2023 Carpin’ Thread

[sgrim]

It's been a long time ago, but as a kid, I used to fish the Delaware Canal inside Delaware Canal State Park. I remember starting at a Lock there and work my way downstream. It was littered with carp and was a blast. When I got tired of the canal, I'd just walk down to the Delaware River and toss lures for nice smallies. I don't know how the canal fishes these days but if it isn't too far from you, I'd give it a go.

Near Upper Black Eddy?

 

[Wild_Trouter]

I'm sure it was New Hope because I remember the Lambertville, NJ bridge in the background behind me when I switched to fishing the river. The Towpath that parallels the canal makes it really easy to fish. Great place for Chain Picks, LMB and SMB too throughout the system. I also loved the canal from Lumberville to Riegelsville and spent a lot of time there and that section of the river. What's nice about the Riegelsville area is that if the canal is fishing slow, you have the river or you can switch to trout nearby. Great area for sure.

 

[dc410]

It's been a long time ago, but as a kid, I used to fish the Delaware Canal inside Delaware Canal State Park. I remember starting at a Lock there and work my way downstream. It was littered with carp and was a blast. When I got tired of the canal, I'd just walk down to the Delaware River and toss lures for nice smallies. I don't know how the canal fishes these days but if it isn't too far from you, I'd give it a go.

Thanks for the great tip about canals. There is a great history of the canal system in PA dating back to the very early 1800’s. Some of these canals still provide some excellent carp fisheries. A little research can often turn up many public use areas along some of these old canals where the State of PA or local municipalities have developed old towpaths into trails that can provide awesome access to some good Carpin’. Do your homework, many opportunities are literally at our fingertips these days.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Thanks for the great tip about canals. There is a great history of the canal system in PA dating back to the very early 1800’s. Some of these canals still provide some excellent carp fisheries. A little research can often turn up many public use areas along some of these old canals where the State of PA or local municipalities have developed old towpaths into trails that can provide awesome access to some good Carpin’. Do your homework, many opportunities are literally at our fingertips these days.

I live near an extensive canal system between Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. These are one of the carp opportunities I was referring to in my earlier post. Good to hear they're productive; now I just need to get eyes on some fish!

 

[dc410]

I went out for about an hour this morning looking for carp. It was a chilly morning at 39 degrees with a consistent breeze. The breeze made it a bit tougher to see the fish but it also made it more challenging for the carp to see me.

The first carp I spotted was actively rooting - head down in a mud cloud. The perfect situation and a very catchable carp. I had a soft boiled egg pattern on and thought about switching to one of my nymph patterns because of the activity of the fish, but just decided to roll with the egg. I casted in front of and a bit past the fish and used the classic drag and drop technique and the carp turned and took it without hesitation. Not bad, sealed the deal on the first shot of the morning! I probably had about a half dozen other legitimate shots at fish that I effectively blew up using my arsenal of stupid carp fishing tactics.

One shot was almost identical to the first one, so I employed the exact same drag and drop with the egg. The fish deliberately swam forward and nosed up to the fly and just stared at it. It became a test of wills between me and the carp. Eventually I caved and gave the fly a very slight twitch. Game over - the carp blew out of there! Stupid carp trick - eggs don’t twitch and carp aren’t stupid!

Another one I had a decent shot at I was flat out lazy and didn’t take the time to readjust my angle for the drag and drop. I tried to cast up along side of the fish presenting the fly in front of it. Casting beside the fish my line came fairly close to the fishes cone of vision. The carp really didn’t like that. GONE! Yet another blown opportunity. That’s carpin’!

All in all it was a fun outing getting a chance to watch some rooting and mudding carp that were actively feeding and trying to get them to eat my flies. Carp that are in this mode are definitely the ones that you want to target with your fly gear. Have fun trying to figure ‘em out. Tight lines and screamin’ reels!

