A Taste of Saltwater in the Midwest
by Michael Schmidt

As is often the case after work I found myself out on the lake with my trusty kayak, working my way around the coves in search of active fish.  Not too far off I knew of a spot where there were nearly always active fish as the day wore down so, wanting to waste no time, I strapped the rod in and started paddling.

 As I slid under the bridge separating the river from the lake I could see the tell-tale rings of active fish dotting the few acres of flats bordering on the river channel, so I slowed the kayak to a near stop and began the slow drift to get into casting range of the outermost fish.  As I got in close enough I made my first cast, but I was rusty and off the mark by at least a foot.  That sort of casting would do nothing for me in pursuit of these ever wary fish.  From the corner of my eye I could see that a man in a red pickup truck had taken an interest in what I was doing and had pulled over to the side of the road to watch.  I made a few more casts, each time making sure to place the fly in the path of the fish and be patient, not rush the presentation, but I wasn't rewarded with a hook up.  After about a half-dozen casts the gentleman who stopped to watch yelled out to me  “HEY…y’all know them is just carp, right…?” 

“Yes sir, thank you sir” I replied, with a gleam in my eye, knowing that I would never have to share this spot with anyone because nobody seemed to want it.  As the man drove away, shaking his head at the ‘crazy guy in the kayak’, I made the perfect cast to a carp that decided it was ready to play, and proceeded to tow me a few acres with a beadhead fly firmly embedded in the corner of it’s mouth. 

That story has played itself out in more iterations and more times than I can count.  Considering that I release more or less all the fish I catch, it never occurred to me to be upset that I had hooked in to a 6-pound carp that fought like a freight train, instead of a 2 pound bass.  Until a few years ago it was not something that I could talk about openly without expecting a good laugh from whatever group I was talking to.  But then a funny thing started to happen; after the laughter subsided people would come up to me in private and admit that they too had fished for carp intentionally…of course, only when the other fish weren’t biting.

I think that fishing for carp is perhaps the closest thing to saltwater flats fishing that you can get right here in our own backyards, and I immensely enjoy it.  I have heard them referred to as the Golden Ghost or Golden Bonefish, and both certainly apply.  Carp require that you approach them with caution and present a fly with precision or they are likely to simply vanish in a cloud of dirt.

My carp fishing experience comes mostly in stained water on mud flats or in similarly stained rivers so I will keep the following information more tailored to those sorts of situations.  Sadly I have not yet pursued the mammoth carp in the clear water bays off of Lakes Michigan and Superior yet, but do plan to rectify that this summer.  I will also be focusing on the common carp (Cyprinius carpio) as opposed to the grass carp or white amur (Ctenopharyngodon idella) as they are fairly different both in behavior and diet.

Carp begin to actively feed once the water gets up to 39 F and begin pre-spawn movement to shallow water at 41 F.  Fortunately for anglers the lower limit for carp to spawn is at about 66 F, so there is an extended period of pre-spawn eating in shallow water that makes carp an ideal target for the fly rod angler in early spring.

The pursuit of these fish in the spring is highly rewarding if successful, but you will have to deal with their exceptional senses to get close enough to cast to them.  Carp have excellent vision.  Fishing in muddy water conditions will help to negate this somewhat, but if the water is clear you will certainly have to stay low and slow.  In addition to excellent vision they also have an excellent sense of hearing, or, more accurately, they can sense the slightest vibration in the water.  They do this by using the swim bladder that is connected to their inner ear as an amplifier, meaning that any mis-step on your part can send them fleeing.  Carp also have a sense of taste said to rival that of higher animals.  What this means is that you need to take care not to let other items such as bug spray, sunscreen, or tobacco come in contact with your flies, or you stand a higher chance of leaving empty handed.

Carp will eat nearly anything, but as with all other things in the wild they will focus on that food source which is most available to them.  Most often when fishing for carp I will use a nymph or crustacean.  When fishing for carp I look for those that are both active and accessible, meaning I am usually fishing a flats area that bottoms out in a few feet of water or, in a river, I focus on a sunny shore with gradual banks.  As said before, the waters I fish for carp are generally muddy, so what I'm looking for is more often than not "tailing carp."  Carp that are tailing will have their mouth down, rooting amongst the rocks and mud on the bottom and their tails, if the water is shallow enough, will be waving above the surface.  These are the fish I like to target as I know they are feeding and perhaps will not be as aware of their surroundings. 

The idea is to keep an eye on the fish long enough to determine what direction or pattern it is swimming and at what rate.  Once you have an idea where a fish is headed it's just a matter of properly leading the fish so your fly has enough time to make it to the bottom and into the feeding zone.  After a few refusals you might change the pattern or try again by changing the presentation, by twitching the fly as the carp is within a few inches to try and entice it to your offering.  In clearer water another option is to cast ahead of the fish and as it gets close to the fly give a short strip, giving the appearance of a nymph or crayfish attempting to flee, and then watch the carp turn to take it!  If you are lucky enough to have the right conditions and trees by the water then you will find that you can also have a wonderful day taking carp on dry flies imitating mulberries or cottonwood seeds.  These fish are wonderful to have on your line and will provide much entertainment if you are properly equipped.

For me, here in the Midwest, I know that many people have done some steelhead fishing; a steelhead rig is the type of outfit I'd suggest you use in the pursuit of carp.  It is understood that you can certainly get into fish on a 5 or 6-weight rod, but you will likely have more luck stopping a truck than a carp on that light a rod.  Personally I prefer to use a 9’ 8-weight rod when I head out for carp.  Line is not really important as long as it is floating line, since you will be fishing in less than 6-8 feet of water.  Lots of backing is an absolute must as a good fish will likely show it to you a few times.  I like to have 100 yards of backing as a precaution, though I generally do not see more than 60-70 yards of it.  As with any fish that can scream line off your reel and then come firing right back at you it is advantageous, though not necessary, to have a large arbor reel.

Of course, the best rod and reel in the world will do you no good without the fly to attach it to the fish.  The following patterns have been my luckiest in pursuit of carp.  Notice that all the patterns are weighted, which serves several purposes.  Weighting allows the fly to get down quicker and flips the hook so it rides hook-point up in the water.  Having the hook up is important for it’s snagless properties, but more importantly it allows the fly better contact with the down-turned mouth of the carp.  You will also notice that there is very little if any flash on these flies.  With a fish that has such excellent sight it is not necessary to use flash to get their attention, so it is used sparingly.

The most common and productive nymph I fish is this Swimming Nymph.

The second best nymph is this common BH Prince Nymph.

Whether left on the bottom or twitched the ‘Lil Bugger catches many fish off all species.

A simple to tie Rabbit Leech Bugger.

A wonderful crayfish imitation is the Foxee Red Clouser.

And finally the Foxee Bastard.

This has all been a brief overview into the world of fishing for carp.  Hopefully you are able to take something away from this and build on your knowledge by going after this wonderful fish on the water.   If you are interested in learning more, there are two books I suggest you read.  The first is a tough book to find as it has been out of print for some time, titled "Carp Are Gamefish Too."  The other book is the best and most thorough book I have read on the subject called "Carp on the Fly", by Reynolds, Befus, and Berryman.

Carp are everywhere and are willing to take a fly if you are willing to learn how to go about it.  Hopefully this has primed you to give it a shot and I will see you on the water!

Michael Schmidt is the owner of a commercial fly tying business called Anglers Choice Flies which specializes in premium hand-tied flies, for a wide variety of species. http://anglerschoiceflies.com/