May's tip - fly fishing for carp

This May, Fishing for Schools instructor Bob Goble's thoughts turn to fly-fishing for carp and dog biscuits...

Now that May is here, it is highly welcome to feel the warmth on your back and remove some of the restrictive clothing you have been wearing through the colder months.

Everywhere is buzzing with life anew and in our lakes that means carp. It's spawning time, which could last a few weeks, or well into July. You will see and hear fish splashing around the margins and in the reeds and chasing each other. Frustratingly, this means they are not really interested in much else, but don't lose hope. They will eventually want to feed.

I have fished in conventional ways in past Mays, with all the paraphernalia, ie; rod pods and bite alarms and spent many hours under a bivy waiting for that elusive monster to take the bait. It's exhilarating! The alarm sounds, the fish has taken the bait and starts to run. Thank goodness for the bait runner, all I have to do is pick up the rod and tire the fish out. Eventually I get the net under the fish, place it on the unhooking mat, remove the hook, take some pics, job done. Now for another. A great time had by all!

I've had great fun as a trout angler at this time of year as well. A few years back I wanted to catch on a fly (artificial bait) and boy what an experience that was! You haven't got all that gear to haul around on a trolley, everything is lightweight – just rod, reel, line, unhooking mat, a pair of forceps for unhooking if need be, your net for landing, and of course a small bucket of dog biscuits… I will come back to them later. And don't forget your hat and sunglasses.

It's possible to catch carp with imitation natural food as well. They do feed on shrimp and hog lice as well as crane flies etc. Being a trout angler, I also tie my own flies to imitate all the above creatures and they do work at times.

But coming back to dog biscuits, I suppose they are one of the best ways to catch carp. Dog biscuits can be purchased from your local tackle store, pet supplier or online. The ideal size is roughly 10mm round in size, for scattering around to encourage the carp to come up to feed.

Don't fling too many in at a time - little and often is the best policy. You are trying to gain their confidence.

My imitation of one of these dog biscuits will be roughly the size of one particle. Can you spot the artificial in the picture above?

You can purchase imitations from a good tackle store and online or learn how to tie these yourself. You can find all this information online or on YouTube.

I use barbless carp hooks for all my dressings, in sizes 8,10 and 12, with a wide gape and a short shank. I spin deer hair around the hook shank in tight touching turns, then clip it down carefully to roughly the size of the biscuit.

Deer hair is hollow, so is an ideal material as it will float on the surface and is very resilient. I also add some floatant to help keep it up.

You will need a small piece of cloth to occasional dry the artificial to keep it floating - especially after catching a fish.

If you have fly fished before you will have no problem with the casting but in actual fact there is very little casting involved. For those that haven't cast before and would like to try this method, help is at hand. You can look techniques up on the internet or YouTube or have a short lesson with a casting instructor (like myself). But, as I said, there is little casting involved. Most of the time your imitation will be lying on the water just two to three rod lengths away, so all you need to do is occasionally roll the line out in a roll cast.

To fly-fish for carp, you will need:

• A trout rod of 9ft to 9½,
• A fly line of 7 to 8 weight
• A reasonably good reel with a good clutch. You will need to set the clutch so as to not over-run when a carp decides to go to the horizon! It is very different from using conventional bait runner reels that are already set. If it does overrun, you can say good bye to the fish!
• Plenty of backing line for safety because carp can run 100 yards plus in a blink of an eye.
• Your leader or nylon coming off your fly line should be no more than 7-8 feet in length. There are many ways to attach the nylon to the fly line, all of which can be found in good books, on YouTube or you might know someone who knows.
• Please use copolymer not fluoro, with a breaking strain of not less than 10Ibs. You can go lighter if you are fishing a lake with little snags, but carp have a habit of finding these places, so be warned!
• All that is required now is the water. There are lots of fisheries around, I'm sure there is one close to you.

Fishing the fly could not be simpler. Find your chosen swim. Before setting up the tackle, scatter a few biscuits out. Be patient and wait to see what happens. Eventually you will see the carp appear, their thick broad shoulders like torpedoes scooping up and slurping the biscuit up in their large mouths. Your excitement levels rise!

Carefully roll out your imitation, so it is sitting in amongst the biscuits.

Suddenly there is a large swell, the line tightens and the fish is off like a steam train, running hard. What line you have at your feet is soon out of the rod guides. The reel is screaming. You are now down to the backing. "Wow! Is it going to stop?", you say to yourself.

Suddenly it turns, it's coming back. The tension slackens in the rod, you frantically wind the line back onto the reel maintaining the tension. It turns left then right, all the while trying to shake the hook, but after some time you eventually get the fish near, It is starting to tire. The carp comes to the top laying on its side, beaten and ready for the net. "That was some fight," you say to yourself. "I need a rest."

Some important rules to take on board.

• Make sure the fishery allows fly fishing for carp as some don't.
• Find a quiet corner of the lake with the wind, if any, blowing in to a corner. You don't want to upset other anglers with baits out on the bottom or have carp swirling and gulping your biscuits on the surface in front of them. It's not good for relationship!
• Remember to leave your imitation biscuit in amongst the floating offerings.
• Do not have too much slack line out when you do get a take. You will know instinctively when to lift into the fish - they can of course hook themselves. Carp have a habit of sucking in the bait and if not careful can reject it, quite quickly, without you knowing.
• Carp can be canny, to say the least. They will swirl and drown your imitation and swim all around it, but eventually take it. As the saying goes, resistance is futile… after all, they are greedy beggars.

Be safe and most of all have fun, Bob G.