Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
Noggin10

Grass Carp

Recommended Posts

Does anyone have experience fishing for them? They aren't the same as common carp, therefore none of the common carp flies seem to work for me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Very ironic, I was seconds away from posting a question about grass carp flies. So I will ask here! Does anyone have anything they use specifically for them? I have a few ideas to try. I saw some huge ones last summer/spring and want to get latched onto one this year.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

here in UK grass carp will take ALL baits common carp do. But they are much more picky, baits need to be smaller, they don't eat weeds anymore than other carp species which led to lots of disappointed fishery owners here. Small dries, nymphs like PTN or GRHE would be my go to. But if they are in the wild, the fly line being cast will quickly spook them.

In a book by John Wilson, he says " the truth is that grass carp are timid when stocked in a fishery with king carp and they always get to the bait last."

He recommends all the same food baits as for common carp, so I would say scale down your flies, aim for surface baits where you can, be v.quiet and avoid areas where other more aggressive feeders are.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Amur River variety were stocked in local lakes which since have been stripped clean of flora. They have been seen taking overhahning grasses off the shore. In mid summer they also go airborne every once in a while for no apparent reason. The loss of cover has hurt the panfish and bass fishing a lot.

 

I have spooked them while spin casting UL baits for bass in the shallows. The wake was nuke sub like.

 

One guy on the lake fishes them all time and uses very light weight fly rods and has several very light leader records for big specimen. There are no snags and the runs are almost tarpon like. He has a method going for him. He feeds them off his dock with fish kibble each evening and they line up like dogs at their bowls at feeding time. His grass carp special is a bit of foam lashed to a hook and dyed brown-kibble.

 

Rocco

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In my area, getting them on the fly is usually very hard. I think the first thing I would try would be cottonwood seed flies.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest rich mc

i read of anglers using green tomatoes for them in california. trick was to let it drift to them as they were sunning on a light bobber. so maybe a green fly dipped in tomato for scent . rich mc

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Used to fish for them in commercial fishing pond here in SG with raw tapioca slices...not too sure if they will take flies though, a rather timid fish and spook easily.....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only way i know to catch them consistently is chumming. I'm not a chummer, so I busted my ass for a looooong time to catch a few. They were all caught on small olive carp flies. I only had one come anywhere close to a real eat(like a common would eat)...the others were practically snagged in the mouth. I do think that cottonwood seed flies, mulberry flies, etc. would work really well if they are keyed into naturals or are looking up. I never had that happen once, ever, personally. Drop a mulberry fly on a grass carps head when there isn't a mulberry tree and see what happens. My vote is to find some commons and stick with them! They fight better anyway.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I changed my mind. Try eggs. Unweighted eggs. I'm moving back to grass carp country pretty soon and this will be my tactic. Truly....eggs. Magical.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...