Carp Fishing

[YouCanCallMeIggs]

Originally Posted by Fishdog82

Carp grow larger than almost any other game species in NJ aside from Musky and Pike.
Carp pull hard and fight quite well. They do NOT jump however.
Carp are extremely intelligent as fish go. They have great senses of sight and smell.
Carp do not have many natural predators.
Carp are an introduced species by Europeans. I don't know if you can call them invasive or not as they're so prevalent now. Back in Native American times there were no carp here otherwise they may have used them as fertilizer.
Carp do not often attack lures with aggression. At times they can and will eat baitfish, craws, and other live prey but they do not have the same ambush predator programming of a bass or pickerel.

Wanted to get this on as a new thread, and would love to hear of anyone who has targeted Carp with artificials.

I know there are some serious fly-fishermen who target them- some have called it the 'freshwater bonefish.' When I was young I always thought that they were stupid fish but have since learned how smart they actually are.

[Fishdog82]

Originally Posted by YouCanCallMeIggs

Wanted to get this on as a new thread, and would love to hear of anyone who has targeted Carp with artificials.

I know there are some serious fly-fishermen who target them- some have called it the 'freshwater bonefish.' When I was young I always thought that they were stupid fish but have since learned how smart they actually are.

There was a North American Fisherman article a few years back about "Golden Ghosts" and guys fly fishing flats in Lake Michigan like they were bonefish. Carp are a lot of fun on the fly but so frustrating. I've only gotten 5 on a fly but each one was memorable. The best fly I've used was a Clouser Swimming Nymph in a "rusty mahogany" color. It's not a super popular fly but it really seems to trigger carp.

[YouCanCallMeIggs]

Not sure of the fly exactly, but I imagine it looking like some sort of brown damselfly nymph?

What size? I've read that rusty brown is the go-to color.

Went out for them last winter and had a hell of a time trying to get any fish to take. Super frustrating. I think the fishing is tougher in the cold months because their metabolism is so slow, too.

[flyers1kak]

gotta love the carp!

[Fishdog82]

Originally Posted by YouCanCallMeIggs

Not sure of the fly exactly, but I imagine it looking like some sort of brown damselfly nymph?

What size? I've read that rusty brown is the go-to color.

Went out for them last winter and had a hell of a time trying to get any fish to take. Super frustrating. I think the fishing is tougher in the cold months because their metabolism is so slow, too.

The one on the left.

[Bass Seeker]

I used to do a lot of flyfishing for various species. Often when targeting panfish in slow moving areas of rivers in northern Pa I'd catch carp on black ants that I tied. Simple black body with black hackle. Huge fight on a 5 wt.

[YouCanCallMeIggs]

that's a nice fish..

Great thanks for the fly pics.. I've been using 12 lb. Fluoro as tippet and then adjusting accordingly, 9 wt. w/ rio bonefish line

[stripeman 103]

Originally Posted by flyers1kak

gotta love the carp!

Very nice what did that horse tip the scale at

[flyers1kak]

Originally Posted by stripeman 103

Very nice what did that horse tip the scale at

32 lbs


ha just kiddin.. my scale only goes to 15, im guessing 17 or 18lbs

[stripeman 103]

Originally Posted by flyers1kak

32 lbs


ha just kiddin.. my scale only goes to 15, im guessing 17 or 18lbs

Alright definatley a nice fish.