Had to work straight through the weekend again, but I did get a chance to sneak out before dark last night to observe the “Carp Conundrum” and see if I could puzzle out a solution.
The issue isn’t their willingness to feed, it’s a combination of murky water coupled with what and how they eat.
I spent an hour on the bridge just watching and noted the two styles of fish available; a pod of fish facing the bank and eating what appears to be grass roots and weeds along the edge, and there’s the occasional solo fish that has a mud plume behind him – it’s slowly headed upriver in a traditional bonefish pose. Nose down into the bottom and tail just under the surface making an almost imperceptible disturbance.
I can’t get a fly into the bank fish, they’re facing the wrong way and there’s no water between them and their forage. The “bonefish” feeders are more skittish than trout and their mud plume can’t be seen when you’re down at the waters edge.
They’re creatures of habit, and once spooked they’ll return within 15 minutes, as long as you’re motionless. Makes for one hell of a difficult stalk – and I haven’t even got to the presentation part yet.
As I can’t get a fly into eyeball range of the grouped fish, looks like I’ll need to design something that’s heavy enough to ride along the bottom, carries the hook point up, and looks like whatever it is they’re feeding on.
Someone once asked, “If it costs so much more to tie flies, how come you do it?” Simple, if I could get a fly that looks like a severed stalk of hydrilla, with dull olive bead chain eyes, I’d buy snot out of them.
The Roughfisher blog has been kicking butt and naming names, and I’m thinking of trying his latest creations modified for my oddball presentation needs. He steered me to the above fly tied by Sister Carol Anne Corley that looks exactly like what I need – after I throw some copper bead chain eyes on it.
Bead chain will turn a hook over instantly so it’ll ride point up, copper is the dullest color commercially available, and if it fails to produce I’ll dip them in green “tool grip” – a fast drying latex rubber that’s used to dip tool handles. That’ll take the shine off the beads and hopefully I’ll have my Gutbusting BottomRoller Hydrilla Carp Killer.
Naturally I’ll forget all the help I got from the Good Sister and Jean Paul – claiming it “came to me in a vision…”
… which is the other reason you blow all that cash to learn fly tying, so you can appear humble and gracious when you take credit for someone else’s hard work … same as middle management, only with hackle pliers.
UPDATE: The Bernat Boa yarn used by the above fly is no longer made in the “Mallard” color. I found two skeins of it on eBay – at $5.00 each, and the vendor has a couple more at last look.
“There’s such a fine line between clever and stupid.” –David St. Hubbins
Good luck with that. I’m still 0 for Carp but have it as a goal to catch one by the end of summer. Look forward to hearing how you do.
Please — “Came to me in a vision” is the best you can do?
C’mon — if you want to attain the status of fly fishing uber-guru, you’ve got to market yourself as an uber-guru.
For example, you were working late at the vise, when you had not just a vision, but entered a powerful, semi-waking trance.
Days later, you woke up amidst a tangle of bobbins, Jolt Colas and your own fecal matter, with the fly (clearly the result of divine inspiration/alien visitation firmly clamped in the vise.
See how much more dramatic that is?
Agreed, it’s way better…
How about “I was tying 64 dozen Pale Morning dun emergers, and realized the pile of debris I’d clipped had shaped itself into an effigy of the Virgin Mary.”
I had a choice, sell it on eBay or accept the offer from GoldenPalace.com …
that solo fish is the one you want, don’t even bother with the ones munching veggies.
I feel your pain. One of my favorite carpin’ spots turned into the garden of eden last month. There were weeds there last year, but nothing like what grew this year. With the weeds, came less fish. The ones that stuck around are munching roots like you mentioned.
At least it’s still a good smallie spot- till the weeds clear out.
Seeing the plumes at water level is tough unless you’re right on top of them. Watch for air bubbles.
I’ll check for the bubbles – didn’t see any last night but there wasn’t enough solo fish to get a good feel for behavior. It might have been only a single fish.
I can make out the subtle dimple the tail makes but those are easy to miss if you’re not looking. You have to stop fishing and focus, not something you can rely on consistently.
So far I am 0 for 2 on carp. Out of about 100 casts i have had one on the hook for about 10 seconds.
On my last trip I was eyeing a log in the water until i realized that it was swimming along beside me as I walked.
I’ve landed one – which merely whetted my appetite to land more. What’s apparent is they’re not easy, not stupid, and require a bit of dedication to be successful.
…but they have the greatest “fly mouth” – tough, leathery, and if they don’t straighten the hook or bust you off – you’ll land it.
Try this nymph pattern with a red wire rib:
http://roughfisher.blogspot.com/2008/02/x-factor-nymph-hook-size-10-tiemco-3769.html
took a few big fish on it yesterday.
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