"0 For 5...early Season Carping".....tr

[Troutnut69]

I think in certain instances the legs help draw some attention , at other times I don't think it makes a bit of difference. I do like that color combo and the same fly with fire/tiger legs. I've had good luck in off-colored water with both of them.

[Wayne SW/MO]

It seems that in reading about success in fly carping that movement is very important, whether from marabou or silicon legs of some other material. Do you think this is a fact?

I've done a lot of gear carp fishing and I've also seen some very interesting videos and the most important thing seems to be the hook up. Carp seem to have a two part process in feeding that is, suck it in and taste, then blow it out, and then suck it in again. The hair rig is deadly when it comes to hook ups and I've wondered if it would be worth duplicating it with a fly. Maybe a yarn fly tied on the hair?

[laker67]

Mostly I fish over bait, and the best attractor I have found is dog food. It not only attracts carp, but buffalo and catfish to boot. You would think that the best fly would be one that looks like dog food. Not the case, my best fly is a white body with pronounced red head. It looks like the plastic grub worm you buy in the park store. Second best is a pearl color tied like the white and red grub fly. They work best on a #10 hook. I have even caught them on white 1/80oz maribo jigs. Largest carp to date is an 18lber, and largest buffalo is 22. Largest catfish is only 6 lb. By far the carp are the hardest fighting, longest running,and fastest out of the hole. The buffalo are the hardest to land, it takes a long time to wear a big one down. I like to put the bait in 4 to 5 foot of water as to be able to sight fish. It is not unusual to have 8 or 10 fish at a time.

[Wayne SW/MO]

When I gear fish I have always used softened field corn. When I was a kid we would let it sit, when it was warm, for a week and let it sour. Now I just boil it, with a dose of salt. It seems to take them about 8 hours to find it if one can bait and return. I love catching them, but I've not been successful with the flyrod and I think that would be the ultimate.

I agree with you about the fight Laker, they are tough and that initial run can have you wondering they are ever going to turn.

[laker67]

One thing about carp Wayne, if you can get them coming into bait, they will bite. So don't give up on that fly rod. You need to bait up an area that you can cast to. Do it in the evening and return the next morning. Put out more bait as you fish. If you can keep baiting the same area for a few days at at time. They will come in pretty quick. Corn will stay on the bottom until it is carried off, whereas dog food will disolve over night. Frequent baiting is the key to keeping them active. Get out there and get one on the fly.

[Outside Bend]

I actually had a dream about casting flies to carp last night. Hopefully that's a good omen- I'm set on getting out and trying it this season. Thanks for the report!

[Wayne SW/MO]

One thing about carp Wayne, if you can get them coming into bait, they will bite. So don't give up on that fly rod.

Funny you mention that because I've wanted to try it, but that's as far as I've gotten, talk.

The Pothole is real convenient and has the right water, but there are generally too many people around for them to stay shallow enough for sight fishing. If I get the right water this spring, rain but not too much rain, I have to try it. I've had some evenings down there with my long carp rods where I've caught a dozen in a few hours. They will run from about 6-12 pounds with the occasional bigger fish up to too much to handle.

They're here to stay and are great fighters so I suppose they might as well be utilized.

[strangercreek]

Funny you mention that because I've wanted to try it, but that's as far as I've gotten, talk.

The Pothole is real convenient and has the right water, but there are generally too many people around for them to stay shallow enough for sight fishing. If I get the right water this spring, rain but not too much rain, I have to try it. I've had some evenings down there with my long carp rods where I've caught a dozen in a few hours. They will run from about 6-12 pounds with the occasional bigger fish up to too much to handle.

They're here to stay and are great fighters so I suppose they might as well be utilized.

Once you take a carp on fly rod you will change your thinking about rough fish. You will find yourself targeting gar and drum also. Buffalo are tricky for me, i've never been able to fool one, maybe someone else on here has (with flies, not bait). People say they are the counterpart to bonefish or redfish. I've done reds and I agree. Its to much fun.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've caught 3 on a fly. One was by accident, I.E. I wasn't fishing for it and it was a surprise. The two I caught on purpose were caught on top throwing a Griffins Gnat. These two came out of a line of fish that were feeding on top and that ran downstream right below the Pothole. These fish stretched for about 300 yards in line about 10 feet wide. I never figured out what they were feeding on and I hard a hard time not spooking them, but when I did it didn't take long for them to come back. Even stranger to me was that none were likely any bigger than #4. None of my flyrod carp were bigger than about 2 1/2 lbs and while they were fun I want some of the bigger ones that are average.