Bob'n for carp

[Jay Murakoshi]

It's been a long time since I've been fishing, so after dropping off my grand daughter, I decided to do some carp fishing at the lake.
The conditions were ok, except for the weekenders out having their picnic's and swimming.
I decided to drive around to the other side of the lake and find a empty cove with no one around. The lake has dropped quite a bit since the last time I was there so it was difficult to find a cove holding fish. I eventually found a cove with good cover, lots of shallow water and some carp swimming around. After putting the rod together and tying on the hot fly, I started stalking "Mr. Bugle Lips". I study there swimming habit for a while and watched them feed. Most were bottom feeding in the weed line.
I started wading and stalking like those long skinny legged white cranes do. One step at a time.
Step by step, I was watching and stalking this fish that was an easy 20lbs+. Slowly I waded, step by step, stopping as he turned, waiting for another chance to take a step. Then he turned and started moving away.
I slowly took a step by step, watching this huge fish swim through the weed beds. Getting a birds eye view, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I think it was my third step into the chase is when it happened.
The first two steps were on solid ground and the third step, the ground had disappeared. I stepped into a drop off into a deep pole.
SPLASH, face first into the water. After the rude awaking, I got myself back on to dry land and needless to say the fish had disappeared.

No one around to witness the moment, " I'm glad" Sat on a picnic table and dried off then headed back home. I'm really glad I didn't have my new Nikon digital camera around my neck.

Maybe tomorrow

Jay

[Flyjunkie]

I've done that before Jay... wading along a supposed "solid" ground.. when Swoosh!!! up to my Neck in Water... :shock:

I did it on Green Creek, in those Beaver ponds along the Drainage. Luckily No one watched my "diving Submarine" imitation and I quickly hustled back to my tent to get out of the Wet Clothes.....

As long as you didn't break Any Bones.. you came out of the Dunking Alright :wink:


DEAN ~ ~~ 8) 8)

[Rickey Noel Mitchell]

Hey Jay, You got to watch out for those drop offs at Millerton, they can happen quick. Now as for you doing a crane walk after carp...I'm going to start hiding in the bushes with my Nikon digital. It's time to go after those bass.

[Jay Murakoshi]

Hey Ricky

Give me a call and let's go chase the bass

Jay

[Ed Wahl]

Lake Washington in W. Sac. has a lot of carp. They're hanging around right on top of the weed beds, don't know what they're doing there, maybe scaring off all the bass. :? Caught one fiesty bass way in the back end of a side channel, only one for the evening.

[Mike Churchill]

Ed,

Where are you fishing in Lake Washington, and how? Shore, tube, other? I've driven down there to look at it but haven't tried it yet--it's kind of an odd place. :?

Mike

[Ed Wahl]

I put the pram in on the south bank opposite the port and rowed across. Fished the tules and weedbeds all the way up into the Lake Washington area. Lots of sunken and skuttled boats up there, kind of eerie. Birds made it a worthwhile trip though. Great Blue Herons perched on all sorts of weird objects, pilings, masts of wrecks, old catwalks that were used for god knows what. A G.B.H. doesn't look quite so noble when it's looking off a cable at the water with it's head between it's feet. I was planning to fish the pileings at the port after dark for stripers but chickened out when it actually got dark. That's a strange place.

[Jay Murakoshi]

Hey Ed,

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I might have to bring up my pram. Are you allowed to use a trolling motor. With all the sunken boats, the place sounds like something out of the "Pirates of the Carribean"
If there on top and sucking bugs, I wonder if my old trusty royal wulff would work there. I know it works at my local lake.

Thanks again

Jay

[JerryInLodi]

Jay, I see dozens of carp rises every day while fishing for LMB on the delta. It's pretty predictable where you'll find the fish, usually about six to twelve feet on the outside of the weed line in areas of less than full flow. Water is from 12 to 20 feet deep in most cases. Some of these fish must be related to Megamouth, they're huge.

My brother-in-law caught one, about 16 pounds while striper fishing last year. A legal, inside the mouth hookup on a small clouser.

Now how can we target these fish? Any ideas. Because of the depth of the water and the usual visibility, 3-4 feet, sight fishing is out.

The only other time I see them is on quiet days when they're actually laying on top of the weeds munching away making big sucking sounds. I don't think that a presentation could be made to them without spooking them and you'd have to drop the fly right in their mouth anyway since they're actually on top of the weeds and not swimming.

Come up with a plan and I'm willing to spend a whole day, my boat and my gas on the delta trying to entice one on the hook. OK, maybe not a whole day, the LMB fishing can be awful tempting!

Oh, I forgot, considering your wading post, I have lifejackets on the boat if you care to wear one!

