Carp on the Fly: a sight fishing challenge

There's an old phrase among fly fisherman that one of the attractions to the sport is the beautiful places it takes you. This has long been true with trout and salmon but with the current popularity of fly fishing for carp, the beautiful places seem to have gone by the wayside. Not that some carp don't live in pretty places, but their very nature lends them to be happy residents in places other fish would be too ashamed to call home.

A big attraction, no doubt, is the close proximity of carp to urban centers many fishermen call home. Another attraction is simply, pure fly fishing.

Carp put the angler on the stalk for a shallow water fish that must be approached with stealth. One wrong move and you're likely to see nothing more than a plume of cloudy water as a carp quickly swims to deeper and safer water. Casts are usually far and fine with delicate presentations. And finally, though in many ways it's first and foremost, it's a sight fishing opportunity. This sight fishing game is compared by many to be akin to bonefish on the flats or backwater redfishing.

Love them or hate them, carp have been here for more than 100 years and they're not going anywhere. They're challenging, take a well presented fly, fight hard, and best of all, just about everyone lives within 30 minutes of them.

If you haven't tried them, give it a go. You may become a carp groupie like many I know. We've had enough fun with them that we added them to our guiding itinerary and have great sport during the summer months when the trout fishing can become pretty fickle.

Visit our web site and call or drop us an email if you'd like to give carp on a fly a try.

Carpe Diem!