Shalom
New member
Would a 6 weight rod be sufficient for carp? I have never fished for them but am planning on giving it a try this year. Also, any leader/tippet recommendations would be greatly appreciated
2025 Carpin’ thread
- Thread starter dc410
- Start date
dc410
Well-known member
It kind of depends on how big of carp you may actually get hooked up with. My “go to” outfit for carp is a 9’ 8 wt. I really like to be able to drop the rod tip and apply some serious side pressure to be able to quickly turn a big carp mainly to keep it out of debris that it is heading toward. I have caught carp on my 5 wt as well but usually feel pretty undergunned depending on the size of the fish. For average size (22-25”) carp you may have no problem with a 6 wt. However, if you get into a 30 incher you may feel undergunned a bit. Either way it would be a blast battling carp on a 6 wt. outfit.
As far as leaders go, I tie my own carp leaders. Three sections - 30 lb. Maxima Chameleon for the butt section ( I like the Chameleon because it stretches a bit and acts as a built in shock absorber), 20 lb. test mid section (Maxima Ultragreen) and generally a 10 lb. test tippet section of Maxima Ultragreen. All sections are approximately 3 feet long to create an overall 9’ leader that pairs up nicely with my 9’ rod. I generally never thought of carp to be very leader shy, however I’ve been struggling with spooking an abnormal number of carp so far this year so I may drop down to 8 lb. test tippet to see if it has a positive effect on hook ups. Carp are very smart fish. Be very stealthy in your approach to a feeding carp. If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Good luck with your carpin’!
Shalom
New member
Thank you!
dc410
Well-known member
Well, when you’re in a carpin’ slump like I’ve been in this season, one of the best ways to break that slump is to inadvertently forget to put the net in the truck. That’s exactly what happened to me this morning. The water had a lot of turbidity so it was a bit tough to see them but I did locate a few carp close to the bank and I flipped an egg pattern to the side of one fish and saw it turn directly toward the fly. I couldn’t actually see the take but it was that sixth sense thing that kicked in and I stuck the carp. It was a really fun battle but actually landing a carp on the fly rod without a net is a serious challenge. Just about when you think they are tired out and you actually get a hand on them - they’re not really tired out! I lost my grip on the fish and it shot straight between my feet and was now behind me. I was standing in the water on some very slippery rocks about 1 inch from the tops of my muck boots. The carp came back around in front of me and I grabbed it by the gill plate and one stiff head shake later he popped the fly off of my tippet and sunk back into the depths with my egg fly still stuck in its upper lip. What a circus!
However, the good news is - the “berry hatch” has started! Some mulberry trees are producing ripe berries that are already dropping into the water. Carp are starting to stage around these trees. Other trees have lots of berries but they have not ripened up yet. I did manage to stick my first carp of the season this morning on my deer hair berry fly. I also spooked a few with some premature hook sets. Timing is everything on a berry hook set. The take is generally a very slow calculated take by the carp. The sweet spot for the hook set is the time between when it actually takes the berry fly into its mouth and the point where it has determined it to be fake and quickly spits it out. I educated a few fish this morning. The next month could be a lot of fun if you get sucked into the berry action. Get out there and check your berry trees. If you don’t have any berry trees - find some. Good luck!
However, the good news is - the “berry hatch” has started! Some mulberry trees are producing ripe berries that are already dropping into the water. Carp are starting to stage around these trees. Other trees have lots of berries but they have not ripened up yet. I did manage to stick my first carp of the season this morning on my deer hair berry fly. I also spooked a few with some premature hook sets. Timing is everything on a berry hook set. The take is generally a very slow calculated take by the carp. The sweet spot for the hook set is the time between when it actually takes the berry fly into its mouth and the point where it has determined it to be fake and quickly spits it out. I educated a few fish this morning. The next month could be a lot of fun if you get sucked into the berry action. Get out there and check your berry trees. If you don’t have any berry trees - find some. Good luck!
dudemanspecial
Well-known member
If there was ever a fish that I wouldn't be suprised if it started talking to me, it's a carp.There is something uncanny about their eyes and facial expressions.
hooker-of-men
Well-known member
Coincidentally, I was also dealing with high turbidity the past couple hours. The water was about 100% opaque, so I was just fishing to mud plumes.
Lost two that came tight for a couple seconds, but, with these conditions, I'm not even 100% they were fair hooked.
We're looking at 2 inches of rain over the weekend, so things aren't getting better anytime soon.
Lost two that came tight for a couple seconds, but, with these conditions, I'm not even 100% they were fair hooked.
We're looking at 2 inches of rain over the weekend, so things aren't getting better anytime soon.
dc410
Well-known member
Yeah, it definitely has been a challenging Spring fishing season with the wind, cooler temps and intensity of the rain events.
However, I think the carp may still cruise around just under the surface near producing mulberry trees and suck in the dropping berries, even in seriously off colored water.
hooker-of-men
Well-known member
My spirits aren't broken yet. Heck, today was the first time I saw more than a single random fish here and there. By this time last year, every fish I was seeing was in spawning mode.
barrybarry
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2009
- Messages
- 425
Against my better judgment, I thought I would try the Carp/Mulberry hatch again. I struck out last year, but I did learn a little bit.
These are tied on a TMC Size 8 - 2x strong bronze hook. I just used what I had. If I were to tie these again, I think it would be on a size 6 with a little more hook gap. There are also quite a few lead wraps to get the "Plop."
Wish me luck.
These are tied on a TMC Size 8 - 2x strong bronze hook. I just used what I had. If I were to tie these again, I think it would be on a size 6 with a little more hook gap. There are also quite a few lead wraps to get the "Plop."
