{"id":737,"date":"2006-03-03T21:24:01","date_gmt":"2006-03-03T21:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/2006\/03\/03\/article_screwball_looks_lonely\/"},"modified":"2006-03-03T21:24:01","modified_gmt":"2006-03-03T21:24:01","slug":"article_screwball_looks_lonely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/2006\/03\/03\/article_screwball_looks_lonely\/","title":{"rendered":"Article: Screwball Looks, Lonely Places"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/p>\n
Did you know a Crazy Charlie will
\ncatch a carp?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Screwball Looks, Lonely Places<\/big><\/big>
\n<\/strong>by Zach Matthews
\nFirst Published September 18, 2004<\/em><\/p>\n

Ten years ago, maybe even fifteen, you’d have gotten a strange look if you
\nmentioned flyfishing for carp anywhere this side of the Atlantic. Since then,
\ncarp seem to have become the species everyone feels obliged to mention at
\nleast once. You see carp in magazines, in books, even on the occasional flyfishing
\ntelevision show. Although some of these articles and books have been very
\ngood, carp have still managed to slip under the radar of the American angling
\npublic. In Europe, carp fishing is an established and expanding sport. Whole
\nmagazines are dedicated to the species and anglers routinely make the local
\nnewspapers gripping-and-grinning these fish like they know something we don’t.
\nAfter all, here in the United States the average angler would rather be photographed
\nknee-deep in his sinking driftboat than discovered to have hooked a carp,
\nmuch less caught it and looked proud about doing so. Sure, some enlightened
\nanglers have begun to target carp – usually out of curiosity or boredom with
\nstill more trout. But if you asked a guy on the street to tell you about carp,
\nhe’d give you a funny look and inform you, sonny, that carp are widely known
\nto be the nastiest, slimiest, plug-ugliest, bottom-dwelling-est fish on the
\ncontinent. So before I get into why I not only respect the species, but actively
\nseek to embarrass myself by catching them, maybe a brief review of the carp’s
\nless-than-noble history in the United States is in order. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

How did an overgrown Asian goldfish get in my trout stream?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The common carp, cyprinus carpio, is nothing more and nothing less than the
\nlargest minnow in the world. (Before your prejudices are confirmed, look into
\nthe noble tarpon’s not-so-prestigious relationship with the common herring,
\nthe silver king’s ‘other side of the sheets’ little brother). <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
Who says carp aren’t beautiful?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Although the
\ncarp is native to central Asia, it was intentionally introduced in the United
\nStates in the 19th century, as (you guessed it) a fast growing, cheap and
\npotentially abundant source of food for the expanding nation. Unfortunately,
\nthe carp’s greatest strength, its superhero tolerance for pollutants and poor
\nliving conditions, turned out to be its Achilles’ heel. Compare, for example,
\nlate 20th century tests of the 1600 most common pollutants in United States
\nwaters (of which only 135 were found to be fatal to carp) with the many ways
\none can kill an average rainbow trout. Trout roll over like kryptonite was
\ndumped in the stream if a heavy rain falls in the neighboring county.
\nYet, it is this very tolerance that has given carp such a bad name. After all,
\nwho wants to catch a fish that lives in the cesspool behind the office parking
\nlot, casting between Styrofoam cups? Ah, but correlation does not equal causation,
\nmy friend. <\/p>\n

Just because a carp can live in the worst conditions does not mean all carp
\ndo live in the worst conditions. The two best places to catch carp in my home
\narea are the local trout stream and the local lake (a source of drinking water
\nfor the city). Moreover, few practical fly-fishing locales are likely to be
\nas polluted as that storm drain behind the office complex. Remember that a
\ncarp’s tolerance range includes the beautiful as well as the ugly, and that
\nclean rivers make for clean fish. <\/p>\n

