Any fly fisherman out there?
- Thread starter hlfIV
- Start date
Bailey Boat
Twelve Pointer
When I'm fishing with a fly rod I'm fishing for anything that might want whatever I'm casting. Over my years I think I've caught just about every freshwater fish with the exception of a Muskie. When the Cicadas are hatching and falling into the water is when the Carp are most easy to catch, and a 10 to 15 pound Carp on a fly rod is something to be experienced!!
Since I don't eat fish I'm just as happy with a Carp as I am with a Trout or anything else.....
Since I don't eat fish I'm just as happy with a Carp as I am with a Trout or anything else.....
oldest school
Old Mossy Horns
sounds like sweet water drum to me.
I actually was using a fly rod before a bait caster, it's just what my family fished with but i have never caught a carp. I need to change that.
hifiV, tell us how you go about that. bailey boat your deal would work for me. thanks.
Mechanic Bob
Eight Pointer
Bailey I am 100% with you, but I have never caught a Carp on the fly rod, although I have tried many times. Those Carp on a fly rod would be like trying to stop a train with dental floss!
Couple questions for you:
Please post or describe the fly you use.
Not all Carp are the same, so will the Grass Carp hit the same lure as other Carp? (Sutton Lake has some HUGE Carp, but I could not hook them be it a fly, sweet corn, bread, Wheaties, I have only fouled hook them. )
Couple questions for you:
Please post or describe the fly you use.
Not all Carp are the same, so will the Grass Carp hit the same lure as other Carp? (Sutton Lake has some HUGE Carp, but I could not hook them be it a fly, sweet corn, bread, Wheaties, I have only fouled hook them. )
Bailey Boat
Twelve Pointer
Being the "purist" I am I keep it simple. I only tie one fly and it's a sponge spider with rubber legs. I will occasionally use a cork popper but 98% of the time it's my famous sponge spider.... Anything that swims will smash it...
Wanchese
Twelve Pointer
Pretty much the only recreational fishing I do is panfish and bass on fly rod.
Mechanic Bob
Eight Pointer
Thank you. I have tied up a BOAT LOAD of spiders / ants when I first started tying.
nchawkeye
Old Mossy Horns
I've been known to pick up a fly rod from time to time...Started at about 12, on Currituck, back when you could load up on bass with a fly rod...
hlfIV
Button Buck
Hey I am going to try and give the basics in one post. I use smaller flies size 8 to around 16. Its 100% sight fishing and a lot of reading the body language of the fish. As far as grassies go THEY ARE A PAIN unless you find mulberries or something along those lines. The trick is accuracy and stealth. As far as body language mudding/tailing are good signs get it about 4-10 inches in front of there face and dead stick it. If they are hitting dries put it in the path in front of them. Cruisers that are zigzagging up and down a flat are awesome and easy to catch. I will say that they tend to feed in a pretty straight line so try to put it in that line.
Last edited:
CRC
Old Mossy Horns
Lake James is full of carp right now
CRC
Old Mossy Horns
I'll pass on the carp fishing but just letting people who want to catch them know
CRC
Old Mossy Horns
I'd rather catch trout or smallmouth bass
hlfIV
Button Buck
Smallies and trout are fun on the fly too.
hlfIV
Button Buck
Where at on James?
oldest school
Old Mossy Horns
hifiv, tell me you stand on that yeti while fishing.
Only reason i ever got one. their ads fill me with envy when i watch the cats fish on one.
sounds like you have a great set up, exactly what i have heard of great lake fishermen doing.
Only reason i ever got one. their ads fill me with envy when i watch the cats fish on one.
sounds like you have a great set up, exactly what i have heard of great lake fishermen doing.
timekiller13
Old Mossy Horns
I used to fly fish 5-6x a week when I lived in Black Mountain. I would hit the trout streams hard and fished the French Broad for smallies quite often. I busted out the fly rod for the first time in several years last summer and had a ball catching panfish and bass in Lake Hickory and in some small ponds. Heading to Cherokee tomorrow, I will take the fly rod and probably hit up the special catch and release only section a little.
I've caught huge carp and monster muskies on the fly. In the summers around here I love to catch the stout bluegill from our local golf course pond on a 3-wt. Everything that swims is more fun on the fly than on traditional tackle...
Note: the Australian grass carp we used to catch when I was in college were in a local state-owned lake, which had fish-pellet feeders set up all over. We would carve foam ear plugs into a fish-pellet pattern, rig our fly rods with it, and wait for the feeders to go off. Then it was just a matter of time before a 30+ lb carp sucked it under...
Note: the Australian grass carp we used to catch when I was in college were in a local state-owned lake, which had fish-pellet feeders set up all over. We would carve foam ear plugs into a fish-pellet pattern, rig our fly rods with it, and wait for the feeders to go off. Then it was just a matter of time before a 30+ lb carp sucked it under...
Ashy Larry
Ten Pointer
Ive done the carp thing for several years now. Grassers up to 35lbs and Commons/mirrors up to 25 or so. They have a steep learning curve which is drastically reduced by cicadas. I still like smallies/musky/trout but carp have their time and place.
Ashy Larry
Ten Pointer
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/68186784" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p><a href="
">carpspace</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user865543">woolly bugger</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
This is me and a couple buds last time the cicadas came around the piedmont.
<p><a href="
This is me and a couple buds last time the cicadas came around the piedmont.
hlfIV
Button Buck
If you'd like to go again hit me up lol. I do more of a flat style fishing.
hlfIV
Button Buck
Yep its a dry box/casting platform lol.hifiv, tell me you stand on that yeti while fishing.
Only reason i ever got one. their ads fill me with envy when i watch the cats fish on one.
sounds like you have a great set up, exactly what i have heard of great lake fishermen doing.
oldest school
Old Mossy Horns
hey crc look at Ashy Larry 's video and tell us about the smallies and trout.
dem carp would pull them in two.
great video AL
dem carp would pull them in two.
great video AL
hlfIV
Button Buck
I haven't gone after Grassies in a few years. Makes me want to try again.
Ashy Larry
Ten Pointer
Thanks OS, we actually could have made a better video with last years grassies on Lake James....the average fish was over 25lbs. I enjoy bottom bouncing flies for commons a lot as well.
hlfIV
Button Buck
How bad are the bow fisherman up on James?
Ashy Larry
Ten Pointer
No clue. Only fished it twice. There were plenty of carp though.
hlfIV
Button Buck
Okay just wondering. The reason I ask is they have gotten bad over on Wylie, Norman and Mt.island. How long ago was it?
Ashy Larry
Ten Pointer
Last spring.