JHM3
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Posts posted by JHM3
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Trev, this fish came on the drop ... need to find more fish before I can judge how they react to the strip. Will let ya know.
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Never seen it before, but that doesn't mean someone else
hasn't tied one like this. I was inspired by McTage's
flies ... I'm just lazy and wanted to make things to go
a tad faster at the vise.
BTW, I've had great fishing for bigger carp using his
wed wabbit strip worm and the red foam disk version too.
McTage is spot-on with his concepts.
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Well, it worked. I walked around the good cove for 1/2 hour. Finally saw a carp.
One cast, one carp landed. I was pleased.
Tiemco 200R, red ultra-chenille and thread, black bead-chain.
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Bill, that's one handsome carp. Nice job, as usual.
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fell to a "long" San Juan. I had blown about 30 good shots prior
to scoring this fish. Finally everything came together when I slowed
down and focused.
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BDB, you have those urban carp wired, man !! Well done.
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Jack, they could have been keyed in on whatever was attached to those pads, like tiny snails, etc.
You may have simply run across fish that know "ants" are not white. Just kidding, but a surface fly (in general) is not a "high probability" bait for carp. I might give a dark "slow sinking" nymph a try. Be careful, most purchased nymphs are too heavily weighted. Once hooked, fighting a carp around those pads could pose another problem.
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Rick, the 50 lb braid is not about the strength, it's about the diameter. By using it you can load a lot more backing compared to regular 30 lb dacron type backing. Going to 30 lb spectra braid is counter-productive ... it is so thin it will dig into itself on the spool and cause a problem when you least need one. 50 lb is ideal, but ya gotta be a little careful cause it will cut ya.
More backing is a good thing in Baja, since you are liable to hook into something that does
not wanna stop. Yellowfin Tuna, big Roosterfish, Wahoo, etc. Moocho fun-no !!
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Nice work, Bam !! Now shoot for the elusive 20 lb common.
I know Sebastian and Carlos in that video. They will keep your sides hurting.
Put them in a boat surrounded by busting false albacore and you've got a laugh riot.
Very talented dudes, and they can catch a stud in a ditch ... even a big ditch like the
C&O canal.
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I have hooked a couple over the yrs, but botched 'em. This one stayed buttoned, and was kinda "round". 2nd smaller fish came two casts later. Weird fly I tied last nite. An "orange" shrimpy lookin' thing. It's a tidal creek. The little fish actually ran it down. Then back to my exterior painting project.
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Roger that, men ... boga stays home from now on. I found a digital scale that someone gave to me as a gift a few yrs ago. Never used ... forgot I had it. I will simply attach it to the net, then subtract the weight of net.
I just zero'd it ... it's right-on-the-money.
Thanks !! and the carp thank you.
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Clay, I too worried about that (use of boga) until last year. I was wading the main river for stripers and hooked a 22 lb carp on a shrimp fly. The fish had a distinctive "notch" is his back just ahead of the dorsal ... probably an old osprey inflicted injury. I remembered catching the same identical fish 2 yrs prior off the same point. At that time, I weighed it on the boga. As I recall it was just shy of 21 lbs.
If I weigh "any" fish on the boga, I try to only "hang" them as briefly as possible to get a quick reading... and I agree, probably not the best practice for any species.
However, the 2nd time I caught that carp he exhibited no boga-damage, and was as spunky as the first time I hooked it.
Glad you brought up the subject ... I'm searching for a "weigh-net" with silicone bag.
Any recommendations ?
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Visited my nearby carp haunt. I could see about a dozen fish from the roadway that crossed Paper Mill Creek. They were "mudding" mostly, one tailer... all were within casting range.
I had to meet the gutter/down-spout man at 11am, so I had about 40 minutes before I needed to be home. I rigged the 6 wt with a San Juan worm. I went 3 for 4 ... first fish bent the hook open. My fault, I used some light wire # 8 streamer hooks that were not carp-worthy. I changed to another SJW (same hook) and just did not pull as hard. Next 3 fish were 6 lbs, 7.5 lbs, and 10.5 lbs on the boga.
You had to cast up-tide of a mud cloud ... and time the sink rate of the fly so it would meet up with the fish as it angled down. When the fish saw the worm, the water would "bulge" ... this normally indicates that the fish just sucked-in the fly. A slow strip would bring you tight.
I am still experimenting with these "tidal" carp ... they spend most of the day "mudding" in about 2 ft of water. They will react abruptly to the SJW, but I don't think a marine worm is what they are rooting up. Possibly tiny mud crabs about the size of your thumbnail. I do not want to autopsy a fish to be sure.
They are feeding heavily now in prep for the spawn, which is soon. Last pic shows a dispersing mud-cloud. Actually two fish feeding parallel to each other. It helps a lot if you get the fly upcurrent of the cloud as soon as you see it balloon up from the bottom.
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I sometimes use epoxy or hard-as-nails on head wraps. However, before I fish the fly I will stomp it into the mud first ... at water's edge. I often hook the 1st fish I see.
I was told years ago that the bottom mud will mask the order of anything.
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There are clam beds around (razor clams) ... though not predominant.
However, the little mud crabs are everywhere. If you pull a branch out of
the water (or any wood structure) it is covered with them. I can experiment
by catching some and live-baiting them on light spin tackle... just to see if they
get picked-up. If they work "live", then I will tie some up.
Bottom is mostly mud. Rather deep in places... tapering into silted over
soft sand.
I have also not tried the Mole crab (Sand Flea) approach, but they are not
common in this area ... I have a simple sand flea pattern that has caught pompano and whiting in NC, so I will try it anyway ... leave no stone unturned.
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Swiss & frankievalli77 ... you may have something there. I totally forgot about
the crabs and clams. These waters are full of little mud crabs, the size of your thumb nail. Also clams that could easily be crushed by a carp. Crayfish are also
something I skipped over. I know there are some crayfish around, since I find them in my minnow trap from time to time.
Not sure about a clam pattern, but I will give the little mud crabs a try and replenish my stock of crayfish flies ... lost the last one to a nice smallmouth
on the Potomac last October.
The mudding behavior gets rather violent at times, so I think whatever they are eating is alive and kicking when ingested.
I will go to the vise in the morning and work on a micro crab fly and some
crayfish.
Thanks for jump-starting my brain !!
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I've been fly fishing for carp since 1959 ... and consider myself experienced.
However, I recently moved to Maryland's eastern shore and have run into
difficulties with the local "brackish water" carp.
I have had no problem locating fish in the headwaters of local tidal creeks.
Some are in the 20+ pound class.
I have thrown every fly none to mankind at them ... no takers. My usual
"go to" nymphs, small buggers, San Juan worms, grass shrimp flies, charlies,
etc. None are effective. I have varied the sizes, colors, and presentation... nada.
The fish are actively mudding ... my question: "what is the world are they
eating" ??? I do not wanna resort to catching one on corn or similar bait and
killing it just to access it's stomach contents.
Any ideas on what they could be eating ?? Meaning the natural food ?
Thx, JM
San Juan Worm Modification
in Carp on the Fly
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Savay, funny you mention that ... I use that exact same black bead-chain for large
damsel and hex nymphs. Maybe the carp saw two characteristics that looked familiar.
Worm body and hex eyes.
"Candy-gram for Mongo !!"