Classic Carp?

[dborjas]

I'm not sure how "classic", but I had to drop down to a size 14 callibaetis nymph and a long leader with 4x tippet to seal the deal. The fish was 25" long. I have no idea how much it would weigh. In the environment that I chase this fish in, they are very tough to fool. Sometimes they eat, most times they don't. They are always a challenge! dborjas

[Brooks]

Good work! I never tire of trying to out fox a carp.

[Shrimpman]

Anybody who poo-poos Carp on the fly hasn't hooked one! I've only had a couple on, fish of around five pounds caught sight fishing at close range, and they popped me off in lilies after screaming runs. They are outstanding.

[Brooks]

For some of you guys headed out west wondering how to lose the “trout crowds” you might consider Idaho’s Blackfoot reservoir for some carping. There are 28 sq miles of lake and many miles of convoluted shoreline, finger bays and flats. It is a remote beautiful spot on the border of Idaho/Wyoming and just over Tin Cup Pass from Freedom, Wyoming (Star Valley). Greys Lake bird refuge is nearby.

The mirror carp range from 5 to 35 pounds and can be caught in two feet of water (or less). Many 20+ lb fish are caught regularly.
I recommend at least a bamboo seven-weight rod and a minimum of 100 yds of backing.

It is a really fun flats-walking experience in a little traveled part of Idaho. I don’t mind advertising it: it is vast, remote, over-run with monster carp, and it might keep you off the trout stream during the stay-cation human hatch ;-)

[dborjas]

My goal is to land a 20+ lb. carp on the fly. To date i have had 4 or five hooked but haven't been able to bring em to the boat.So many things can go wrong! I have seen many over the 20lb. mark , but getting them to eat and then surviving that "first run" are another matter! I am just starting to explore the bamboo rod options for this species. Last summer I set the hook on a big female, she didn't even budge! On the second set she blew up, tearing my terminal gear to shreds on her way to another county.

[Brooks]

We’ve put on a fund-raiser “carp-on-the-fly“ tournament for many years at Blackfoot. Here’s a picture of a gal that won it a few years back. As I recall, this mirror carp was pushing 30 lbs.

[Gnome]

There is not a trout angler alive who can catch as many carp in a day as they can trout!!! Carp are way smarter than any slimey old trout;-)

[Perry Palin]

I caught a carp on a leech pattern many years ago. The fish was 20 inches long and 20 inches in circumference. It was quite a fighter, though it didn't swim as fast as the huge brown trout I had hooked and lost in that pool the week before.

On another occasion I happened to foul hook a big carp that ran downstream at a furious pace. The fish was lost, and I reeled in a scale the size of a silver dollar.

[dborjas]

The carp I am chasing are in a big reservoir. Gnome, you are so right, my harvest #s on carp on average are 1-3 hookups in a 6-7 hour fishing day. Some days are leaner then that. Conditions change constantly, sunlight/clouds, choppy to smooth surface, cruising/feeding carp vs. nonfeeding carp. I find I need long delicate casts with long leaders delivered from a rod able to muscle 10lb+ mudrockets. All this done from a fishing platform that is quick,comfortable, and quiet. All in all, a great way to spend a summer morning! Below is the fishing platform that is working for me. This single person pontoon boat is so stealthy, able to chase down cruising pods. Front and back anchors plus the stable standing platform in front make for a great fish chaser. dborjas

[teter]

I have fished several times for HUGE carp that swam around me but ignored my offerings. I finally managed to hook and land one (on a beadhead PT!), and was amazed at how small it was. If felt four times as heavy as it should have based on its size.

[dborjas]

teter, the carp I have been fishing to are around 24 to 30 inches. My biggest to the net was 26 inches and weighed 12lbs. I always think I need a bigger net when I try to lift 'em. I chased them two days ago at sun up, landed one, 24 inches. I lost the battle with another. # 14 cream parachute fished just under the surface. I saw both takes. fun morning.

[Brooks]

We fished Blackfoot Reservoir a couple weekends ago. It was as good as it gets: big fish in shallow water feeding, tails wagging in the air. Here’s a 20+ pounder that my friend Jeff Currier caught. Most of our carp were in this size range.

[dborjas]

Way to go brook. had good conditions up here 2 days ago, landed one about 1/2 that size

[prairieschooner]

I've only ever managed to hook one, and I had to chase that one up and down the lake to keep from running out of line. I finally got it to shore and it slipped the hook just as I was trying to grab it. Spooky, finicky fish!