 

[Mike]

If not now, within the next week carp will be concentrated in big numbers in the shallow, back ends of muddy coves, especially in eutrophic lakes like Pymatuning, Speedwell, Sayers, Blue Marsh, Greenlane, Ontelaunee, Chester-Octoraro, Nockamixon, perhaps Galena and perhaps Struble. They will be in 1-3 ft of water, but you won’t see the usual splashing activity that you’ll see when carp are in spawning mode in late May around Memorial Day and in June. Prime coves are those into which prevailing winds blow and those where the largest tributary streams enter, as they are often shallow because of sediment deposits. They seek out such areas because they are the warmest parts of lakes at this time of the year if such shallow coves and points are not shaded. Relative warmth is key and it also means that they may disappear after a cold night and reappear as the sun re-heats the shallows the next day. This info in large part comes from trap netting targeting other species in late March and early April. Carp were the bane of fisheries biologists when nets were set in such habitats. Two “memorable” coves or locations (points) were where Spring Ck cove splits into two arms in Blue Marsh and the portion of Three Mile Run cove on Nockamixon just down lake from Rt 313. The largest carp I ever saw or handled was in Lake Marburg and I suspect the muddy cove at the very upper end of the lake would be a good place to look. Hope that gives you some places to start or habitats to think about in your local areas.

 

[afishinado]

Great video of early season carp on the fly to get you primed for the season >

 

[dc410]

If not now, within the next week carp will be concentrated in big numbers in the shallow, back ends of muddy coves, especially in eutrophic lakes like Pymatuning, Speedwell, Sayers, Blue Marsh, Greenlane, Ontelaunee, Chester-Octoraro, Nockamixon, perhaps Galena and perhaps Struble. They will be in 1-3 ft of water, but you won’t see the usual splashing activity that you’ll see when carp are in spawning mode in late May around Memorial Day and in June. Prime coves are those into which prevailing winds blow and those where the largest tributary streams enter, as they are often shallow because of sediment deposits. They seek out such areas because they are the warmest parts of lakes at this time of the year if such shallow coves and points are not shaded. Relative warmth is key and it also means that they may disappear after a cold night and reappear as the sun re-heats the shallows the next day. This info in large part comes from trap netting targeting other species in late March and early April. Carp were the bane of fisheries biologists when nets were set in such habitats. Two “memorable” coves or locations (points) were where Spring Ck cove splits into two arms in Blue Marsh and the portion of Three Mile Run cove on Nockamixon just down lake from Rt 313. The largest carp I ever saw or handled was in Lake Marburg and I suspect the muddy cove at the very upper end of the lake would be a good place to look. Hope that gives you some places to start or habitats to think about in your local areas.

Great info! Thanks, Mike.

 

[dc410]

I went out this evening to catch a quick 1/2 hour of carpin’. It was fairly breezy with the impending front moving in. The biggest mistake I made this evening was being in so much of hurry that I left my sunglasses in the truck. I was at a huge disadvantage without them.

The wind was blowing out of the NW and into one corner of the pond I was fishing. I immediately located a small shoal of carp that were working the edge of a scum line being blown into that corner of the pond. I had some serious sun glare in my eyes and the wind directly in my face. The wind was actually blowing my nymph back toward me as I tried to lob it in front of the fish that were only 6-7’ in front of me. I finally got my fly into the “zone” and from the position of my tippet and the tail of one of the fish I thought the fly was where it needed to be. I slowly lifted the rod and felt a bit of resistance. I strip set and that “sixth sense” had me hooked up solid. I couldn’t see the head of the fish or the fly but still found a way to hook up with that carp. The rest of the group were totally blown out of there after the initial hook-up. I saw a few other carp but screwed up every other shot that I took. If you can’t see anything it makes the carpin’ game much more difficult. Details - don’t forget your shades! Good luck carpers, get out there and find a few, things are starting to heat up!

 

[dc410]

I went out this morning in between rain showers and mainly did a lot more scouting than fishing. I’m trying to locate some new fish to target. It was a bit tough being overcast because it is much tougher to see carp under these conditions and much easier for them to see me.

I started out by checking out one of my productive spots. I didn’t see a lot of fish but did see a few. I only actually took one shot at a fish during the outing. This fish was in a feeding mode with its head down and tail up in several feet of water. I decided to try a totally different pattern because I thought there was the possibility that I may have already taken a shot at this fish or even maybe caught it earlier this year. I went way outside the box on my selection by selecting Montana’s hybrid fly with the bright pink tail (worm section). This fly has produced well for me over the years but my “go to” color has been the much more subdued tan tail. This local population of carp that I fish for has proven time and time again that they don’t usually cave for the “glitzy” stuff. So, I tried the bright one just to see if I could get a reaction. Well, I did! The carp’s reaction was “I don’t think so”! Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like the fish blew out of there like I just scared the scales off of it (which can and does happen), it was much more of a polite, “No thank you, if you even thought you had a chance of me eating that thing, you’re kidding yourself”!