Ok, assuming I might want to catch them, how do I do it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most common misconception about carp fishing is that it is easy. It isn’t.
\nPeople assume that carp are easy to catch for the same reason they assume
\nall carp are diseased: nothing that ugly could be difficult to trick. Fortunately,
\nthis belief is just as flawed as the first one. Carp are, in all likelihood,
\nthe spookiest, trickiest, smartest fish found in the waters of the United
\nStates. They have phenomenally sensitive mouths equipped with chemically receptive
\ncells which allow the carp to distinguish food from foe in an instant. In
\naddition, carp actually have nostrils, small holes near the eye sockets which
\nflush in water and allow the carp to sample its surroundings like a lizard
\ntesting the air with its tongue. Once spooked, a carp emits an alarm pheromone
\nwhich alerts other carp to the danger. Thus, one shot is often all you get,
\neven in waters where the carp experience no fishing pressure.<\/p>\n

The best thing about carp fishing in the United States is the availability
\nof fish and water. Ever wonder what trout fishing in the early 17th century
\nwould have been like? Visions of empty water chock full of uneducated fish
\nswim before the eyes; the angler versus the fish with only the fish’s native
\nwiliness to avail it. Those days are gone, friend. If there’s a trout inside
\nthe United States that has yet to see a wooly bugger it either lives inside
\na volcano or it will soon be riding in a hatchery truck. Carp, however, may
\nas well be new to this earth. <\/p>\n

Europe, as mentioned, has organized carp angling which selects for educated
\nfish, mimicking the arms race that has already occurred between North American
\nanglers and salmonids. Carp, with such an impressive biological arsenal already
\nat their command, are certain to quickly reach new levels of uncatchability
\nonce angling pressure begins in earnest.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
The author with a typical carp from
\nhis home waters.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

And, just as saltwater fishing opened up in the previous decades, so too will
\ncarp fishing in the coming years. The nature of our expanding population and
\ndiminishing trout resources practically make a growing carp fishery inevitable,
\nand if you don’t yet believe it, look to Europe. <\/p>\n

The tools for catching carp now were largely developed in the great saltwater
\nlaboratories of the past decade or so. Although blind fishing is an option,
\nthe thrill of catching carp is in the stalk, just as it is with redfish and
\nbonefish, so I focus on sight-fishing alone. Carp in common conditions can
\neasily cross twenty pounds, so be prepared with strong tackle appropriate
\nto the situation. Eight weights with high-end reels are appropriate for river
\nsituations, but consider scaling up to a ten weight if you target carp in
\nwaters where they can sound for the bottom. Horsing a carp out from under
\na dock is particularly difficult. Pay close attention to the terminal tackle.
\nMost modern saltwater lines are merely adequate for carp fishing, which often
\ndemands trout-like presentations with larger food sources. Avoid bass bugs
\nand other tapers which might turn a fly over too aggressively. Use tapered
\nleaders at least as long as the rod, but use the strongest pound test you
\ncan get away with. Ten pound Climax fluorocarbon is my usual tippet. <\/p>\n

Flies range from my personal favorite, the Crazy Charlie in whatever color
\nmatches the stream bottom, to orange-headed wooly buggers in white and olive,
\nand egg-patterns colored to resemble mulberries, corn, or trout eggs. Choose
\npatterns based on the vegetable as well as animal sides of the menu, because
\ncarp are omnivorous. Additionally, have a look around the web. Carp fishers
\nare scattered widely enough for some real regional varieties to develop in
\nfly selection, and most of the best patterns aren’t commercially available.\n<\/p>\n

Hooking Up<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carp are at their trickiest, and most rewarding, when the sun is high and
\nthe water is slick. Although I am not above chumming up some lake carp for
\na quick evening of bulldogging some fish, I find the early afternoon carp
\nstalk to be among the most entertaining forms of fly-fishing I have experienced.
\nWear polarized sunglasses and locate a section of your local carp water, whether
\nriver or lake, which allows for shallow wading. Even granddaddy carp will
\ntail in less than six inches of water. <\/p>\n

Begin your stalk upriver (or upwind in still water), with the sun wherever
\nyou can see ahead of you best. I find it helps to use the reflections of trees
\nor nearby hills to cut some of the glare off the water. Again, polaroids are
\nabsolutely not optional: you need them avoid wasting your time. Carp will
\nskim across the flats seemingly at random, sometimes holding in predictable
\npatterns and sometimes meandering about. Usually they are looking for food,
\nwhich they attack by hoovering up the sediment and filtering out crustaceans,
\nplant matter, and bugs. Just as a bonefish puffs away at the bottom, so will
\na carp root for his dinner. <\/p>\n

