Newbie Question: How many fly sizes & colors to tie for next season?

"Willi" wrote

Carp.


there was a guy at hayspur last month that I got to talking with he is
doing the same sort of all summer fishing trips I have done the last few
years

one thing he does each summer is chase carp in a place not to be mentioned
here G it's an August deal ( nothing else happening ) and I'm planning
to give it a try with his help

one intriguing comment he made " you pretty much need an 8wt, at least a 7,
you don't have a prayer of controlling a big one with less"

I've tried to catch a few here locally on a flat of a local stream where I
have private access .... they are spooky devils ....I've never done the
bonefish thing but he does every year and compared it to that


oh, saw this today and thought of you g

http://tinyurl.com/2tk2ee

Larry L wrote:
"Willi" wrote


Carp.



there was a guy at hayspur last month that I got to talking with he is
doing the same sort of all summer fishing trips I have done the last few
years

one thing he does each summer is chase carp in a place not to be mentioned
here G it's an August deal ( nothing else happening ) and I'm planning
to give it a try with his help

one intriguing comment he made " you pretty much need an 8wt, at least a 7,
you don't have a prayer of controlling a big one with less"

I've tried to catch a few here locally on a flat of a local stream where I
have private access .... they are spooky devils ....I've never done the
bonefish thing but he does every year and compared it to that


Common Carp are MUCH easier than Grass Carp. There's a group of local
guys who are REALLY into Carp fishing. A couple of them have "flat"
boats rigged up with poling platforms etc. I've gone out with them a few
times this Summer and had a ball. One guy professionally guides people
on his boat and has developed some pretty unique patterns.

We have alot of small irrigation reservoirs locally that hold carp and
are generally clear. It is alot like Bonefishing except that you get
many more chances. You should like it, it's all sight fishing. Carp
have a wide range of different behaviors. I have no idea what most of
them are. Just because you see them in shallow water doesn't mean
they're feeding and if they're not feeding you're very unlikely to hook
one. Once I learned how to tell when they were feeding, my success went
way up. IMO, that's the key. Carp are very strong and have a couple good
runs in them. You need to control them on their first long run or you're
likely to lose them. Most don't have alot of stamina. When I first
started catching them, I found them gross, but now I consider them them
to be attractive fish.

Willi

On Oct 16, 11:12 pm, Willi wrote:
Larry L wrote:
"Willi" wrote

Carp.

there was a guy at hayspur last month that I got to talking with he is
doing the same sort of all summer fishing trips I have done the last few
years

one thing he does each summer is chase carp in a place not to be mentioned
here G it's an August deal ( nothing else happening ) and I'm planning
to give it a try with his help

one intriguing comment he made " you pretty much need an 8wt, at least a 7,
you don't have a prayer of controlling a big one with less"

I've tried to catch a few here locally on a flat of a local stream where I
have private access .... they are spooky devils ....I've never done the
bonefish thing but he does every year and compared it to that

Common Carp are MUCH easier than Grass Carp. There's a group of local
guys who are REALLY into Carp fishing. A couple of them have "flat"
boats rigged up with poling platforms etc. I've gone out with them a few
times this Summer and had a ball. One guy professionally guides people
on his boat and has developed some pretty unique patterns.

We have alot of small irrigation reservoirs locally that hold carp and
are generally clear. It is alot like Bonefishing except that you get
many more chances. You should like it, it's all sight fishing. Carp
have a wide range of different behaviors. I have no idea what most of
them are. Just because you see them in shallow water doesn't mean
they're feeding and if they're not feeding you're very unlikely to hook
one. Once I learned how to tell when they were feeding, my success went
way up. IMO, that's the key. Carp are very strong and have a couple good
runs in them. You need to control them on their first long run or you're
likely to lose them. Most don't have alot of stamina. When I first
started catching them, I found them gross, but now I consider them them
to be attractive fish.

Willi

I was fishing for panfish this summer and a huge carp took one of my
panfish flies. I have to admit that it was a thrill to battle and
land that fish. Once I had him landed, I was a bit numb with
shock.....it seemed like such a HUGE fish to take a tiny fly like
that.

