken mud puppy" and krap dubbing; lots of wiggly stuff (rubber bands?) in the dubbing.

I love that Kraken stuff! I need to do more carp fishing. Went last summer a couple of times and got one....I've concluded that I suck at fishing for them and went back to easier fish, like tiger muskies. :LOL:
 

Engee

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
My buddy @Engee went scouting today, like the DA he can be, he went scouting without a flyrod. Oh my, Randy! What he saw were carp busy mudding, slowly cruising and dipping their snouts down into the bottom sediment, he saw this on a partly cloudy day when carp are hard to see. No fly rod? Sounds like something I'd do.

Last summer @flywiese came over to the Basin several times - I tried to get Jerry into carp but he'd timed his trips after that awful hot spell and the fish were mostly just gone. Given Engee's discovery today, I thought maybe I ought to look at my carp fly boxes (yes, "boxes") and tie up a few bugs. I suppose with only 400 or so carp flies I can always use a few dozen more?

Twenty-four years ago, Darc Knobel turned me onto carp fishing. We'd been trying to get them to eat fishing from the shores of a big lake, it wasn't working. Anyway, somewhere along the line, he started putting it together. Boats help. One morning we launched his boat and motored up the lake to the Highway Flats. Carp were in this relatively shallow bay by the thousand - some were in spawn mode but many were mudding. The sediment was so stirred up you couldn't see bottom in two feet of water; visibility was probably less than a foot. DK put me on the bow and slowly poled his 14' boat along pointing out fresh "poofs". Poofs (not to be confused with puffy jackets) are fresh mud plumes that are swirling and caused by carp actively digging into the bottom in search of something to eat. When the water is so cloudy you can't really see fish, poofs are a sign the fish is there. Back to the point - I had shots at several fish, felt two but my timing was off (it sucked). Each time I missed the fish, I'd let out a loud hoot. After the third missed fish and third loud hoot, Darc pointed out that we could see dozens of waking fish fleeing from me making so much noise and if I didn't shut up, he was going to hit me with the push pole.

I listened. I learned and the next fish I hooked and landed: I too was hooked. I don't keep a diary or tally of carp caught - hundreds for sure. They're a blast. As Basin lakes become too warm for trout angling, carp waters warm up enough to get their juices flowing, mine too. 70F water is ideal, at least in my experience.

View attachment 13471

Standing on the bow of a boat in murky, muddy water, look for that "poof", or look for the tail if the fish is tilted - sometimes I see a carp tail waving underwater so I have a good idea where the fishes mouth is. In muddy water, I don't think the pattern is too critical - in the early days, the go to carp fly in mud was a black woolly worm with webby grizzly hackle and weighted so it would sink.

If the water is so muddy you can't see the fish, how do you know when the fish might have eaten? Here's what you won't usually feel: the take. In my experience, carp take the fly and spit it out very quickly, so fast you most like won't feel them eat. I look for a change in the "poof" column or if the tail is visible, the tail to move sideways - that's a very good indicator the carp has eaten, set quickly!

As the years have gone by, I've mostly moved away from fishing the muddy water, I much prefer wading clearer water. In clear water, the carp are easier to spot; same for the carp - they can see me much easier. Slow, steady, quiet, stealth. Generally, I wade with 30 or 40 feet of line looped in my left hand (I cast right handed) with the fly line out the tip of the rod and my rod over my left shoulder so the fly is behind me. This technique allows me to launch a cast quickly if I'm lucky enough to see a feeding fish that doesn't see me first.

View attachment 13472

Clear, warm water. Carp are easily spooked, especially in conditions as shown above.

I fish with an 8 weight and a floating line. My leaders are generally about the length of my rod, my tippet is Maxima Ultragreen 10 pound minimum. Last year I started tying "trouser worm' patterns. What an interesting idea for a fly: a big floating tail that helps keep the hook point from fouling.

View attachment 13473

@Jim F. was good enough to send me a foam cutting tool that I use to cut/punch the 2 mm foam. I really like the little bit of orange to help me see the fly.

Another fly I've found that works well, sometimes, is a Clouser Swimming Nymph - I had a couple great days before the major heat wave. Several years ago I got into the "jig fly" craze; man - sometimes a little jig under an indicator will fool a trout, smallmouth and carp all on the same day. That will put a smile on my face every time.

View attachment 13474
Clouser Swimming Nymphs

I really like bright sunny days for carping. A little "W" can help, sometimes. Sunblock: SPF 55, a hoody, a big floppy hat and a buff are my attire when carping. I also wear long, quick dry pants. Subtle colors help.

I've never actually weighed a carp - and I never see behemoths that are as deep as they are long like I see on some of the British sites, but between DK, Engee and yours truly, we've all hooked carp that had the backing knot out the tip in a second or two. It's common to have a carp make multiple long, fast runs.

View attachment 13478

A long run, it takes time to get a big carp to the boat or to the bank.

View attachment 13475

A little too much wind, sometimes it comes up quickly. Darc and I had to beach his boat one time, it was a long walk to the park to retrieve the truck and trailer.