Wish me luck.
mt_flyfisher
Well-known member
That’s a nice Mulberry berry berry.👾
dc410
Well-known member
Nice job, they will definitely work. You could maybe trim them a little bit more on the bottom to open up the hook gap as much as possible but I’m not sure I would go up to a size 6 for a mulberry fly. I tie most of mine on size 10 hooks. Be a little bit patient on that first hookset, the adrenaline will be flowing. Good luck!!
dc410
Well-known member
I went 2 for 2 this morning as I’m dialing in the timing on the mulberry hook set. I quietly slipped into position on the upper section of my berry honey hole that I call the “shark tank”. There were multiple fish working both trees on the upper and lower section. I took a shot at a carp that ventured close enough to me on the upper area of the hole and it ate the berry fly without hesitation. After I hooked it the fish took off directly downstream and blasted right through the middle of the lower section of the hole, effectively blowing up the whole area. However, my MO was to get into position to stick one carp and I managed to accomplish that.
I continued downstream to check a few other areas before pulling out for the morning. A decent sized tree had recently fallen completely across the creek creating a vegetative dam stacking up a lot of debris, leaves and scum upstream of it. I figured there were probably some mulberries caught up in the scum slick as well. I noticed some disturbance along the upstream edge of the scum line and determined it to be several carp clooping just under the debris. As I got as close as I could just upstream of the blowdown a carp came out from under the debris, swam upstream a bit and circled toward me as it appeared to be heading back to the scum. As it was coming toward me I flipped my berry fly slightly in front and a bit beside the carp. It turned and solidly took the fly. I immediately applied pretty hard side pressure to turn the fish directly upstream to battle it where it wouldn’t take me under the fallen tree. This fish was a male and was discharging a lot of milt as I netted it and released it. Some of the carp are really getting zoned in on the berries right now. The next two weeks will be the peak of the berry fishing at least in my neck of the woods. Get out there and give it a shot. Good luck!
I continued downstream to check a few other areas before pulling out for the morning. A decent sized tree had recently fallen completely across the creek creating a vegetative dam stacking up a lot of debris, leaves and scum upstream of it. I figured there were probably some mulberries caught up in the scum slick as well. I noticed some disturbance along the upstream edge of the scum line and determined it to be several carp clooping just under the debris. As I got as close as I could just upstream of the blowdown a carp came out from under the debris, swam upstream a bit and circled toward me as it appeared to be heading back to the scum. As it was coming toward me I flipped my berry fly slightly in front and a bit beside the carp. It turned and solidly took the fly. I immediately applied pretty hard side pressure to turn the fish directly upstream to battle it where it wouldn’t take me under the fallen tree. This fish was a male and was discharging a lot of milt as I netted it and released it. Some of the carp are really getting zoned in on the berries right now. The next two weeks will be the peak of the berry fishing at least in my neck of the woods. Get out there and give it a shot. Good luck!
albatross
Well-known member
Look out for simultaneous mullberrry and cicada hatch in the next few weeks. Could be epic...
dc410
Well-known member
I don’t often go carpin’ in the evening but I did go out tonight at about 6:30 to see if I could get into any carp on the berries. I covered my good berry trees and actually didn’t even spot a single carp. I’ll probably hit these spots tomorrow at daybreak to assure myself that there are still carp there.
So I continued down stream and covered about 3/4 of a mile of stream. I only saw two carp tonight in the new stretch of stream. I found a new producing mulberry tree that had a carp actively working the berries but it was in an extremely tough spot. I worked my way down a pretty steep muddy bank choked out with briar bushes then waded through an armpit deep patch of burn hazel to get near the feeding carp. I negotiated all of the electric fences - except for one! When I finally got to the spot to possibly take a shot at the feeding carp it was one of those areas where you wonder how the heck you are ever going to land a carp if you happen to stick one. I learned early in my Carpin’ adventures to not worry about that until after you actually hook it. You would be surprised how many times you actually find a way to make it work. It wasn’t a very big fish but it definitely was a chunky one and a challenge to get to the net in the extremely tight conditions.
When the Catalpa trees are in full bloom - it is peak “berry time”. I think the flowers on the Catalpa trees are just absolutely beautiful! The new section of stream that I fished tonight has a riparian buffer between the stream and the agricultural fields that has expanded over recent years. The buffer is extremely thick this year - almost impenetrable in some areas. I’m glad to see these conservation efforts being put in place by the farmers.
Good luck carpers!
So I continued down stream and covered about 3/4 of a mile of stream. I only saw two carp tonight in the new stretch of stream. I found a new producing mulberry tree that had a carp actively working the berries but it was in an extremely tough spot. I worked my way down a pretty steep muddy bank choked out with briar bushes then waded through an armpit deep patch of burn hazel to get near the feeding carp. I negotiated all of the electric fences - except for one! When I finally got to the spot to possibly take a shot at the feeding carp it was one of those areas where you wonder how the heck you are ever going to land a carp if you happen to stick one. I learned early in my Carpin’ adventures to not worry about that until after you actually hook it. You would be surprised how many times you actually find a way to make it work. It wasn’t a very big fish but it definitely was a chunky one and a challenge to get to the net in the extremely tight conditions.
When the Catalpa trees are in full bloom - it is peak “berry time”. I think the flowers on the Catalpa trees are just absolutely beautiful! The new section of stream that I fished tonight has a riparian buffer between the stream and the agricultural fields that has expanded over recent years. The buffer is extremely thick this year - almost impenetrable in some areas. I’m glad to see these conservation efforts being put in place by the farmers.
Good luck carpers!