In deeper water, carp will sip debris lines just like trout, picking mayflies,
\ncaddisflies, or seedpods off the surface with an audible slurp. On the flat,
\napproach the carp from “over his shoulder,” and carefully wade as close as
\nnecessary for a really clean cast. For the best results with a ten pound carp
\n(my target size with an eight weight) you will want to be able to hit a three
\ninch target thirty feet away. That three inch strike zone is usually immediately
\n“behind his ear,” or in the slot just between his pectoral fin and his eye,
\napproximately six inches away from the fish. Cast for distance first as the
\nfish are not line shy, then lay the fly in with an audible plop (but not a
\nsplash). If you are lucky, the carp will turn to see a potential food source
\ndrifting down and will grab before the adage about being too good to be true
\nfinishes flashing before his eyes. <\/p>\n

This cast usually gets me about 50-50 results when I nail it. Some carp will
\nblow out of the pool the minute the fly makes contact.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
Deep water carp can require extra
\ncare in handling.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Because of those chemical signals, the best bet is to wade to the bank and start
\nover a couple hundred feet away. Another approach makes use of the carp’s feeding
\nproclivities. Like a bonefish, carp often spot prey by the puffs of sediment
\nthe critters send up when scurrying away from danger. When you see a carp prowling
\nfor food, lead your fishy receiver like a quarterback by just a few yards and
\ngive your fly time to sink. I particularly enjoy this method with a Crazy Charlie
\nor similar hook-upwards pattern. Let the fly settle, then when the carp comes
\nin range, twitch it just enough to stir up some dust. Usually, the carp will
\nbe on you like a duck on a June bug. <\/p>\n

Eat the Wind Out of His Sails<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carp are dogged, never-say-die fighters. On light saltwater tackle, in a
\nriver, you have a good chance of landing even a large specimen. In open water,
\nplan for some power-cleaning. The first time I fair hooked a carp, no chum
\nand all hands aboveboard, was on a cane 5 weight with an outdated Orvis Battenkill
\n5\/6 disc drag reel. I broke him off just as he was getting up to plane – thirty
\nfeet into my backing! Two other jumbo specimens played me the same song that
\nday, but I came back better armed with an eight weight and a saltwater-class
\nreel. Dial your drag up to ‘never say die’ and lean into the fish. <\/p>\n

Carp fight like a cross between a redfish and a bonefish – hard, jagged runs,
\none after another, and a net-run for certain. Nothing short of a full grown
\nstriper will pull like that in most rivers where carp are found. In a river,
\nplay the carp like you would a really big trout, turning his head at the end
\nof a run and working him against the current. If you don’t have a buddy with
\na really big net handy, let him waterski himself across the current and right
\nout onto the bank, where you can subdue him. As Lefty says, ‘don’t burn your
\ngolf balls’ – treat the fish right and release him with as much care as you
\nwould a baby brookie. Besides taking natural selection and the inevitable
\narms race out of the picture, it is just the decent thing to do. If you want
\nto try eating a carp, be my guest. I may be enlightened but some cooties die
\nhard. <\/p>\n

This Ain’t No Beauty Contest<\/strong><\/p>\n

I may have referred to carp as ‘plug ugly’ a time or two in the past. I admit
\nit, I did this before I really came to know them. No carp I have landed to
\ndate has been anything short of elegant. If redfish with their beauty spots
\nand bonefish with their sucker mouths can grace the covers of our finer fishing
\nmagazines, carp deserve their shot too. This is a pleasure that is certain
\nnot to last. The golden days of empty rivers and screwball looks can only
\nlast so long, friends, and though I drive in a nail by saying so, you really
\nmust try this. <\/p>\n

For more information on carp fishing on the fly, visit the Bulletin
\nBoard<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know a Crazy Charlie will catch a carp? Screwball Looks, Lonely Places by Zach Matthews First Published September 18, 2004 Ten years ago, maybe even fifteen, you’d have gotten a strange look if you mentioned flyfishing for carp anywhere this side of the Atlantic. Since then, carp seem …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","column","onecol","has-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/files\/2013\/01\/carp11.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itinerantangler.com\/blog\/podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}