Carp fly fishing

Fished for carp at a park in New Jersey. I chose
this water because the carp here are especially
cautious. This maybe the most difficult place to
catch carp that I know.



When I arrived in the early afternoon, I saw
feeding carp. I decided to not use any chum.
Within the first fifteen minutes, I had hooked
a relatively small carp. There are no big boys
in this water. No carp weighs more than a few
pounds. The second carp was caught in a
different part of the river.



The third carp took longer to catch. I think in
hindsight, I should have moved to another part
of the water, carp were getting wise to me.

During the time I was fishing, I would see takes
that were not typical carp takes. Usually this means
small panfish or catfish ( I was fishing on the bottom
in dark water). Finally I caught a nice, about a foot
long catfish.

By the time the weather started to get threatening
I had hooked 5 and landed 3 carp. I wanted to
take one more crack at the carp but I could hear
the thunder in the distance.

According to the New Jersey Transit bus schedule
the next bus to NYC would arrive at 7:15 pm; so
I walked to the bus stop several blocks away.
" And then it started to rain". It rained, thundered
and lightninged for nearly an hour. There were
no shelters or doorways in which to hunker down
It was a heavy rain. I was literally standing in an
outdoor shower.

The rain slowly soaked my clothes starting at my hat.
Even my gore tex shoes were wet inside due to the
trickle down theory working. If you stand still the
rain soaks your pants, runs down you leg and
into the tops of your soxs which filters the water
before it collects in the bottom of your water proof
shoes

Holly Berry

The real Holly berry.

Dan River

Spent several days in Danville, Virginia. Finally
got to fish Dan River. I had visited her as a boy
but never had a chance to fish this unique river.

The Dan River is a river of contrasts - even contradictions. But it also has similarities like the brook trout and striped bass. Both fish fight hard, but do not leap- and both are naturally occurring.
The Dan River originates high along the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Patrick County and flows easterly until it empties into 50,000-acre John H. Kerr Reservoir (Buggs Island Lake) near Clarksville, Virginia. The Dan River is a stream for all seasons and the choice of a variety of anglers. It's hard to imagine while standing on the banks of John. H. Kerr Reservoir that four counties to the west, the Dan River is a sparkling mountain stream and home to the native brook trout.

Hot Fun in the summer time

During the summer, I like to fish the lower portion of the Passaic river. Carp and Northern pike (Esox lucius or water wolf) actively feed during the heat. The Passaic river, the longest river in New Jersey, was formed during the last ice age from a proglacial lake. A proglacial lake happens when water is trapped by ice until the water overflows. That overflow became the Passaic.

The river still has a pollution problem but I have witness improvements in the quality of the water since 2004. Now when I fish, I see crabs, young fish, turtles and stripe bass living in the river.

During the summer months, is when carp feed on the surface of the river. I use an 8 weight fly rod to fish for fish in the river and small round pellets made from deer hair as "bait". When tied correctly, flies made from deer hair float like a bug or piece of bread on the water.

Carp offer a unique challenge to the fly fisher because of what is required to catch them. They are smart, cautious and tough. Some like to compare fishing for carp with a fly rod to fishing for bone fish with a fly rod. Both require stealth, patients and casting skills in order to have a chance of catching the fish.

Several times during the summer I also fish for pike in the river. I target these fish using big flies up to a foot long sometimes! Pike are at the top of the food chain in the tidal water of the lower Passaic river; where it flows through the urban areas of New Jersey. Nothing is bigger, badder or meaner than the pike with it's canine like teeth. Pike will lay in the river, almost motionless, waiting for a unsuspecting fish to pass by. On the attack, pike can go from zero to speeds in the upper teens when pursuing prey!

And then it started to rain

I had not fished in New Jersey in more than a
week. I started to fish at the shallow end of the
lake where it is easier to see the fish feeding.



Shortly after I arrived, clouds started to roll
into the area. The chum I had placed on the
water was causing carp to cloop( feed on the surface)
I have found that the carp here like smaller
deer hair flies rather than larger ones like size 10.

As the feeding frenzy of the carp increased, the koi,
"Passaic Red" made an appearance. She would
not take more than a pellet at a time. while
the common carp would gulp as many pellets
as they could without having to breath air.
Red would surface, eat and dive deep, only
to surface 20 or 30 feet away and repeat the
process.

It had started to rain but it was not a soaking
rain. It was fun at first and then the sky opened
the rain became a down pour.

6wt

Decided to have some fun this afternoon.
I packed my gear with a 6 weight rod and headed
to New Jersey.



My plan was to see how many carp I could catch
before it got dark. I arrived at the lake after
3:00pm. It was warm but not oppressively hot.
I started at the west end of the lake.



As I worked my way east, I saw a few guys
fishing for carp, without fly rods.
They were fishing with just a can of corn for bait.
Not what I would recommend for carp. Yes they,
the carp take corn but I always carry more than
one weapon into war.



Carp will feed at different levels in the water
column; so one needs to use tactics that will allow
one to fish where the carp are feeding.
I fish on the bottom, top and in between to increase
the likelihood of catching a fish.



By the end of the evening, the other carp fishers
were watching in amazement as I hooked carp
and catfish. I had 9 carp take my offerings and
landed 6 carp. when they saw I was using a
#12 hair ball, they didn't know what to say.