The Carp Top 10

THE TOP 10 TIPS FOR CARP ON THE FLY
From Kirk Deeter

This is from a podcast heard on Orvis.com, hosted by Tom Rosenbauer, with guest, Kirk Deeter. Mr. Deeter now has the, “Orvis Guide to Carp Fishing,” in print, but these Top 10 Tips were presented in reverse list format several years ago (2013).

I’m not really a podcast person; but this particular one I thought was interesting enough to take notes. It had tips that are new to me, about a fish that is completely new to me – CARP! 

Often thought of as trash fish, carp are gaining a new following among fly anglers. They are difficult to fool into taking a fly, and this appeals to the challenge-minded angler.

So, without further ado, and from my own notes, here are Kirk Deeters Top 10 Tips for Carp On The Fly.

10 . There is no “Standard Carp”
Every carp is different. With most fish, we try to determine patterns in behavior or activity that holds for all of them, at least for some length of time. It could relate to geography, the season, certain forage, etc. With carp, you wanna toss that idea out and go for a more nimble approach, then treat each fish as an individual. You are going on the hunt for these fish.

9. Where to cast?
Fly placement is important. Imagine the carp you are targeting is wearing a baseball cap. You wanna put your fly out front, so it lands off the bill of the cap. Accuracy is obviously important.

8. Use bonefish flies
This is going to strike you as odd, I suppose, but the best carp fly is one that copies the attributes of bonefish flies. Crazy Charlies are a great choice, as are those with hook-points-up, like shrimp patterns.
(I would start with a Briminator-style with a thick hackle collar and maybe add some rubber legs - David)

7. Where is the sun?
Whenever possible, maneuver yourself so as to place the sun at an oblique angle behind your shoulder. 30 degrees is good. This avoids the risk of direct shadows falling into the fishing zone, but keeps the fish well in your sight and well lit without glare. In other words, don't let them see you.
Remember, carp fishing on the fly is stealthy sight fishing.

6. No Noise
This is where we start into the good stuff.
Carp are discerning, often skittish, and attuned to disturbances in their environment. Anomalous noises, especially, will spook them. And once spooked, it takes them some time to settle back down and drop their guard.....
So if you are whonking the side of your kayak with a paddle, grinding gravel under your boots at waters edge, or making other klutzy noises within earshot of your quarry, you can expect they've made you. And once they know you are there, it may be game over.

5. Space out your casts
If you cast to a carp and it doesn't take your fly – don't fire another shot at it immediately. Keep calm, and plan your next cast even more carefully than your first. A minute isn't too long to pause for the right opportunity.

4. Don't attack them
The foods which carp normally eat, and the other critters in the carps world don't come blasting out of the blue to whack them on their dorsal fin. This is why you cast in front of them, in an attempt to intercept their path of movement. If a cast goes awry, don't snatch it back up and fire another shot straight at them.
Play it out and move it away from them in a normal cadence; they may come to take it if it arouses their curiosity – if you haven't scared the crap out of them by now.

3. Cadence
What works best – fast strips? Slow strips? Pausing for intermittent action between strips?
The answer is: yes.
It may be any of these; but, because each carp is different, you can't know for sure.
In general, a moderate speed is usually best. But if the fish are pressured by anglers, an aggressive approach may be your worst option. On the other hand, if they have a lot of space and rarely see an angler, THEY may be aggressive and chase your fly.

2. Target The Players
This is the single most important thing you can do when trying to catch carp on the fly. It's only at number two, because you can't figure out which are the players without number one.

So what is a, “player,” as applied to carp?
It is an actively feeding fish. 

There may be many fish in a school of carp, but there may be only a few “player's,” especially in a small group. The problem is they can be moody. Those that are only hanging in the water, or swimming idly about, are not active feeders – they aren't in a feeding mood. 

The 'players' have their tail in the air, while rooting along the bottom. Or they are busy sipping whatever surface bugs are available. They are hungry, feeding, and distracted. Fishing to the loafers is likely to just spook those guys, and then the whole bunch is alerted.
So fish to the players, pla'ya.

1. Observation
Numero Uno involves watching the fish, and stalking them quietly so you get to know them. Each is different, remember, and your best odds are with those that are actively feeding - the “players.”
But, to do this, you gotta watch them for a while to determine who is who.
Fortunately, there is a handy, Rule Of Thumb For Observing Carp:

“Spend 10 minute watching the carp, for every 1 minute of casting.”

Think about this.
a. You are sight fishing to the players, so you need to know which ones they are.
b. They are moving around.
c. What is their feeding rhythm - this helps establish cadence
d. Which direction are they headed?
e. Where is the sun?
f. What is the best interception point – and how to approach it?

You may find the occasional suicidal fish that will jump a fly the moment it comes near, but to work the odds in your favor you need to sit on your butt and think all this through while you watch the fish. This isn't luck fishing; this is planned fishing.

This is really fine tuning your fishing skills. In the end it makes you a better angler all around. Those who get good at catching carp on the fly will tell you the attention to detail, alone, will hone your abilities to a fine edge. If you do get good at it, every other kind of fishing will seem easy.

But, always watch the fish to see if you've been made - once that happens its best to either let them move on, or you go find other fish. Pressuring them will only put them further down and may send them scattering for the proverbial hills.

Above all, stick to it – if this was easy everyone would do it.

Adapted from an Orvis, Inc. podcast. To hear the podcast visit here...

Kirk Deeters Top 10 Carp tips (scroll down)