Summer Carp Fishing is Heating UpWith rivers on the rise and rainstorms increasingly more prevalent, where to go for some great Carp fishing? Well no other than your local pond or reservoir to find some Golden Bonefsh for some fun.
Most of you know that I'm a pretty big Carp fanatic, yes it's finally okay to come out and say that one fishes for Carp now that the mainstream has officially caught on. It's caught on so much that a little idea a few of us had some 4 years ago regarding a now Popular Carp Slam has taken off and become the new Fly Fishing tournament each Summer in Denver.
How does one exactly target Carp in a local Lake? That's a good question and one you need not to fret too much about. What Lake in general doesn't hold many of the finest freshwater species to catch, let alone here in the Front Range area. My West Slope brethren may need to drive a bit, sorry Brad Befus, to get into some sweet Carp fishing.
Once you find that perfect Pond, Lake, or Reservoir -be it in Colorado or elsewhere to fish, the next thing is to find out when the prefect time to fish it. Well, let me take that back, anytime you have to fish for Carp is as good as the next so get out whenever possible. The next step, if you can be picky is to see what time of year is good. I've fished with Andrew Green, a fanatical Carp guy from the UK, who also runs the Colorado Carp Association/Carp Angling Group and learned a ton about Stillwater Carp fishing from him. This guy also fishes Carp year round and though they may not fight as hard as the Summer bite, there's still plenty of action even in the early Spring and late Fall it seems.
Top Carp Flies to use vary depending on seasons but many of the same patterns work month after month. The top season to fish for big Carp in Lakes by far are the Cottonwood seed hatch and also the Mulberry period. I love to fish these in May and especially June, but be especially aware that Carp also start to spawn in June so picking those important feeding periods even with the Spawners will be the time to look for.
Carp to Target:
Sunbathers- beware of the bathers, nice to look at but never interested
Cruisers- sure you can cast to and "maybe" get a taker but chances are still pretty slim for a bite
Feeders- well...these would be the ones to go after, finding them is easier said than done though
A state record was just caught in the Denver area a week ago by a young kid at a local pond chasing bass. How big was it? Take a look here and see what he got. The next Carp to be caught a week or so later was by our Pal and Carp Master himself Barry Reynolds. How big was his? His actually measured longer in width and girth than the new record....possible new state record? You bet, but Barry doing what most of us would do is he put it back to live another day.
Lake fishing is hard work no doubt about it, some opinions vary and though I still fish rivers more than anything, Lake fishing can be some of the toughest fishing you can do. One thing to keep in mind is that landing a Carp in a lake is not going to be easy so don't give up. Conditions just like Saltwater have to be in your favor. The right day for sunshine, few clouds, no wind, few crowds so they're not put down by foot traffic, feeders and oh yeah...the rigth cast! Keep it up and send us your pictures when you get one, we'll be happy to post it for you.
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