.... and bit the thing , got hooked .
Nephew and I were fishing a regular creek for Bass when up in the distance we saw a bunch of comotion in a mud shallow . The carp had their backs out of the water (it was that shallow on this small shoal) ... looked like Nessie with all the backs moving around .
When we got closer the nephew thought he'd toss his spinner into them to see what would happen .
Couldn't believe my eyes ... I was standing at the bow and saw this Carp come charging out of the group like a bolt of lightning , moving extremely fast . It B-lined straight into the spinner and bit it !!!
Yes , bit the spinner ... it was an aggressive charge and strike , certainly not a feeding strike . In any case , it got hooked and the nephew and I laughed till silly as he reeled it in ... kinda heavy and big fish . Who would have ever guessed something like that would ever happen ??
We figured they in the mud flat performing some kind of Carp mating dance and the strike was an aggression strike at an intruder ... we also figured we'll never see anything like that again .
How about you alls , ever heard of such a thing , we haven't ??
And I had no clue a mud Carp could move a speed like that ... looked like a Muskie or Northern Pike charge !!!
Carp will hit lures
Dear pilotwingz,
Was it a regular old common carp or was it one of those sterile Grass carp with the mouth more like a regular fish instead of the underneath suction mouth?
It makes no difference really, I'm just curious.
The grass carp are often used for weed and algae control. I had them in my pond when I lived in NY and caught a couple on flies that resembled a clump of algae - just green maribou on a hook. They feed aggressively on almost any kind of plant life, including leaves and grass clippings that get blown into the water. Maybe if it was a grass carp it thought the yellow spinner was a dandelion trying to escape? ;-)
If it was a common carp I've caught them on Mr. Twisters worked slowly for walleye as well as when I have been trout flyfishing with nymphs in slower pools. I remember seeing a fly fishing show on ESPN years ago where Dave Whitlock was wade fishing in Lake Michigan and casting crayfish flies and retrieving them past carp in shallow water. They were big carp and they chased and slammed those crayfish flies. Dave Whitlock caught fish up to about 25 pounds by doing that. It looked like it would be a lot of fun.
Around here there are some people that fly fish for carp when the mulberry bushes are ripe and the fruit is dropping into the water around the bush. The carp will just lay there waiting for a mulberry to drop in and guys tie purple flies that look like the berries and plop them in front of the carp. They usually get the fish to respond to the sound of fly splatting on the water surface.
I've also caught them feeding on the surface when the 17 year locusts are out and about. They wil rise just like a trout for big fat bug like a locust.
Regards,
Tim Murphy AKA Goobs
Carp on lures
Yup. Just a few weeks ago, I caught a 15+ pounder while trolling a crawdad crankbait for smallies. Carp will hit lures a lot more often than you’d suspect, and catching them on a fly is quite a trick because they fight so hard.
If you are going to catch and release anyway, what’s the difference in species hooked as long as they strike and fight hard? None that I can see.
in that case …
..... maybe we will see it happen again some day !!
It was definately a 1st for both of us though . Goobs , the Carp had the typical under the chin type mouth , it had a more yellowish underbody than other Carp I've noticed .
A run away dandilion , lol :-)
The info. you've shared about Carp was interesting ... I've heard that some folks target them as a game fish , now I have a better understanding of why . I just never would have thought it though .
Dad used to fly fish for carp.
He would use #18 to #22 midges when carp were slurping up gnats from the surface. He called it “poor man’s tarpon.”
- Big D