"Willi" wrote \



Common Carp are MUCH easier than Grass Carp. There's a group of local guys
who are REALLY into Carp fishing. A couple of them have "flat" boats
rigged up with poling platforms etc. I've gone out with them a few times
this Summer and had a ball. One guy professionally guides people on his
boat and has developed some pretty unique patterns.

We have alot of small irrigation reservoirs locally that hold carp and are
generally clear. It is alot like Bonefishing except that you get many more
chances. You should like it, it's all sight fishing. Carp have a wide
range of different behaviors. I have no idea what most of them are. Just
because you see them in shallow water doesn't mean they're feeding and if
they're not feeding you're very unlikely to hook one. Once I learned how
to tell when they were feeding, my success went way up. IMO, that's the
key. Carp are very strong and have a couple good runs in them. You need to
control them on their first long run or you're likely to lose them. Most
don't have alot of stamina. When I first started catching them, I found
them gross, but now I consider them them to be attractive fish.

Willi

This echos what GT told me, "Don't bother to cast unless he is "tailing."

And, lord knows, I NEED easy to catch for sure.

The place where I have tried them they move up out of the depths onto a flat
and I've always assumed they were searching for food, but I've watched for
fairly long periods without ever seeing one eat anything that I could tell.
Maybe that helps explain why, so far, I have only tried to catch, not
succeeded :-( The same place has trout and I usually switch to fishing
for them before long, I should be more persistent.

On Oct 16, 10:28 pm, Willi wrote:
Larry L wrote:

Some interesting musings.

The things that capture my fishing attention seem to change over time.
Lately I've been most interested in new places and new species.

This Summer I futility attempted to catch a Grass Carp. There's a small
shallow pond about a mile from my place that has about a dozen Grass
Carp ranging from 10 to 30?+ pounds. Huge, handsome fish. Although some
people have reported some success with traditional flies, mine have been
totally ignored. They're plant eaters and I think it's tough to imitate
plants. I probably tried for them about a dozen times. I'm casting to
actively feeding fish but mostly they move to avoid my fly. A fly
falling too close to any one of the fish, sends it on a tear which in
turn blows up all the other carp. Fish that size freaking in water less
than two feet deep is pretty wild. Obviously that puts an end to the
fishing. Most sessions last about ten minutes.

Willi

I have a fly customer in the Marines posted at camp liberty in Iraq.
They found some success in catching those carp with the "Green beauty"
pattern. I don't know if they are grass carp though.
He said a slow steady retrieve seemed to work, but was experimenting
with patterns and pausing retrieves.
He sent me some nice pix.

Lloyd M
http://www.mainetackle.com

On Oct 16, 9:28 pm, Willi wrote:

This Summer I futility attempted to catch a Grass Carp. There's a small
....
actively feeding fish but mostly they move to avoid my fly. A fly
falling too close to any one of the fish, sends it on a tear which in
turn blows up all the other carp.

IIRC I once caught a grass carp, maybe 10-15lbs. It's wasn't shallow
water but a bunch of them were lazing on the top in the late morning
along a weedbed. After spooking different groups a few times, I
eventually dragged a small (#14 maybe) nondescript fly (unweighted but
sunken) right past the nose of one, and he turned and sucked it in. I
would cast maybe 1/2 the leader length past the front of one, and try
to drag it past and meet up with his nose as he lazily swam.
Eventually worked.

Which reminds me they turned off irrigation a few days ago down here,
so water levels will be down to fishable, and the carp will still be
there...

Jon.

mdk77 wrote:


I was fishing for panfish this summer and a huge carp took one of my
panfish flies. I have to admit that it was a thrill to battle and
land that fish. Once I had him landed, I was a bit numb with
shock.....it seemed like such a HUGE fish to take a tiny fly like
that.



Common Carp eat a wide range of things. Nymphs and crawfish are often
sought out. I commonly fish size 12 and 10 nymphs and soft hackles.

Other types of carp are another story. There are several different
species of carp that have inadvertently been released into our waters in
"recent" years. Like you probably know they are in Illinois rivers and
two of the species feed on zooplankton, the very bottom of the food
chain that all other fishes ultimately depend on. There is a major
concern that they'll make it into the Great Lakes.

