Carp

Where were you fishing Ronnie?

ORIGINAL: ronnie84

Not once but twice this week I've had encounters with carp while trout fishing. The first one, caught earlier in the week, put up a nice battle but I wasn't overly impressed really. Today was a different story.

I figured after countless suckers being caught while trout fishing it was only going to be a matter of time before I hooked into a carp. After a 20 minute fight and a sore, shaking arm, I finally netted a fairly large carp (what a sight landing a bigger carp in a trout net). Either way, what a blast on a five weight. I didn't think it was ever going to end. Every time I thought I was going to net him he took another powerful run. The fish was basically half dead by the time I landed it so I went ahead and successfully revived it, took a few minutes but it swam off with as much power as it had when I initially hooked it.

I've noticed a lot of surface activity from carp this week so I would imagine now would be the time to target them if a person wished to do so.

Anyway, I'd be curious to hear anyone elses experience(s) with hooking carp while fishing for smaller species...

 
Fun.......ain't it?
 
I've caught a few carp on Rapalas from the Shenango River years ago when I used to trout fish there, up stream from the bridge by Danny's.  I casted to one carp in the shallows and let the Rapala settle to the bottom and watched the carp inhale it.  I'd catch them on other typical trout baits as well.  I pretty much just fish for carp any more.
I bought a cheapo flyrod outfit years ago just to catch a few carp on-----using glo bug flys near mulberry trees on a small creek where the berries fall into the water and carp feed on them.  Lotsa fun, but ain't used that flyrod in several years since.
 
Flyfishing for carp has become pretty popular in recent years.  There is even a book now on flyfishing for carp.

Hi Ronnie,
 
I was fishing for carp on the fly rod before they were the new bonefish.  I cut my teeth with the fly rod on carp and bluegill in the local stream, so they hold a special place in my heart.
 
I don't have any good stories of catching carp while fishing for other stuff because I was usually fishing for carp.
 
I normally did it one of three ways.  One, which was the most fighting and you'd get the most action was to find an accessible place where the carp get fed bread on top.  There are a few marinas/restaurants on the rivers plus a few other places.  We started with fly rods, 2' of 17 lb silver thread, and a chunk of bread.  We migrated to about 4' of 8 lb fluoro and BIG shaggy globalls (about the size of a golf ball) tied on long shank hooks.  It was always a blast.  I've done it from shore, from a float tube and from a kayak.
 
Second, I'd stalk them in the creeks and catch them on nymphs.  A small dark helgramite looking nymph was always my best bet- very dark brown with just the right buoyancy to keep it slowly bouncing along the bottom in the slow water where the fish were.  Lots of fun, close to trout fishing actually.
 
Last, I'd stalk them in lakes.  Cannonsburg was one of the best because of the big mud flat.  You'd have to stalk along slowly and cast from ~40' out or more to not spook them.  In that case, dragonfly nymphs were tops.  Just heavy enough to put it on the bottom quickly, but light enough to land softly and not burry in the mud, rather just slither through it.
 
My biggest carp was a 35 lb monster from the Chagrin in Ohio.  The cottonwood trees were shedding and the carp were on them.  I was fishing for bass that day, so I had my light 5 wt with a click and pawl $20 graphite reel.  When that carp at my white clouser, he ran to the end of the pool (the railroad bridge just below willoughby) while I was stuck standing on the piling in the middle of the creek.  I had to do a flying leap toward shore to not step off into 6' of water so I could chase him.  He tore out almost 100 yd of backing when he stopped at the shallow riffle outflow.  I finally got him to shore and measured him for length and girth.  The biggest carp I have ever seen.  I weighed some of his buddies in that same pool over the following weeks and while some topped 20 lb, they were miniscule next to this one (he stayed in that pool and I never caught him again).  Awesome fish.

Thanks,
Rick

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