fishydreams

The weedbeds and shallows of the Embalse del Ebro are full of carp and yet you wouldn’t know it. Most have the good sense to conceal themselves, many in the thickest parts dense beds of weeds. Occasionally they reveal rubbery lips at the surface or the arched surface of their backs between the head and dorsal fin. More often than not, you will not see them at all. What really really gives them away is the kissing sounds they produce as they slurp under a giant tangled green blanket. And those kissing sounds seem to be coming from everywhere. It is like you just walked in on a Roman orgy! 

Yesterday, I was keen to see if I could catch these carp. The fish that were in the thick of the weeds were out of bounds but there was a narrow shallow channel which was weed-free that had a few fish in and there were fish also in the shallow areas surrounding the weedbeds. Carp would swim through these spaces as if they had not a care in the world and they would occasionally pause to feed, sometimes in water so shallow that they were barely covered.

I have put in the hours trying to catch fish like these (and have often been unsuccessful!) but yesterday the fish cut me some slack and things came together nicely. On the back of yesterday´s success I am happy to ditch all modesty and self-deprecation and announce confidently that I consider myself the greatest living proponent of the art of fly fishing for carp! And this self delusion will stay with me until the next time I head out after these things and get skunked!

Hooking a carp in shallow water is like being attached to a freight train. If they go off in a straight line you just have to hold on. They are just so strong! If you were tethered to a carp by something stronger than a fishing line, and you were suitably equipped to do so, you could have a go at water skiing! As they run they will crash straight through weeds and drag the line through after them and it is sometimes necessary to wade after them and free up the line. After releasing a carp following a bruising battle, and with my glasses splattered by muddy water, courtesy of the released fish bolting off, I feel as if I need a little time to pull myself together!

The pick of yesterday´s fish for me was probably a carp in a shallow turbid channel. I could only see its tail but the fish was upended and busily feeding. I figured that if the tail was pointing up the head would be pointing down (there´s logic for you!). I was able to guide my fly just in front of where I thought that head should be and waited a couple of seconds. Then that tail gave an energetic waggle and a few bubbles popped up to the surface. I lifted the rod and then all hell broke loose!

And so, as a self-appointed carp fly fishing guru, what lessons have I learned?

This is what I have figured out so far………

1. Carp will be either feeding or moving. If they are swimming from one place to another, leave them alone (if you don´t want to drive yourself crazy). Likewise if they are sipping at the surface, often in tight groups or they are in mid water, again leave them alone. These ones will also drive you crazy too! It is not a question of finding carp, it is a question of finding the RIGHT one! Feeding fish will be moving very slowly.
2. Don´t worry if you can´t make out your fish very clearly. That means the fish also doesn´t see you! A blur might be all you can make out but look at it closely to figure out which end is the front and which end is the back. Try to place your fly in front of the front end!
3. Don´t cast too close to the fish. The Americans say you should “drag and drop” which means casting beyond the fish and drawing your fly steadily along the surface until you allow it to fall where you want it to go. This works! A fly tied with a 3mm tungsten bead landing within a foot or so of the fish will produce the same reaction as if you had thrown a brick!
4. Don´t worry too much about fly patterns. You want enough weight on the fly to sink reasonably quickly. Too much weight and the spooking effect is greater and it is more difficult to draw it along the surface before you allow it to drop. If the water is pretty turbid you might consider colours for your fly that stand out.
5. Fish when the light makes spotting easier. The fish seem to feed well in the heat of the day. I learned only recently that carp do not have stomachs (how did I not know that!) and so they have to feed pretty regularly.
6. Try to cast to fish that are near you. If the water is coloured you can get quite close to them and that makes everything easier. This is close combat stuff.
7. Unless you fish very clear water, I think carp are not leader shy. My tippet is 10 pound fluorocarbon. If possible, try to minimise the chance of them feeling the leader brushing against them anywhere. They are extremely sensitive to this and if they feel the leader it is game over! A heavier leader gives you a better chance if there are weeds and snags around.
8. Before you try for a carp think through what will happen when (not if!) the fish powers away. You will need somewhere to land it (I tend to beach them on mud or weeds and then pounce on them so they don´t hurt themselves). If they are close to snags that you don´t think you can extricate them from, just wish them well and let them get on with their day. Having the fish swim off unharmed is the way to go. I do have a landing net with me but the carp are fat lumps and don´t tend to fit in! The best net would be big and have a long handle so you don´t have to carry out acrobatics at short range which could damage the rod or risk losing the fish.

So there you go! If you haven´t had a go at fly fishing for carp and would like to, maybe these observations might be helpful. I hope so. I would suggest that it is important to be patient. You may be successful right off the bat but learning, for me at least, is by trial and error and things take time. If you persevere, you will never look back. Carp really are amazing fish and, if you want to catch something that is challenging, grows to hefty sizes, and is as strong as a mule you need look no further!