Thanksgiving carp

I discovered that when the temperature is cooler carp are not active during the day light. At this time of year, carp can become active after sun set. For several evenings, I have witnessed carp swimming into the shallows and feeding in the darkness. They feast no more than a few feet from the shoreline. I can only imaging what they are eating but they are feeding. All one needs to do is cast a fly into that area; a carp will take your offering. The problem is that the temperature drops quickly after the sun sets. As a result of years of skiing in sub zero conditions, my hands have become very sensitive to cold. My hands become cold and numb easily. So I don't stay out longer than necessary in cold conditions.



The night before I caught this carp, I had fished from 4:00 PM until about 8:30 Pm and got not one bite. Carp were active, jumping and cavorting in the moon light but apparently not eating. And as I've said many times, "if carp are not feeding, go see a movie." The fish pictured was taken in the early afternoon on a deer hair pellet fly. The air temperature, for the past few days, had been in the upper 50's. so carp were active during daylight. I'm hoping to catch carp into the month of December.

small carp

Caught this youngster last evening while carp were feeding after sunset. I discovered this behavior after having spent 6 hours not seeing or catching anything. By accident I noticed that carp were feeding in the shallow end of the lake, even taking dry cat food from the surface. Dennis caught a carp using dry fly tactics and I used wet tactics. All we had to do was place our hooks in the water where we saw bubbles or carp tails sticking out of the water.

Carp on the fly with Brad Befus

http://www.askaboutflyfishing.com/media_player.cfm?sid=17

Barry Reynolds on carp

http://www.askaboutflyfishing.com/media_player.cfm?sid=92

carp in late fall

Quiet pool where carp hold. There is a Mulberry tree on the left.



My first carp ever in the month of November.



My first night time carp



Another carp caught after 5:00 pm in the month of November

I went fishing for carp. I got to the lake at 11:00 am set up and began to look for carp. In spite of the warmer weather we experienced, there were no carp visible. Hour after hour nothing to be seen. It was as if all the fish had picked and moved to Florida for the winter. I thought to myself that this could be the last time I fish for carp until spring. The sun began to slowly sink into the horizon. Then one of those good for nothing Canada geese moved closer to the edge of the lake and by accident spooked a carp that was secretly feeding in that same spot. a giant wake headed toward the center of the lake. I knew where the carp were hiding, less that a yard from the edge of the lake. In the twilight, I saw no evidence that fish were feeding but the fleeing carp's wake showed me carp were near and feeding. About 5 minutes later I hooked my first carp of the day. I told my fishing buddy and got him to try. He hooked his first carp in 2 days; in almost total darkness except for the moon above. Shortly after he netted his carp, I had a 2nd carp thrashing in the dark on a #10 barbless. With the sun gone the temperature begin to dive.

You must know how carp behave before you can catch carp. until I witnessed the carp feeding, in mass at dusk in the fall, I would not have believed that carp could become active so quickly. their feeding slowed after 6:30pm. we left after 7:00pm

Local waters

It is getting colder each day and windy too. I fished near the Boat house in Prospect Park today. Rigged my 2 wt and began casting to the left and working my way towards where fish normally like to hold. I tried a new nymph pattern I picked up at Orvis a few days ago.



I felt a slight tug as I began to fish the area where fish hold in the fall. I missed the fish. I cast again this time there was a thud and the line pulled away from me. I kept the rod tip low while I hand stripped the line in. A small Bg was brought to hand. After a few more cast to the same location I pulled in another but bigger Bg.



A pocket bass also liked the #14 nymph I was offering. At this time of year I like to fish 2 nymphs at the same time a bead head about 18 inches above a non bead head nymph. Often I can land two fish at a time.

South Pond

I returned to Nassau county this morning. I wanted to fish South Pond in Rockville Center. The pond is stocked with Trout twice each season. It was breezy to say the least when I arrived and cooler than I liked but I was dressed for the weather. Usually there are a number of anglers here but today I saw no one fishing.



This pond has a population of yellow perch and since the pond is not in New York City fish can be harvested depending on their size.



Next to South Pond is Mc Donalds pond, a smaller fishery but also stocked with perch, trout and bass. This pond's water was crystal clear,the good news. The bad news no fish were visable,not one.


Mc Donald's Pond

I fished for a few hours and then walked back to the Long Island Rail Road, skunked.



There was no evidence of carp activity today in Mc Donald's pond either.