View attachment 13476

Who but a carp fisherman would ever call a big smallie "by catch"?

View attachment 13477

Mirror, mirror on the lake.......

Time to clean my carp fly line, adding four new flies to the box.

View attachment 13479

A couple fuzzy carrot nymphs and a couple soft hackles.
Great write up. Brings back a lot of great memories. Miss that boat!
 

Engee

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
Thanks for the great write up. Do you have to lead them or just try to cast close and as soft as possible? If you hook set and it turns out not to be a take, does that blow that cast, or keep trying to play the fish and not recast? Thanks.
I was taught (by DK and Buzz) to cast in front of and past the fish, then strip back until you can let the fly sink in front of the fish. Hopefully you land the fly in an area the size of a dinner plate in front of the fish's nose. Then watch for any change in movement, whether the fish moves its head to the side, wags its tail or darts in the direction of your waiting fly. I have been told many times to strip set the hook, but in the heat of the moment I have a hard time not lifting hard.
 

Bob Rankin

Wandering the country with rifle and spey rod.
Forum Supporter
Well done! Thanks for sharing a good read. I’ve dabbled and caught a few, but have never been serious about it. After reading this and seeing those flys, I may have to try again!
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
I was taught (by DK and Buzz) to cast in front of and past the fish, then strip back until you can let the fly sink in front of the fish. Hopefully you land the fly in an area the size of a dinner plate in front of the fish's nose. Then watch for any change in movement, whether the fish moves its head to the side, wags its tail or darts in the direction of your waiting fly. I have been told many times to strip set the hook, but in the heat of the moment I have a hard time not lifting hard.
After 24 or so years I too screw up the set. One thing that won't happen if you strike too hard, the carp won't come flying out of the water and land in the brush behind you.

A little more on fly patterns - I mentioned that in muddy water I don't think it matters too much and I stand by that but in water that's not muddy there are some contributing factors for fly choice. Carp are omnivores, anything is food. But can they be selective? I don't know but I think so. When the shoreline and lake bottom are gravel, rocky, fractured basalt, to me, that screams: mud bug!
crawfish.JPG

Orangish brown mud bug - sort of my go to on those gravel/rocky/fractured basalt bottoms. Like Engee says - when a carp darts in the direction of the fly, usually that's game on and this is a fly a carp will (sometimes) dart towards.

DSCF1508.JPG

I don't know why anglers choose orangish-brown crawfish patterns when that seems like the colour of a crawfish that's been boiled and ready for the etouffee pot. Olive crayfish have done us well on the big river. One time I left @Engee on a big island to fish while I motored back to the launch for a "break". As I came back towards the island, I shut the Evinrude off and eased towards him with the electric. Dude was super intense, I don't think he knew I was nearby. He's knee deep on the river side of the island when he strip strikes, hard! His rod gets jerked out of his hand as a monster carp heads downstream. Randy dove into the river, kicked a few times and came up with his Sage rod. Pretty cool, soaking wet and landed the fish.

Back to flies - one-night Engee calls me up and tells me about this "black crayfish" pattern he's just tied. I'm thinking "huh"? DA! The next morning we're fishing a big slough, fishing is slow. Carp are around, they're feeding but we can't seem to get a fish to eat (that selectivity thing?), so Randy ties on one of his latest creations, Engee's Black Crayfish. Game on. Game on right now. It was amazing, fish were moving two or three feet to suck that thing down. Naturally, I had to whine, beg and promise things to get one of his magic black crayfish.

I tend to be a mover when carping: poling the bigger boat, wading the shoreline. I met an Englishman out carping one day. This gentleman was kind enough to show me his fly boxes. Wow. A lot of small stuff, I mean 14's, some 16's. For carp? His technique was to row to a likely spot, drop an anchor fore and aft, and wait for the fish to come to him. He caught a lot of carp and often on those small flies.

One afternoon I was fishing the big river when I heard a commotion in the nearby shoreline brush. Pretty soon four or five guys step out of the brush and start wading across the channel to the island where I'm fishing. I thought "I'm getting low holed". Turns out it was a Seattle fly shop guided trip. Are you kidding me? Drifting - the guide apologized to me and I told him no worries (I had a boat to move on). He gave me a fly and said "try this". The fly was tied on a short shank egg hook but had two each inch and a half long dark burgundy colored hackles for a tail with extra small lead eyes. The fly sank quickly but didn't make a big "splash" (sploot?) when hitting the water (it's a carp catching fly - no picture, too secret).

Noisy flies - big heavy flies that you can hear when they land on the water? Carp will hear it too - and will often spook. Try to make sure if your fly is large, heavy - to stop that cast in time to slop the flies forward motion to minimize noise.

Later.
 
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Northern

Seeking SMB
Forum Supporter
I don't know why anglers choose orangish-brown crawfish patterns when that seems like the colour of a crawfish that's been boiled and ready for the etouffee pot.
The native WA signal crayfish is olive/brown, but invasives from the east and south are often orange-ish

Red swamp/Louisiana crawfish, and rusty crayfish
 
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