[carolinafisherman]

Howdy folks,

I've never specifically targeted carp, but on several recent spin fishing trips, I have seen pretty large carp feeding in a local pond. I am wondering if anyone can help me out in terms of which gear setup, in terms of flies, leader, tippet, etc. I've heard about egg flies working, but that's about it. Do you think I can get by with my 5/6 wt. rod (I might also have a 7 laying around) or should I use my thicker saltwater rod? And what type of leader/tippet should go on there to prevent snap offs?

Thanks for the help fellas, tight lines
-CF

EDIT: I figured it would help for y'all to know that while there are some HUGE looking carp that sometimes are seen making a guest appearance here, I would primarily be sight casting to what appear to be about 5 or so pound carp.

[NJ All Day]

Ummmm..... The 7 weight will probably work fine, for 5-10 pound carp, there are a lot of different flies for carp.

You can use smaller clouser minnows with bead chain eyes, smaller woolly buggers, corn flies, they will also take different patterns off the surface. You can use a heavier leader maybe 10 pound.

[tidewaterfly]

I agree, the 7 wt will work for the smaller fish, but a heavier wt rod would be better if you start to get into bigger fish on a regular basis. I've caught them on a 6 wt up to about 15 lbs, and that's all you want to try & handle with a 6, it's a chore!

Anything will work for flies, they're not particular when it comes to patterns. Nymphs & crayfish imitations are what I've done the best with. Buggers will certainly work, as they'll mimic either. Tie them buggy with materials that breath, rabbit or marabou incorporated into flies has worked great for me.

With the lighter wt rod, and depending on the area being fished, you don't want to go too heavy with the tippet, because you don't want to be busting rods, but you certainly don't want to get too light either. As NJ All Day said, 10 is good with a 6 wt. If there's a lot of weeds, rocks or other things that they can get you wrapped up in, then a heavier rod and tippet would be much better.

When I've targeted carp, I've never had much luck with cruising fish. Any that I've actually hooked up on have been busy rooting in the bottom, or feeding on the surface, on things like mulberries. Stealthy & quiet approaches are required, as they spook easily, and pin point casts are essential. Don't get sloppy with the casting either, the noise of the line hitting the water can spook them quickly! I wear clothing that blends in, even camo, as sight fishing for them is more like hunting than fishing in the areas I fish.

I've also never had much success when they're spawning. There can be dozens of them in the shallows, but they have other things on their minds besides eating.

Best of luck to you!

[carolinafisherman]

Well... I've only got my 5 weight with me at this point, so I guess I'll try and hit em with that. I also don't have too heavy of a reel with a lot of backing for me to let them run, so I don't know how this is gonna work. They've been rooting around a lot, so I think I'm gonna tie it on somewhat thick and throw a leech at em. If they come up to the surface, I'll switch to a mulberry. Thanks for the info guys!

CF