03-08-2010, 09:30 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Hey Todd, Willard Bay is a prime spot for carp on the fly. I used to catch a lot of them on small chartreuse flies I fished for crappies, along the rocks. Whenever a huge carp took the fly, instead of a crappie, I could usually tell pretty quick that it twern't no crappie. Got a 25 pound mirror carp on 4# tippet once. Much fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Forget fishing them when they are spawning. But, right afterward it can be Katy bar the door. During the warm afternoons in May and June the carp cruise in large numbers in very shallow water. Sight fishing all the way and they are spookier than any old trout. But, drop a hares ear or any small nymph pattern in front of them and they slurp it. There are tons of midges in Willard and the carp feed heavily on both the nymphs and on lines of winddrift dead midges early in the morning. Sometimes you can see singles, doubles or large rafts of carp right on the surface on a calm morning...moving along and slurping the surface. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A lot of different floating patterns will get sucked in by carp. They have good eyesight but they are not overly selective. I have caught a few carp on floating Renegades. But, one of the best carp patterns is an all white "popcorn" fly...spun white deerhear, clipped round. I actually tie it by packing several palmered white hackle feathers and trimming. With a little red tag it also works on Deer Creek rainbows that get used to slurping marshmallows.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You can easily target carp from shore at Willard by walking the sand at Pelican Beach or Eagle Beach. The carp are sometimes very active in there because there are weed beds full of midge larvae.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The SE corner of the north marina is also a good spot for shoreline carpin'. A good tactic is to watch the parade of carp going by and put a sinking pattern out on the bottom. Then, when one is approaching, give it a twitch and hang on.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Carp are usually tough to fish without being able to see them. Their take is usually very subtle. Not always. If you use the bluegill retrieve...point the rod at the fly and retrieve with the fingers...you can detect them better. Of course a strike indicator can help too. There are times when the carp will slurp the fly put the line over its shoulder and head out for the setting sun. But, more often than not it helps to watch them when they suck in the fly. You would be amazed how many times you will watch them suck it in and spit it out without you feeling anything.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you really want some action, go down to Yuba reservoir and use small "fry flies". The carp in that lake are more piscivorous. They feed heavily on perch fry and hit lures well...including flies. When they are thick in the shallows (almost always) you can wear yourself out on feisty 16 inchers with the occasional 16 pounder.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Utah Lake offers a lot of the same opportunities as Willard...carp cruising the surface at daybreak and near shore in the shallows in protected waters almost all day. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Now that you have your toon you will have a lot more opportunities for finding and fishing all species. If you find an area with lots of fish in skinny water just beach the toon and wade it. You will see why they are sometimes called "golden bonefish". They can throw a roostertail and strip your reel in seconds as they bolt across the bottom in shallow water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Forget fishing them when they are spawning. But, right afterward it can be Katy bar the door. During the warm afternoons in May and June the carp cruise in large numbers in very shallow water. Sight fishing all the way and they are spookier than any old trout. But, drop a hares ear or any small nymph pattern in front of them and they slurp it. There are tons of midges in Willard and the carp feed heavily on both the nymphs and on lines of winddrift dead midges early in the morning. Sometimes you can see singles, doubles or large rafts of carp right on the surface on a calm morning...moving along and slurping the surface. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A lot of different floating patterns will get sucked in by carp. They have good eyesight but they are not overly selective. I have caught a few carp on floating Renegades. But, one of the best carp patterns is an all white "popcorn" fly...spun white deerhear, clipped round. I actually tie it by packing several palmered white hackle feathers and trimming. With a little red tag it also works on Deer Creek rainbows that get used to slurping marshmallows.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You can easily target carp from shore at Willard by walking the sand at Pelican Beach or Eagle Beach. The carp are sometimes very active in there because there are weed beds full of midge larvae.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The SE corner of the north marina is also a good spot for shoreline carpin'. A good tactic is to watch the parade of carp going by and put a sinking pattern out on the bottom. Then, when one is approaching, give it a twitch and hang on.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Carp are usually tough to fish without being able to see them. Their take is usually very subtle. Not always. If you use the bluegill retrieve...point the rod at the fly and retrieve with the fingers...you can detect them better. Of course a strike indicator can help too. There are times when the carp will slurp the fly put the line over its shoulder and head out for the setting sun. But, more often than not it helps to watch them when they suck in the fly. You would be amazed how many times you will watch them suck it in and spit it out without you feeling anything.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you really want some action, go down to Yuba reservoir and use small "fry flies". The carp in that lake are more piscivorous. They feed heavily on perch fry and hit lures well...including flies. When they are thick in the shallows (almost always) you can wear yourself out on feisty 16 inchers with the occasional 16 pounder.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Utah Lake offers a lot of the same opportunities as Willard...carp cruising the surface at daybreak and near shore in the shallows in protected waters almost all day. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Now that you have your toon you will have a lot more opportunities for finding and fishing all species. If you find an area with lots of fish in skinny water just beach the toon and wade it. You will see why they are sometimes called "golden bonefish". They can throw a roostertail and strip your reel in seconds as they bolt across the bottom in shallow water.[/#0000ff]
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