Carp on the Fly...Getting Started

[eich]

This installment is designed to give the beginning fly angler a little knowledge to take with him while he pursues what is in my estimation one of the most exciting fish that a person of limited income could ever have the priveledge of bringing to the net. Yes we are talking about the carp. So, sit back, relax, and open your mind to receive some ideas to start you off on what could be your most incredible journey with a fly rod.
My start in pursuing carp on the fly rod seriously began about 3 years ago. While going to yard sales with my wife, I noticed this fly rod (a 6 weight) and reel combination that was for sale. The reel was complete with backing, fly line (Weight forward) and appeared to be in decent shape. We are not talking anything exotic here it is just a beginner type outfit that you would see in your local department store. The price tag that the gentleman had on the outfit was an unbelievable $3.00. Now anybody who goes to yard sales knows that you almost never pay the price that is on the merchandise at a yard sale. So I offered the guy $2.00. When he said sold I think that I almost broke my arm reaching for my wallet so fast. The point that I am trying to make here is that you do not have to invest big money to get an outfit that will serve you well as a beginner. I would lean toward something in the 6 or 7 weight range to begin with. This should serve you well for carp up to the 15-18 pound range. Most of the carp that I have been fortunate enough to capture have been in the 4-12 pound range and the 6 weight has handled them beautifully.
I have other fly rods, including a bamboo rod, an 8 weight 2 pc. rod , a 5 weight, and an 8 weight 4 pc rod. However the $2.00 yard sale special holds a permanent place in my heart, so that is definitely my "go to" outfit. The 8 weights would be for larger carp generally. The bamboo rod was actually purchased as part of a fly materials purchase. So you see I really have been blessed with having had a few good purchasing opportunities.
Fly fishing for carp is mostly a sight fishing opportunity. This is one of the things that always brings me back to pursuing carp on the fly rod. It is like combining hunting skills with fishing skills to try to fool your quarry. A good pair of polarized sunglasses proves to be an invaluable piece of equipment for the angler who is looking constantly into the water for a feeding carp, a mud puff, a tail, or sometimes just bubbles that indicate the presence of one or more feeding carp. I have included some photos below of some carp actively feeding. This is some of what you are constantly looking for when fly fishing for carp.
Next here I will list a few web sites that can give you some more good information on carp fishing. www.carpanglersgroup.com (http://www.carpanglersgroup.com) is probably one of my most favorite web sites. Yes, I am an active member of this club, but that is not the reason I am recommending this site. When you get to the site click on carping articles that is located on the left hand side of the page. There are some good basic articles here as well as lots of information on the talk forum. Check them out. If you do a web search of a Canadian angler named Ian Colin James and find his web site you will find a gold mine of information there too.
On the next installment I will get into some of the flies to use, some techniques, some contraversys and some more fun. That is what I really enjoy about fishing. It is fun! Hope you enjoy this and it gets you to thinking that maybe this is something that you could do too. There is usually plenty of bank space unlike trout fishing. Why you can even catch carp in the trout streams after it warms up and the oxygen level in the water is too low to hold the stocked trout. But that information is later. Stay tuned... and thanks for reading!

Ray

[Illinoisgiller]

Thank you Ray. Looking forward to the "rest of the story" lol Mike

[eich]

Let me at this point say a few words to the people who have never even picked up a fly rod or much less casted one. There are two large chain type fishing stores that have personnell who will gladly teach you how to present(cast) a fly. They are "Bass Pro Shops" and "Cabelas". The first cast you will learn will probably be the roll cast. This is easy to learn(even this left-hander can do it). With this one cast you can begin to fish. Like anything else in life to get good at it you must practice. Once this becomes comfortable to you(usually an hour or so) you can try fishing.
Stalking is a term that hunters are all too familiar with. This is employed in the finding of carp to present your offering (fly) to. Bright colored clothing is something that should be avoided as carp seem to detect movement easier when bright colors are worn. Also try not to silloette yourself against the sky. Then all you see are puffs of mud where the fish used to be. Slow and methodical is the approach that needs to be taken to sneak up on feeding carp. Knowing about a fish's sight window will greatly help in stalking too. Again the kind people at either Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas can help you out with this. Just ask!
Now we shall discuss some of the flies to use as well as the methods used in fishing with these flies. As a beginner my suggestion is to prebait an area with either corn or bread or locate a park where people feed the ducks and the carp eat the bread too! This is where the contraversy begins. Purist fly fishers will scoff at this method, but my way of thinking is to catch a few carp, gain some experience and confidence, then use the nymph patterns, the crayfish patterns, San Juan worms and even streamers to catch these elusive fish. So to begin with all you need for patterns is a bread pattern and a corn pattern. if you are trying this for the first time and do not tie your own flies just shoot me a PM with your address and I will try to get you some in the mail. Not the best flies in the world, but they have worked for me.
This should be enough information to make you dangerous as my dad used to say. I will add more from time to time. Too much information at one time makes my brain hurt! So give this carping thing a try it can be addictive!

Ray

[Pegleg]

I used to fish for carp back in the 50's when I lived in New Kingston,Pa. We used to sein crawfish in the riffles on the Conadoguinit creek north of our house. We would use small craws weightless on spinning rigs. The carp would swim up the creek tailin like reds or bonefish. We'd wade out crouchin low and cast ahead of em and let the crawfish drift to them. Those dudes sure get your drag hot in a hurry. I started flyfishin just before I moved back to Florida so I never tried it for carp.
Pegleg

[eich]

Pegleg,
Actually crayfish patterns are very good for carp. The fact that they put a lot of water between you and them in a hurry after they are hooked is what keeps me trying to come back for more. Give it a try. It's a real blast! Thanks for your reply!

Ray