Tossing flies for carp

[Gus Orviston]

Ok, i found some fish to chase here in China, and think tossing flies to carp would be a blast. I have read that Woolly Boogers are a good fly for carp, anybody have any advice on what else they might like?

gus

[SilverFly]

...and think tossing flies to carp would be a blast.



Have to agree with that! :grin:

I caught a 20+ pound carp on the Columbia once on a purple comet while fishing for salmon (unsuccessfully I might add). I was sure it was a nice chinook until the thing ran up to the bank and started rolling around in the weeds and mud! Can't say I was disappointed with the fight, that fish tore me up on my 8wt!

I think it's hard to go wrong with buggers for just about any fish. Figure out what they might be eating and try to match size and color (with whats in the water over there, you might not want to know!). If they are grass carp maybe an olive bugger?

Hopefully a bona fide "golden bone" expert will chime in with some real advice.

Good luck!

-------------------------------------------------

[Stew]

You need to talk to Andy ap emerger who is an ifish member. He has done extensive carp with a fly stuff.

[Abalone]

What I have been told is that for carp fishing you need to fish the flats. Clear shallow water. What comes to mind for me are the ponds that are along the Columbia river on the way to the Dalles. They are full of carp and I would describe the water as the flats. Flies include just about and nymph PLUS I understand there is a fly that imitates
Cottonwood seeds, which is a prefered food for carp. This sounds like an adventure that I would be willing to try.

Carp on a fly rod could be exciting. I have articles at home on the subject.

This summer it might be fun to work the Bonneville pool for
Small mouth Bass and Carp.

Trout fishing will probably be excellant on the Deschutes for trout but the lakes are going to suffer ????

So has anyone tried eating Carp ? The willamette river Carp are gross but the CR carp may be table fair ?

[Riverkeeper]

:shocked: :sick: :sick: :sick:

I would be very careful about eating carp.

[Abalone]

Back in High school my friend and I caught some carp and he brought some home. My friend being the adventurous sport that he was Fillet one of the carp as if to eat it.
Needless to say he didn't get very far. The meat stunk at it didn't look anything you'd want to eat.

The fish markets call it "Lousiana Buffalo fish"

However: Carp are smart fish. Smart meaning= hard to catch.

If you can imagine yourself in Belize fishing for an exotic fish along a jungle river some place, I think a Carp experience might be like that. Carp fight hard and if you are like me where you realese 99% of your catch anyhow
we have some world class fishing right at our doorsteps.

What weight rod would be best. Carp get up to 25 lbs or bigger.

They eat insects and will take most any nymph that is presented to them. Spring is best.

So who wants to go fish for carp ???

:dance: :dance:

[klaypigeon]

The ponds and lakes out on Sauvie Island provide some sight fishing for fat carp. I have never fly fished for them, but they are one of the strongest fish I have ever had on a line. I landed a 5 pounder in Pittsburgh and that thing tore me up. Didn't Shewy write about FF for carp?

[DavidL]

Carp are eaten in Asia, and where I grew up in Wisconsin the black community would also eat them. I've seen them for sale here in Seattle at fish markets. I've been told they aure bony. The only receipe I've ever heard for carp is to put the carp on a plank of wood, season well with salt, pepper, and lemon. Cook for two hours at 350, remove from oven, then toss the carp and eat the plank.

[Two Fister]

There was actually an article in Flyfisherman (Amato Pubs) by Dave Whitlock about flyfishing for Carp. He, and others I've read, described them as the "Poor Mans Bonefish". They are strong fighters that apparently readily take a fly. I've seen them as high as Clarno on the John Day during the middle of summer.

I can't shake the image of bowfishing for them as a kid in the Passaic River in NJ. The area is ringed with Superfund Sites and the fish were covered in tumors and sores. :sick: :sick: :sick: I couldn't touch one of those things with a 13' 7" foot pole.

Don't forget where you are Gus! The environmental practices in China are right down there with the worst of the worst. If anybody should be wearing Nitrile gloves when they are fishing it is somebody in China fishing for Carp!
TF

[Abalone]

That's it. "Columbia River Bone fish."

From what I hear from people that have fly fished for them they will challenge your fishing skills.

The winter Steelhead contest was a flop.

Lets have our first annual IFISH fly fishing Columbia River
Bone fishing Championship..

Hatchery Bone fish or Natives it don't matter. You can bonk your fish and bring it in for a weight in.

Heck you can mount it then eat it if you like.

I think this would be a blast. Gas is going to be expensive. Quality Columbia River Bone fish right at your doorstep.

:dance: :dance:

I am ready to go.......

[Abalone]

1. General Techniques

Basically there are only two ways to fly fish for carp -- sight casting and blind casting. Sight casting involves seeing carp in the water and casting the fly to about 1 or 2 feet in front of them. While this is not always possible, it often is and provides some of the most exciting carp fishing. An analogy is often drawn to fishing for bonefish and the analogy is quite accurate. Like bonefish, carp can often be seen tailing in the shallows. Like bonefish, carp are eating whatever organisms they find on or scare up from the bottom. And like bonefish, when they take your fly expect a long hard run that may take you "into your backing".

Blind casting can take two forms. You can cast to places carp are likely to be and hope you are right. This is usually not a high percentage technique. More reliable is to cast to where you know carp are because you have tossed groundbait in that area. The groundbait not only attracts the carp and concentrates them in a relatively small area but it also gets them into a feeding mood, maybe even a competitive feeding mood. People who bait fish for carp know a great deal about groundbaiting and I suggest you consult some of their published information. In particular I recommend Modern Bank Fishing by Michael Keyes.

For more go here: http://www.msu.edu/~connert/carpfly.htm

[Abalone]

There's tons of stuff about Carp on the internet.

Check this out: http://www.carp.net/article12.htm

[Mad Mikey]

I'm no pro at it but I've found the carp in the Snake river sure will smack the heck out of white marabou flies.

[Gus Orviston]

The really cool things is there are some 5+ pounder crusing the water and felt like a kid watching them go by one after another. to top it off they are in my complex, so the locals don't have access, just wacked out expats that have fishing tackle... and there is just two of us, a flyfisherman from Denver CO and me!!!

yes Two Fister the water quality is well, I am not sure if there is a scale for how bad it is. I was thinking of never touching the fish, :sick:, and letting them go like they do sailfish after tagging them.

Problem is working the line with you hands :sick: again, coming in contact with the water has some negative mental images, but when in rome....ooops china i need to get a fishing fix in somewhere/somehow.

I did see they have sturgeon in the Yangztee but I am not sure you can even catch and release them, but I am ging to find out.

I have done searches on the web and found good articles on carp, wanted to get your guys take on it too. I see there is a mini tutorial that I will go read next.. :wave:

gus