Anyway, I did manage to locate a few new fish as I was scouting this morning. It’s important to keep in mind as you are searching for carp that you need to be in total stealth mode. Looking and searching for any subtle disturbances on the surface, maybe a few bubbles coming to the surface, a faint mud cloud or the very tip of the tail of a carp in feeding mode. All of these subtle signs can alert you to the possibility of a carp in the area. Every outing is certainly not a success story but any time you spend out there locating and/or chasing carp with your fly rod will definitely be chalked up as learning experiences. Get out there and give it a shot!

 

[Shawn Joseph]

I went out this morning in between rain showers and mainly did a lot more scouting than fishing. I’m trying to locate some new fish to target. It was a bit tough being overcast because it is much tougher to see carp under these conditions and much easier for them to see me.

I started out by checking out one of my productive spots. I didn’t see a lot of fish but did see a few. I only actually took one shot at a fish during the outing. This fish was in a feeding mode with its head down and tail up in several feet of water. I decided to try a totally different pattern because I thought there was the possibility that I may have already taken a shot at this fish or even maybe caught it earlier this year. I went way outside the box on my selection by selecting Montana’s hybrid fly with the bright pink tail (worm section). This fly has produced well for me over the years but my “go to” color has been the much more subdued tan tail. This local population of carp that I fish for has proven time and time again that they don’t usually cave for the “glitzy” stuff. So, I tried the bright one just to see if I could get a reaction. Well, I did! The carp’s reaction was “I don’t think so”! Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like the fish blew out of there like I just scared the scales off of it (which can and does happen), it was much more of a polite, “No thank you, if you even thought you had a chance of me eating that thing, you’re kidding yourself”!

Anyway, I did manage to locate a few new fish as I was scouting this morning. It’s important to keep in mind as you are searching for carp that you need to be in total stealth mode. Looking and searching for any subtle disturbances on the surface, maybe a few bubbles coming to the surface, a faint mud cloud or the very tip of the tail of a carp in feeding mode. All of these subtle signs can alert you to the possibility of a carp in the area. Every outing is certainly not a success story but any time you spend out there locating and/or chasing carp with your fly rod will definitely be chalked up as learning experiences. Get out there and give it a shot!

View attachment 1641229490

Loving your posts! I’ve had a few busy weekends the past couple weekends. Looking to get out next weekend on the Perkie for carp.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Kinda a lame situation - small pond in a park that only has a handful of carp - but I got my first shots at one today! I had my son at the pond throwing poppers for perch, and who should come cruising by?

It wasn't eating at all, and didn't look twice at my bugger (for the perch) as it trucked passed. Got half a dozen shots. We've seen them in there a number of times, but this was the first time I had a rod in hand. My son freaked out. Was entertaining

 

[dc410]

Kinda a lame situation - small pond in a park that only has a handful of carp - but I got my first shots at one today! I had my son at the pond throwing poppers for perch, and who should come cruising by?

It wasn't eating at all, and didn't look twice at my bugger (for the perch) as it trucked passed. Got half a dozen shots. We've seen them in there a number of times, but this was the first time I had a rod in hand. My son freaked out. Was entertaining

Very cool! Cruisers can be tough, for sure. Very hit or miss but usually worth taking a shot. I would say generally they ignore your fly, but you never know when you’re going to encounter one that is just in the right mood and it’s game on!!! Keep after ‘em!

 

[dc410]

The carp are really starting to get active. I checked out one of my spots before work this morning and found more actively feeding and cruising carp than I have seen so far this year. I went with one of my most productive nymph patterns but the carp were very picky this morning and I spooked a lot of fish with my confidence fly. I eventually changed patterns to a Siltsifter pattern for a bit more flash and color and mainly just something different.