Willi

wrote:
On Oct 16, 9:28 pm, Willi wrote:


This Summer I futility attempted to catch a Grass Carp. There's a small

...

actively feeding fish but mostly they move to avoid my fly. A fly
falling too close to any one of the fish, sends it on a tear which in
turn blows up all the other carp.


IIRC I once caught a grass carp, maybe 10-15lbs. It's wasn't shallow
water but a bunch of them were lazing on the top in the late morning
along a weedbed. After spooking different groups a few times, I
eventually dragged a small (#14 maybe) nondescript fly (unweighted but
sunken) right past the nose of one, and he turned and sucked it in. I
would cast maybe 1/2 the leader length past the front of one, and try
to drag it past and meet up with his nose as he lazily swam.
Eventually worked.


Nice job, sunning Grass Carp are "supposed" to be impossible!

One of the local carp guys told me his "secret". He feeds the Grassies
hand fulls of grass clippings for several days and then casts a fly he
ties that looks like grass. Not my cup of tea but I'm sure it works.

I'll have to keep plugging away.

Willi

I"m the OP. Thanks to everyone for their input. After considering
all of the information I think I have a list of flies to tie this
Winter. Some of these I've fished successfully with this season -- my
first season fly fishing. The patterns will almost all be from the
book "Trout Flies: The Tier's Reference" by Dave Hughes. A few of
these patterns are local ones that work around here, where I live.

Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Whitlock Fox Squirrel Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Herl Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Muskrat Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Scud Nymph (Regular & Beadhead) 16, 18 & 20
San Juan Worm Searching Nymph) 8 & 10
Elk Hair Caddis Dry Fly (Adult Caddis) 12, 16, 18
Adams Dry Fly (Searching Fly) 20 & smaller
Beetle Bug Searching Dry Fly 16
Serendipity Midge Pupa (Regular & Beadhead) 16-20
Griffith's Gnat Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Sangre De Cristo Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Lead-eyed Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Muddler Sculpin Minnow Streamer 2, 6, 10
Jim's Maribou Streamer Minnow 12, 14
Soft Hackle Wet 14, 16, 18
Jim's Gurgler (floating fun foam fly) 8, 12
Jim's Foam Spider 10
Foam Beetle Terrestrial 12, 16
Dave's Hopper 6,10

I can't wait to start tying :-)
Thanks again for all of the ROFF help!
p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

- Dave K.

"mdk77" wrote in message
oups.com...
I"m the OP. Thanks to everyone for their input. After considering
all of the information I think I have a list of flies to tie this
Winter. Some of these I've fished successfully with this season -- my
first season fly fishing. The patterns will almost all be from the
book "Trout Flies: The Tier's Reference" by Dave Hughes. A few of
these patterns are local ones that work around here, where I live.

Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Whitlock Fox Squirrel Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Herl Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Muskrat Nymph (Searching Nymph) 14, 16
Scud Nymph (Regular & Beadhead) 16, 18 & 20
San Juan Worm Searching Nymph) 8 & 10
Elk Hair Caddis Dry Fly (Adult Caddis) 12, 16, 18
Adams Dry Fly (Searching Fly) 20 & smaller
Beetle Bug Searching Dry Fly 16
Serendipity Midge Pupa (Regular & Beadhead) 16-20
Griffith's Gnat Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Sangre De Cristo Adult Midge 20, 22, 24
Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Lead-eyed Woolly Bugger Streamer 6, 8, 10, 12
Muddler Sculpin Minnow Streamer 2, 6, 10
Jim's Maribou Streamer Minnow 12, 14
Soft Hackle Wet 14, 16, 18
Jim's Gurgler (floating fun foam fly) 8, 12
Jim's Foam Spider 10
Foam Beetle Terrestrial 12, 16
Dave's Hopper 6,10

I can't wait to start tying :-)
Thanks again for all of the ROFF help!
p.s. I'll remember that fly size is #1, then pattern, and then
color :-)

Don't forget the Pass Lake, in black, size 14. Six dozen for a start.

Wolfgang
well, hell, everybody should have SOMETHING that works.