[Guest]

I'm a rookie when it comes to the carp and would love some help. I've read a couple books, watched vids and tried my hand at it to little success. I spot fish, don't spook but my flies/retrieve seems to be the problem. They come check out my fly, then turn away. I've only got a few but would like to get more hook-ups. Best re-starter fly?

Any help would be great. Thanx!

 

[Gary Thompson]

I to have had the same problem (if ya call not getting a hookup a problem)
The carp move right over to my fly then turn away.
I've used small woolly buggers and scuds, mini leaches, and other nymphs?

 

[Guest]

bump

 

[Jmills81]

slow slow and slower retrieve

 

[Connor H]

I'll post some pics when I get home... At school, sorry...

 

[Guest]

slow slow and slower retrieve

Ya, Dustin I hear what you're say'n. It took me awhile before I figured that one out. I got the retrieve down (I think), it's the fly (again, I think). I spot fish to them so I can tell if they are interested, but they come up real close then turn away. I tried giving the fly a twitch, nothing. Everything that I've read suggests that if they move towards the fly "get ready" for the take. It's gotta be the fly.....I think.

 

[speyfisher]

Carp are a very intelegent fish. They also have a very sensitive sense of smell. So if you have handled anything and tranfered that smell to your flies, forget it! Cigarettes, sunscreen, anything. BTDT. I got to where I kept a small container of borax and a towel in the car.

Another little nugget I picked up from Lefty Krey is, "prey never moves towards the predator" To cast past and strip a fly back towards the fish is un-natural and will spook most any fish. About the only time you can get by with this is when they have their nose in the mud, rooting out food. Then it's like fishing for redfish, put the fly close. Don't line the fish or it's all over. Wait for the tail to go down, which is a signal the nose is coming up and the fish is ready to move on. Give the fly a little strip, just enough to make a little puff of mud so the fish will see it. The take will be very subtle. It always is with Carp.

There was this one place we used to fish early morning. The fish were hiding back in the cat tails because there were night herons up in the trees. You could see the cat tails dance as the fish moved around back in there. And they would not come out until later in the day after the herons had left. But if you could get a fly back in there, even just a foot back in there without getting hung up, they would eat. If you get hung up in situations like that, break the fly off rather than spooking them all out of there.

Pretty soon now the water will warm up and trigger their spawning mode. When you see bunches of them, chasing each other around in a frenzy, you may as well forget it. They ain't interested in eating. After it's over though, they'll be hungry. Keep your hooks sharp. Those rubber lips are tough.

 

[Gary Thompson]

? Power bait soaked scud?
I don't think so.
When I fish RF I put my fresh scud in the mud before casting to fish. I'll try that on the carp.

 

[Todd Connelly]

Are you absolutely sure the fish haven't picked up your fly? They can suck it in from a surprising distance away. You're not expecting to feel the take or see the line twitch are you? Because 99% of the time you won't. If the fish tips down or stops in the vicinity of your fly you want to make a long slow strip while feeling for the weight with your line hand. Of course if you can see the fly plainly that's one thing but if you can't.......Give this a try. I think you'll be surprised. Good luck!

Cheers...............Todd

 

[Gone’r]

not only can they suck it in quickly but just as quickly they can eject the fly. ive watched carp plainly eat my fly and spit it out in milliseconds before i could come tight. and im pretty F-in on it. it blows my mind. it all adds to the allure. fishing for a fish that just doesnt want to be caught.

 

[Guest]

No, actually I don't know for sure. I try to keep the line tight with a snails pace as they approach, but I don't know. Maybe they are taking it and I need to set the hook sooner. It's funny, when you first set out on these fish all you hear about is how easily spooked they are. Which is true. However, I wonder if I've trained myself to be so cautious that I'm too slow on "the set". Did any of that make sense?

 

[Todd Connelly]

Yeah. As long of you're not thinking "set the hook" in the traditional sense. If you do, with an upward snap of the rod then you are likely to either spook the fish or foul hook 'em. Plus it will most likely be game over for that cast. But if you just give a long slow strip (not too slow though) then you don't have to pull more than a foot or foot and a half before you know there's no weight there, and you can just let the fly settle back to the bottom and you're right back in business again.

As far as flies go They don't seem to be that particular usually. how the fly hits the water and then how it sinks is more important I think. I like flies that are fairly sparse so that they sink well without having to be very heavy. That way they touch down with a gentle blip but then sink quickly. That said carp do seem to have a soft spot for burnt orange and rubber legs. Interestingly (to me) my favorite fly lately has been the Prism. A summer steelhead fly developed by Mark Bachmann of the Fly Fishing Shop.

Cheers.................Todd

 

[Hem]

Here is a scenario.Find carp that are bunched up AND feeding,the competition factor will throw their guard down,the trick is learning when fish are truly feeding and when they are not.Disregard the non feeders,your wasting your time(also follow previous post about spawning carp,they drive you nuts with their radical behavior/non-feeding).Avoid flies that need movement until you get more familiar with carp behavior.Here is my recomendation, San Juan worm,red with gold bead,or my own version that has a blue glass off-set bead on red body.Caught my first Montana fish of the year with this last fly,found a hog that jumped on it to beat another fish.Drop the fly comfortably in front of a foraging fish, and wait for the fish to move up onto the fly,when it hesitates,wait a split second and then tighten the line.If you have carp in moving water,(trout type moving water), sight fishing with crawdad patterns and white buggers have been good to me on the Missouri.Lead a fish in the current with the bugger so it can sink to their level, and strip it right past their nose,I've had fish follow the white fly for5-6 feet and suck it in(the joy is watching the white fly disappear).The thrill of catching carp,I think,is learning how to fool them,then the reward of powerful fish burning into your backing.The essence of fishing,sure, but at a whole new level.

 

[Guest]

Thanx guys. I think my "set the hook" approach is all wrong. I'll give it a try.

 

[Jim F.]

I've caught Carp on all of these, plus 'Buggers. As stated, they ARE smart & the take is subtle.