Carp Fishing in BC
At this point you have probably completely stopped reading altogether or you are curious about what the fuss is all about. Well carp fishing is as close to bonefishing as you’ll ever get in BC. The only difference between the two is you can turn a bonefish and the fight will last two to five minutes. Good luck turning a carp with those big, broad shoulders and powerful tails. Maybe with a 12wt you could. I prefer to use a 7wt fly rod. For line, I use RIO Outbound. With this line I’m able to pound long casts in the wind. I use long leaders, from 12 to 15 feet. Lines can either be floating or a clear sink tip. The outbound lines consist of have a welded loop on the end which lets you change your sinking tip quickly and easily. RIO offers a huge variety of tips in either 7 or 12 foot sections. These tips start at a sink rate of 1.5 inches per second, which is clear, all the way up to 7 inches per second. Price ranges start at about $8.00 for a seven foot section up to $17.00 for a twelve foot section. Now one doesn’t have to break the bank and buy a whole new line and spool set up to change their application. It’s as simple as looping on a new tip or removing it to go back to a full floating line. My usual choice is a floating line tapered down to a fluorocarbon tippet around 2X strong. In my previous article, I briefly touch base in rod and reel choices for fly and conventional outfits. Today I would like to get a little bit more down and dirty. The nervous water that I mentioned earlier can be distinguished by visible ripples and V indentations that the carp leave in the shallow water. One must utilize polarized glasses to see in the water. Not every day is sunny like we would like, so overcast days can be frustrating for sight fishing. Now if you think you have spotted this nervous water, watch if the direction is stationary or on the move, because now you must read in which direction the carp are moving and place your cast. For beginner casters, place your cast right at the mark, for your accuracy probably hasn’t developed yet. For advanced casters, place your cast ahead of the carp, on either the left or right side, in the direction it’s moving to. Carp use a lateral line that helps them to detect noise and trust me, they’ll hear you tromp through the water. One must think and wade like the great blue heron. Now that you’re cast has landed and you haven’t spooked your fish, begin the retrieve. If you have cast too far, but the fly is in the direction that the carp are moving to, have no fear and don’t pick up the cast. Let it sit and wait. When they’re closing in, start your retrieve with 4 to 8 inch strips at a medium pace. When you’ve hooked up and feel the line tighten, don’t set the hook as you would for bass. You want to perform a strip set. This is when you strip the line in with your rod tip straight and parallel to the water, gaining tension on the fish. The carp will let you know when it’s time to lift the rod tip, for you’ll see your line peeling through your hands, possibly leaving you with a good burn. Carp will peel all your line including most of your backing. Not just once, but consecutive times. My longest battle probably lasted half an hour with me running back to my boat and my fishing partner chasing it with the gas motor on ¾ tilt.
Boats are a huge advantage when carp fishing. The number one advantage is that you are higher. My John boat is a perfect setup and I’ve made it as close to a Panga as possible. Panga’s are flats boats used in most destinations when fishing the flats. A standing platform that allows me to see farther gives me the advantage in finding, cruising or tailing carp. If you see tailing carp, this is a carp fishers dream. These fish are actively feeding. Head down, tail up, that’s the way I like to chuck, with the fly landing a foot to the left or right. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s fish on. To help my boat in its propulsion, I use an electric motor. Never use a gas motor when cruising the carp flats. I will also use a pole to aid me in moving my boat and to keep it’s placing when in high wind. On the front of my boat, I have a standing platform. This allows my fishing partners an even more stable platform to cast and fight the fish.
As far as times to fish for carp, you can fish all year long. The optimum times to fish is when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees. As early as April, you can see very active fish. These fish are spawning. Usually you will see the splashing about. These fish will not take the fly, not even bait. During spawn, it’s almost impossible to get them to feed. In early spring during pre-spawn, they will take fly or bait very readily. My favourite time to fish for them is during the warm summer months with shorts and t-shirts a must. Wet wading is one of my favourite things to do but getting out of the boat is usually fairly mucky business. The places I like to fish have rich sediment. Usually when you step in you are up to your knees in mud, but this is where the carp like to feed as high levels of aquatic insects are present. Bugs such as bloodworms, dragons and damsels hang out in these areas. Don’t overlook rocky areas because crayfish hangout amongst the rocks and are one of the carps favourite foods. Quite often, you can see the carp rooting around for these delicacies. This is referred to as tailing or mudding carp. When these signs are apparent, my fly selection consists of crayfish, leeches and my own creation, the swamp donkey.