[Jay Murakoshi]

Hey Jerry,

Like you fishing LMB, I concentrate on good old "bugle lips". In the last 3 years, I have put more time into carp than any other fresh water fish. Ten years ago, I thought I understood them but the more you study their habitats, feeding habits, spawning cycle, etc.... you realize that there's more to dough balls and corn.
But with all that said, each lake, river, pond, slough is different. Different depths, different clarity, different habits,

They are harder to catch and cast to than a bone fish. They definitly have more power when hooked than a bone fish. They can find any and all obstacles in the water. They don't give up until they are to the hand and that can be difficult at times. Some people think it's a waste of time to catch carp. Well, I guess I waste alot of time because I try to get to my local lake daily, even if it's just to watch them cruise in a cove.

Jay

[lee s.]

Depending on what's on their menu at the time, cruisers are hard. Tailers are better......but just a wee bit better! :wink:
Learned at the ISE last year that the "scales missing" shallow water slurpers that we continually pestered in Wa. state, were NOT the spawners we thought they were, but a carp species that DOES have missing scales. :roll:
GRAND targets, those carp. :wink:

[JerryInLodi]

I think the next time I'm going fishing and I see that I'll have a slack tide I'll bring some stale bread and salt a portion of the area with it and just watch. I'd be curious if the carp are very selective and only slurp in the bread or eat anything broadcast near by.

I've drifted many a river and have seen carp and other species attacking floating bread from sandwiches tossed into the river. Sometimes the rips were very vicious!

I have six koi carp in my pond, each about eight to ten pounds. These fish key in to me just walking up to the pond and are very selective and only eat the pellets. However, I've found that their vision does not allow them to actually see the food at their mouth. They slurp in the general direction of the food and sometime take six or seven slurps to take in the pellet, sometimes having to back off and reorientate themselves as to the exact location of the pellet.

[Darian]

I can see it now.... A 3 hook cast consisting of a raw dough point, a little dark rye on the dropper and a some nice toasted SF french bread for an indicator/hand hook.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[JerryInLodi]

Darian, everyone knows we only catch the stupid ones anyway!

And hey, what materials do I use to tie up an imitation of a Columbo San Francisco Sourdough? And should I tie a slice or dinner roll pattern?

[lee s.]

Jerry,
There are several local ponds where the people feed the ducks. A sack of bread and a square cut white foam fly will get you much top-water activity from bugle lips. Like fishing for most planters though, that certain "something" IS missing. :wink:

[JerryInLodi]

Lee, I wasn't suggesting actually fishing for the carp with the bread, just casting it upon the water to see what will show up. You know, the old, "Build it and they will come," thing.

I know my Koi are basicly vegetarians. They constantly suck at the algea and parrot's feather in my pond. Their pellets are at least half cereal meals. They totally ignore the mosquito fish. The carp I see in the delta on top of the weed beds can be heard 100 feet away when they're slurping up vegetation.

However, there's the instance of one hitting my brother in law's fly so they WILL hit a moving fly. In addition, fly fishers that fish in streams regularly fish for carp using crayfish patterns. Now believe me, the carp my brother in law hooked put up one hell of a fight as Jay says. I'd definately match it against any Chinook Salmon of equal size.

If these fish could be developed into a viable delta fishery for fly rodders using imitations and you actually hooked a twenty five pounder, believe me, you'd find the carp not so lowly!

[Jay Murakoshi]

Could you imagine a born and bred salt water carp species. I think it would rank in the class of a 40lb jack.

I wonder if one could live in the salt water envoirment. Heck, they can survive in 32 degree water and up to 87 degrees. They live in duck ponds full of c***, weed choked coves, skinny water envoirment and dowm to the depths. If a salmon or steel head can go from salt to fresh, :wink:

Gotta go to bed, my brain hurts.

Jay

[lee s.]

Jerry,
Like you said, ya ain't fishing with the bread....you're chumming with it. Or someone else is chumming for ya. Much like tossing sardinas in Baha or anchovies in the Pacific. That's why the white foam fly.
In Wa. we used white marabou to immi the white thistle stuff and cotton wood debri the fish were sucking from the surface. Once on the columbia R. at McNary dam, they took a #6 chartreuse shad fly quite enthusiastically, if you dropped too far back in the shad hole. We still have no idea what they took it for, but we enjoyed their participation till our arms got tired and we returned up stream to pester the shad and replenish the salt crock.
Often NOT spooking them is of utmost importance....even to just see what they're munching on for the time being. When tossing to them as opportunistic targets, we have had FAR more refusals than successes. They are seldom an oops fish but seem to need to be specifically and intentionally targeted for dependable success.
They ARE a hoot! :roll:

[slipjoint]

Bump - this is a good thread - it need's to live on - spring is just around the corner!