Carp Freaks

[NickR]

Was just curious about who fishes for carp here? In the past I have fished mainly for trout, bass and saltwater but more and more as of late I find carp dominating much of my time.

 

[sniperfreak223]

I fish carp enough that I have a dedicated carp rod (9'6" 7-weight) and about five dedicated carp fly boxes. the only problem I have is actually finding them around me...there are only two places I can consistently find them, one is a large flat on the north side of a local lake and the other is a warmwater creek behind my place of employment.

 

[codym21]

yeah i would say around 60% of my freshwater fishing is for carp. I usally use my 7wt for them and by far my favorite fish to fish for.

 

[jrmyln]

I have fly fished for carp for the last few years. There are 2 local impoundments teaming with large golden bones within a mile of my house. If I get a nice windless evening, I'm usually there hoping find some that want to play.

I used to have a 10' LLBean Orion that I used solely for carp, but now I a custom made 11' 8wt.

 

[flyfish1998]

I fished for carp this whole summer on the conodoguinet creek in my back yard and I've had about 10 or so carp on my line but i only have a 5 wt rod and 6 lb tippet so they broke off every time. Im only 15 so i don't have a job to buy a new rod so this winter, I'm going to shovel a lot of drive ways and buy a rod dedicated to carp in the spring! Once i get that rod, I'll probably fully dedicate my time to fly fishing for carp and smallmouths.

 

[dc410]

After 30+ years of flyfishing, this summer was the first that I ever fly fished for carp. I use a 9' 8 wt. outfit that I bought last winter. I learned a lot, got into tying carp flies and gained a lot of respect for these very spooky fish. I think I only managed to catch 7 or 8 carp this season but am already looking forward to next summer. I ran out of time this summer and didn't even get to fish some spots I located that I know have some big carp. I really enjoyed getting out there just as the sun was starting to rise and fishing for those "mudding" carp. Carpin' is a blast!

 

[wgmiller]

You have some good carpin' waters out your way John. Mill Creek is a 'hot spot'!

 

[flyfish1998]

Have any of you guys got any carp out of the conodoguinet?

 

[sniperfreak223]

^not me...not exactly in my area. I've taken carp from:

Lackawanna River
Tunkhannock Creek
Bowmans Creek
Gardners Creek
Lackawanna Lake
NB Susquehanna River
Duryea Sand Pits

 

[dc410]

wgmiller wrote:
You have some good carpin' waters out your way John. Mill Creek is a 'hot spot'!

You got it Geo! Most of the carp I caught were taken in Mill Creek. I have a lot of water to explore yet, but I really enjoy scoping out some new turf. The last carp I got into was definitely the biggest fish I stuck all year. He took off on that first reel screamin' death run and when I tried to apply some side pressure to turn him I left my crayfish fly and tippet hanging in him. A clinch knot on my 2X tippet failed at my tippet ring. Lesson learned..... Always retie that tippet knot on each outing before starting to fish. The devil is in the details when carpin' too! Mill Creek is a great carp fishery. Lots of fun!

 

[Fishidiot]

flyfish1998 wrote:
Have any of you guys got any carp out of the conodoguinet?

Yep - it's an excellent carp river (or creek). I'm not a big carp guy but do target them from time to time. My biggest carp on a fly was a fish from the Connie.

 

[flyfish1998]

Sweet! I'll have to do a lot more "carping" in the connie then!

 

[marcq]

just a question about carping. in the spring I notice the carp get aggressive in a spot I fish for shad. do the carp get aggressive in the spring due to spawning? and if so how do you go about catching them? never really threw the fly at them did hook one once but didn't land it. they put up a nice fight might have to give it a shot this spring.

 

[jrmyln]

marcq wrote:
just a question about carping. in the spring I notice the carp get aggressive in a spot I fish for shad. do the carp get aggressive in the spring due to spawning? and if so how do you go about catching them? never really threw the fly at them did hook one once but didn't land it. they put up a nice fight might have to give it a shot this spring.

I would not doubt it as the carp I fish for go ape crazy every year when the crappie spawn.

 

[Bosshog]

Never targetted them. Caught one fishing for smallies in Lake Wallenpaupack back in september. It was small, maybe 15-16 inches but it put up a hell of a fight on a 6wt with 5x tippet.

Definitely going to fish for them more come spring.

 

[jwb123]

The only carp I have caught on the fly rod were caught early in my transition from bait to fly angler. It was common practice among my spin fishing brethren to chum with corn when fishing for carp so I tied up a a fly that looked like a few kernels of corn using yellow chenille and did the same. While is was certainly an effective way to catch carp, it involved none of the precise presentation that these fish normally require. The few times I've encountered tailing carp while smallmouth fishing, I have not been successful.

 

[dc410]

marcq wrote:
just a question about carping. in the spring I notice the carp get aggressive in a spot I fish for shad. do the carp get aggressive in the spring due to spawning? and if so how do you go about catching them? never really threw the fly at them did hook one once but didn't land it. they put up a nice fight might have to give it a shot this spring.

I am pretty sure that the aggressive nature that you see in the spring of year is part of their spawning ritual. My experience is they are next to impossible to catch when they are in that mode. I watched three medium size carp chasing a large carp up and down a stream last spring for about 30 minutes. It was kind of like a big frothing ball of wrestling carp going up and down the stream (all around the pools and rolling through the riffles) and they really covered some turf. It was really neat to watch. My most productive time to actually hook up with them is when they are "mudding", particularly in the very early morning usually later in the season.

 

[marcq]

I don't think they are spawning then. just a lot in one area of water and are actively swimming around. they chase my shad darts but rarely hit it.

 

[Night_Stalker]

Yeah...I know...worst case of "carp" management you've ever seen!

 

[jdaddy]

NickR wrote:
Was just curious about who fishes for carp here? In the past I have fished mainly for trout, bass and saltwater but more and more as of late I find carp dominating much of my time.

You have articles written in major publications about your carp skills. Steelbow time baby!