I previously suggested shallow water when searching for carp. Carp is found in all depths of water, however shallow water makes it easier to spot and fly fish for them. When fishing deep water, I prefer conventional gear. Rods such as Shimano’s Nexave in 12ft with a 2 ½ pound curve are the rod of choice. I use a spinning reel with bait running capabilities. The reel I use is an Okuma Avenger with the bait runner option. With this gear, I can now target fish effectively in three water zones. The bottom being the most popular and the one I prefer to fish. Mid-level waters can be fished using float setups and the surface usually being the least preferred. When fishing the bottom, I like to use boilies. If you read my previous article on carp fishing in BC Outdoors, I give numerous amounts of recipes and store bought baits which you can use. In Europe, these baits have been perfected, as well as the riggings. Their fish have been much pounded and as a result, are very wise. Our fish are less educated with less fishing pressure. A simple rigging I use to attach my boilie is called a hair rig. A carps’ mouth is very sensitive and able to detect a hook so I rig it with a very thin braid past the hook and I tie a loop onto the end of the section extruding 3 inches past the hook. With a needle, I thread the braid through the boilie, sometimes up to three of them, and they all but up to a stock of grass that I place into the loop. This stops the boilies from sliding off. During certain times of year, I will scent my boilies to give added attraction. I prefer Pro-Cure corn scent or crayfish attractant. The carp have a pair of fleshy barbels attached to their face. These appendages are sensitive to certain scents. This is why I use all the help I can get. In British Columbia, it is illegal to chum the water. This is why I selected certain spots to place bird feeders. By placing bird feeders on the carp’s game trail, you can kill two birds with one stone. The birds bring an ambiance to your fishing day and for me it brings great pleasure to my surroundings. Just remember to always supply bird feed all year round and mix the same feed into your boilies.
Carp fishing can be very productive in deeper water and by using conventional setups such as floats to target them, you can increase your hook ups. Not every float works the same and there are many different varieties. I prefer a waggler style float or a wirestem small balsa float. These types are specifically designed for carp. Their sensitivity is far superior to anything out in our market. To decide which float to use you must determine how much weight you want to use in conjunction with your rigging. I prefer small split shots in size 7 and add accordingly to load my float. I will adjust my float to the desired depth with the aid of float stops, with DNE or Drennan float stops being the best in my opinion. They are installed simply by threading your main line through their built in threader onto the line itself. One is able to adjust the float to its proper depth. People always ask me what depth to adjust to but this is a difficult question to answer as every piece of water is different in depth and where the fish are travelling. The key is trial and error. To join your main line to the leader I always use a #12 Kodiak 2 way swivel. My leader is always fluorocarbon in a 3’ length. The thinner the leader the better. Try a leader in 8lb breaking strength and as thin as 3X in diameter. For hooks I use a DNE barbless in size 6. The best baits to use when float fishing are maggots, kernel corn (green giant) and multigrain bagels. I apply a scent to all of these.
Surface fishing is not as readily performed but can be quite successful. Carp feeding on the surface can get ones heart pounding. Carp feeding on the surface is known as schmucking. The name originates from the sound they make when they come up for the food. They feed on floating berries, bugs during season and even cotton during the spring from the cottonwood trees. The rigging for surface fishing is done by setting the weight on the end of your line. This weight is known as a bomb. The float to us is a center slider. Thill makes an awesome float for this presentation, which should be placed between your bait and bomb. To stop your float from moving, a float stop is placed above it. Between the rod which will be placed high in the rod holder and the float, you will have a sliding rig placed on the line. To do this, it’s fairly simple. I use a #12 rolling swivel, attached to a leader and hook, which hangs my bait above the water. This rig slides up and down between two float stops and beads so that the rig bottoms from top and bottom while suspending the bait on the surface of the water. For bait selection, use what’s in season – salmon berries, black berries and even bread, especially when people are feeding ducks. For up close casting, eliminate the float because the carp will become wise to the danger that this float represents.
Whether you use the fly or conventional gear, I believe carp to be a whole other great fishery. Try some of these techniques and I hope you enjoy.
Fly Recipe – The Swamp Donkey
Hook: Mustad C53S
Eyes: black plastic medium
Tail: olive rabbit
Ribbing: chartreuse uniyarn
Body: olive polar dubbing
Throat: olive rabbit
Legs: chartreuse zebra legs
Head: olive polar dubbing
Thread: chartreuse unithread 6/0
Boats are a huge advantage when carp fishing. The number one advantage is that you are higher. My John boat is a perfect setup and I’ve made it as close to a Panga as possible. Panga’s are flats boats used in most destinations when fishing the flats. A standing platform that allows me to see farther gives me the advantage in finding, cruising or tailing carp. If you see tailing carp, this is a carp fishers dream. These fish are actively feeding. Head down, tail up, that’s the way I like to chuck, with the fly landing a foot to the left or right. Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s fish on. To help my boat in its propulsion, I use an electric motor. Never use a gas motor when cruising the carp flats. I will also use a pole to aid me in moving my boat and to keep it’s placing when in high wind. On the front of my boat, I have a standing platform. This allows my fishing partners an even more stable platform to cast and fight the fish.