I finally got one to take the new fly and brought a fiesty, chunky mirror carp to the net. A bit later I took a shot at a “semi cruising” carp and saw the fish turn toward my fly. I tightened up my slack and felt the least bit of resistance so I strip set and was tight into another one. This one felt like a pretty good fish as it took a serious run on me. I applied a bit of side pressure to turn the fish and was attempting to tighten up my drag a click or two and just that quickly, it was gone! I don’t lose a lot of carp if they are hooked solid in the mouth so one coming unglued like this was not normal. As I was reeling in my line I noticed my fly was spinning which immediately made sense to me. On the point of my fly was one neatly impaled carp scale that pulled out of the foul hooked carp as it took that hard first run. It was a fun but short outing.

Get out there a find some carp they are definitely starting to show themselves. Good luck!!

 

[Mikey2006]

How hard is it to catch grass carp on the fly? I’ve got a couple bigger ponds I know that have many pushing 40lbs with some over 50 (seen some caught and measured during the cicada hatch two years ago and caught a 39lb while bass fishing) but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen any of them caught. Are grass carp worth the effort because I’ve heard they don’t really eat anything

 

[dc410]

How hard is it to catch grass carp on the fly? I’ve got a couple bigger ponds I know that have many pushing 40lbs with some over 50 (seen some caught and measured during the cicada hatch two years ago and caught a 39lb while bass fishing) but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen any of them caught. Are grass carp worth the effort because I’ve heard they don’t really eat anything

I’ve never caught a grass carp. I would love to catch one on a fly rod but I just don’t even know any places to fish for them. I have heard that they are extremely challenging to catch on a fly rod mainly because they are primarily vegetarian. Fluffy green, brown or yellow flies that drift naturally or suspend in the water column depicting algae or vegetative manner are known to be flies that can work for grass carp. If you happen to see them actually feeding on the surface that might be your best chance. I’ve read that they are not only big but extremely strong and acrobatic fighters as well. Catching one of them on a fly rod would certainly be a huge accomplishment and one heck of a lot of fun!!

 

[Mikey2006]

I’ve never caught a grass carp. I would love to catch one on a fly rod but I just don’t even know any places to fish for them. I have heard that they are extremely challenging to catch on a fly rod mainly because they are primarily vegetarian. Fluffy green, brown or yellow flies that drift naturally or suspend in the water column depicting algae or vegetative manner are known to be flies that can work for grass carp. If you happen to see them actually feeding on the surface that might be your best chance. I’ve read that they are not only big but extremely strong and acrobatic fighters as well. Catching one of them on a fly rod would certainly be a huge accomplishment and one heck of a lot of fun!!

Yeah the only time I’ve ever seen them caught is when they were eating cicadas off topwater. I caught mine on a topwater popper while bass fishing with conventional gear, and I saw someone catch a 46lb fish on a fly rod. Mine took 15-20 minutes to reel in and the fly fisherman took way longer. The fights are amazing. As for places to fish for them I just found a couple ponds that had them by luck. I think the best bet would be a public pond owned by a company or something like that who put them in to control vegetation, that’s where I’ve found them at.

 

[jifigz]

When I was about 13 and living in Florida the grass carp would eat the berries of the banyon trees that would fall into the water. I tried to impale one on a hook but never did successfully catch one. I did not fly fish at the time and used spinning outfits for bass. I learned a lot down there and caught all sorts of weird stuff.

 

[dc410]

So I’ve been out scouting several times for carp moving up into an inlet of a primary tributary into one of our SEPA impoundments. The water level is so low that it’s kind of just like fishing a stream. So far I’ve been skunked every time I tried to locate any carp in this particular inlet, but I know eventually they will be there. Today, just as I was about to call it again I checked out one last spot downstream and finally located a decent size pod of carp moving upstream into the inlet.

They were cruising around with very few actual feeders. It seemed like every larger female carp had about 2 or 3 smaller males (not chasing hard) but just kind of shadowing the females. They didn’t seem to want any of my flies as I changed flies often and spooked quite a few fish. I was just about ready to quit when a group of 4 carp cruised past. In a last ditched effort I laid a size 8 Foxee Redd Minnow in front of the group and one carp peeled off and attacked the little streamer. I think the take was pretty much a total aggression take, but sometimes that is what seals the deal! Be persistent. The spawning activity seems to be much earlier than usual which doesn’t surprise me, I guess. Tight lines!!

 

[Terry Murphy]

Finally got some decent weather out here in North Dakota and Minnesota. Foxee Clousers , crayfish pattern and a fly dc10 sent me .