Rough Fish

[Ewanflyfish]

Thought i’d start a thread dedicated to rough fish. This could be carp, suckers, fall fish, catfish, or any other fish that people often ignore or don’t target. I’ve always enjoyed targeting specifically white suckers on the fly. Anyways i’d love to see any pictures of fish you guys are catching that you’d consider rough fish, or any flies you tie to target them. I’ll start things off with a nice white sucker I caught today on a pink scud.😁

 

[Ryan Hall]

I’ve caught some monster suckers in spring creek. I personally think fresh water drum get a bad rap. Lots of people chase their salt water cousins.

 

[LLR]

A 20 inch sucker gives you a great fight on a fly rod.

I always get optimistic I have a huge brown trout until I get my first glimpse it is sucker

 

[Bamboozle]

I've run into some pretty rough characters at few creeks I frequent...

 

[albatross]

This is my kind of thread. I'm affectionately known as the Sucker King among my close circle of fishing buddies.

 

[Ewanflyfish]

I’ve caught some monster suckers in spring creek. I personally think fresh water drum get a bad rap. Lots of people chase their salt water cousins.

Completely agree on fresh water drum, always wanted to catch one. Pretty sure their not in any of the water near me though.

 

[Mike]

Completely agree on fresh water drum, always wanted to catch one. Pretty sure their not in any of the water near me though.

You’re in luck….unfortunately. Somehow they were introduced into the lower Delaware River or Estuary system and were discovered in recent years. If their introduction follows the usual trend with exotics (to a given river system), the population is probably building.

 

[MarkC]

I like to fish the big eddies on the upper Delaware trying to pick out the square tails among the fork tails. I have landed some enormous chub mixed in with the outsized browns. The chubs do not put up much of a fight.

Mark C

 

[Bamboozle]

I used to regularly target "rough fish" with bait on the Delaware along 611 in the Delaware Water Gap. Suckers were another favorite at many places like Section 5 of the Brodhead Creek when I lived in E Burg and Darby Creek & Yarnell Run when I lived in Delco.

I haven't fished for suckers for a long time, but now that the PFBC has defined Stocked Trout Waters by section, it makes it a lot easier to find a place to chase suckers legally this time of year.

It may be time to set up a chair and go fishing for them again!!

 

[dc410]

I really enjoy the rough fish action. Admittedly, I have probably spent more time chasing carp with the fly rod over the past 13 years than I have chasing trout. Most of the suckers that I have caught on the fly over the years have been bycatches while trout fishing but I still enjoy getting tangled up with one. Getting into some good size fallfish while targeting Smallies is always a highlight of my warmwater flyfishing on an annual basis. Sticking a snakehead on the fly is definitely on my “to do” list this year.

I spent a short time today scouting for carp on one of my local streams. Didn’t see any yet - they are still holed up in the deeper water but as the water temps rise they will move into the shallower water to feed. It won’t be too long now!

 

[Ewanflyfish]

I really enjoy the rough fish action. Admittedly, I have probably spent more time chasing carp with the fly rod over the past 13 years than I have chasing trout. Most of the suckers that I have caught on the fly over the years have been bycatches while trout fishing but I still enjoy getting tangled up with one. Getting into some good size fallfish while targeting Smallies is always a highlight of my warmwater flyfishing on an annual basis. Sticking a snakehead on the fly is definitely on my “to do” list this year.

I spent a short time today scouting for carp on one of my local streams. Didn’t see any yet - they are still holed up in the deeper water but as the water temps rise they will move into the shallower water to feed. It won’t be too long now!

One of my goals this year, is to land a carp on fly. I tried a lot last year, just never connected. Definitely more fun than trout to me. But part of that is because theirs just way more good carp fishing in my area, than good trout fishing.

 

[bdhoover77]

One of my goals this year, is to land a carp on fly. I tried a lot last year, just never connected. Definitely more fun than trout to me. But part of that is because theirs just way more good carp fishing in my area, than good trout fishing.

I’m looking forward to trying to catch some carp on cicada flies this spring.

 

[dc410]

One of my goals this year, is to land a carp on fly. I tried a lot last year, just never connected. Definitely more fun than trout to me. But part of that is because theirs just way more good carp fishing in my area, than good trout fishing.

For the past number of years I have posted a carpin’ thread in the Warm Water & Salt Water Flyfishing Forum. Last years was called the “2024 Carpin’ Thread”. If you have some time you would probably enjoy reading through it. It will take some time as the thread ran from 3/13/24 through 9/28/24 and consisted of 4 pages with 71 posts and over 10,000 views. If you do read through it I’m sure you will pick up on some tactics, tips and techniques as well as some of the flies that consistently produced for me. Please don’t reactivate the old thread as I have plans on getting a new one up and going shortly in 2025 unless some of the other PAFF carpers get into some carp before me and they fire off the annual Carpin’ thread. That would be awesome!

Last years “Mulberry hatch” was pretty solid IMO as I brought 15 carp to the net caught on top on my deer hair mulberry fly mainly during the month of June. Feel free to PM me if you wish - I would be glad to share any of the things I’ve learned over the years with you just as I have in the “Carpin Thread” over the years. If you make the commitment you will definitely get into some carp on the fly this year. Tight lines and screamin’ reels!

 

[Ewanflyfish]

For the past number of years I have posted a carpin’ thread in the Warm Water & Salt Water Flyfishing Forum. Last years was called the “2024 Carpin’ Thread”. If you have some time you would probably enjoy reading through it. It will take some time as the thread ran from 3/13/24 through 9/28/24 and consisted of 4 pages with 71 posts and over 10,000 views. If you do read through it I’m sure you will pick up on some tactics, tips and techniques as well as some of the flies that consistently produced for me. Please don’t reactivate the old thread as I have plans on getting a new one up and going shortly in 2025 unless some of the other PAFF carpers get into some carp before me and they fire off the annual Carpin’ thread. That would be awesome!

Last years “Mulberry hatch” was pretty solid IMO as I brought 15 carp to the net caught on top on my deer hair mulberry fly mainly during the month of June. Feel free to PM me if you wish - I would be glad to share any of the things I’ve learned over the years with you just as I have in the “Carpin Thread” over the years. If you make the commitment you will definitely get into some carp on the fly this year. Tight lines and screamin’ reels!

View attachment 1641240370

Will definitely take a look at that thread👍. fishing with mulberry flies seems like a super unique experience.

 

[Broodstock]

River chub. Heck of a pretty fish for a rough fish.
I’d like to catch a few smallmouth buffalo on the fly. They are very old fish living up to perhaps 100 years old.