As far as times to fish for carp, you can fish all year long. The optimum times to fish is when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees. As early as April, you can see very active fish. These fish are spawning. Usually you will see the splashing about. These fish will not take the fly, not even bait. During spawn, it’s almost impossible to get them to feed. In early spring during pre-spawn, they will take fly or bait very readily. My favourite time to fish for them is during the warm summer months with shorts and t-shirts a must. Wet wading is one of my favourite things to do but getting out of the boat is usually fairly mucky business. The places I like to fish have rich sediment. Usually when you step in you are up to your knees in mud, but this is where the carp like to feed as high levels of aquatic insects are present. Bugs such as bloodworms, dragons and damsels hang out in these areas. Don’t overlook rocky areas because crayfish hangout amongst the rocks and are one of the carps favourite foods. Quite often, you can see the carp rooting around for these delicacies. This is referred to as tailing or mudding carp. When these signs are apparent, my fly selection consists of crayfish, leeches and my own creation, the swamp donkey.
I previously suggested shallow water when searching for carp. Carp is found in all depths of water, however shallow water makes it easier to spot and fly fish for them. When fishing deep water, I prefer conventional gear. Rods such as Shimano’s Nexave in 12ft with a 2 ½ pound curve are the rod of choice. I use a spinning reel with bait running capabilities. The reel I use is an Okuma Avenger with the bait runner option. With this gear, I can now target fish effectively in three water zones. The bottom being the most popular and the one I prefer to fish. Mid-level waters can be fished using float setups and the surface usually being the least preferred. When fishing the bottom, I like to use boilies. If you read my previous article on carp fishing in BC Outdoors, I give numerous amounts of recipes and store bought baits which you can use. In Europe, these baits have been perfected, as well as the riggings. Their fish have been much pounded and as a result, are very wise. Our fish are less educated with less fishing pressure. A simple rigging I use to attach my boilie is called a hair rig. A carps’ mouth is very sensitive and able to detect a hook so I rig it with a very thin braid past the hook and I tie a loop onto the end of the section extruding 3 inches past the hook. With a needle, I thread the braid through the boilie, sometimes up to three of them, and they all but up to a stock of grass that I place into the loop. This stops the boilies from sliding off. During certain times of year, I will scent my boilies to give added attraction. I prefer Pro-Cure corn scent or crayfish attractant. The carp have a pair of fleshy barbels attached to their face. These appendages are sensitive to certain scents. This is why I use all the help I can get. In British Columbia, it is illegal to chum the water. This is why I selected certain spots to place bird feeders. By placing bird feeders on the carp’s game trail, you can kill two birds with one stone. The birds bring an ambiance to your fishing day and for me it brings great pleasure to my surroundings. Just remember to always supply bird feed all year round and mix the same feed into your boilies.
Carp fishing can be very productive in deeper water and by using conventional setups such as floats to target them, you can increase your hook ups. Not every float works the same and there are many different varieties. I prefer a waggler style float or a wirestem small balsa float. These types are specifically designed for carp. Their sensitivity is far superior to anything out in our market. To decide which float to use you must determine how much weight you want to use in conjunction with your rigging. I prefer small split shots in size 7 and add accordingly to load my float. I will adjust my float to the desired depth with the aid of float stops, with DNE or Drennan float stops being the best in my opinion. They are installed simply by threading your main line through their built in threader onto the line itself. One is able to adjust the float to its proper depth. People always ask me what depth to adjust to but this is a difficult question to answer as every piece of water is different in depth and where the fish are travelling. The key is trial and error. To join your main line to the leader I always use a #12 Kodiak 2 way swivel. My leader is always fluorocarbon in a 3’ length. The thinner the leader the better. Try a leader in 8lb breaking strength and as thin as 3X in diameter. For hooks I use a DNE barbless in size 6. The best baits to use when float fishing are maggots, kernel corn (green giant) and multigrain bagels. I apply a scent to all of these.
Surface fishing is not as readily performed but can be quite successful. Carp feeding on the surface can get ones heart pounding. Carp feeding on the surface is known as schmucking. The name originates from the sound they make when they come up for the food. They feed on floating berries, bugs during season and even cotton during the spring from the cottonwood trees. The rigging for surface fishing is done by setting the weight on the end of your line. This weight is known as a bomb. The float to us is a center slider. Thill makes an awesome float for this presentation, which should be placed between your bait and bomb. To stop your float from moving, a float stop is placed above it. Between the rod which will be placed high in the rod holder and the float, you will have a sliding rig placed on the line. To do this, it’s fairly simple. I use a #12 rolling swivel, attached to a leader and hook, which hangs my bait above the water. This rig slides up and down between two float stops and beads so that the rig bottoms from top and bottom while suspending the bait on the surface of the water. For bait selection, use what’s in season – salmon berries, black berries and even bread, especially when people are feeding ducks. For up close casting, eliminate the float because the carp will become wise to the danger that this float represents.
Whether you use the fly or conventional gear, I believe carp to be a whole other great fishery. Try some of these techniques and I hope you enjoy.
Fly Recipe – The Swamp Donkey
Hook: Mustad C53S
Eyes: black plastic medium
Tail: olive rabbit
Ribbing: chartreuse uniyarn
Body: olive polar dubbing
Throat: olive rabbit
Legs: chartreuse zebra legs
Head: olive polar dubbing
Thread: chartreuse unithread 6/0