Help -- Carp Fishing C&O Canal Advice

[Daniel Lazenby]

I received an offer to go Carp fishing. Not wanting to show up dumb as a rock and having no technique I viewed some Youtube Carp videos about how to fish them. 

Then I spent a couple of afternoons (1 PM-5:30ish PM) walking the canal from Fletcher's down canal for a mile and a half towards DC. Water clarity never seemed to be more than maybe 8 inches visibility. I saw Carp. Really nice size Carp from my perspective. Most of them were greenish, though I did see a couple of orangeish-yellowish ones.

On my first walk, every Carp I saw was suspended (hovering) in position. Hardly moving a fin. Came across a pod(?) of 10 on the far side of the canal hovering under an overhanging bush. Hardly a fin moving. At the end of the day, I did see the most artful slow-motion rise. The 24+ inch fish surfaced with mouth open, closes its mouth, and submerges hardly leaving a dimple in the water.

On my second walk, a majority of the Carp I saw were slowly cruising up or down the canal or playing some form of tag. I did come across one half-submerged in the near side vegetation slowly working its way up canal feeding(?). I tried dropping my fly in the vegetation several inches in front of it. That resulted in the fish going around my fly and my fly snagged in the vegetation. I saw another one slightly nose down but there was no mud being disturbed. I also came across a faint mud trail, but never saw the fish.

So after two 3 mile round trip walks and a couple of handfuls of red cap raspberries, I still haven't a clue how to fish for these beasts with a fly.

Am I there at the wrong time of the day? 

Wrong time of the year?

Not holding my mouth right?

All advice welcomed.  

Daniel

[Andrew Sarcinello]

I'm far from an expert on carp, I've only landed one and hooked a few others in the canal, but I found it helpful to just focus on the ones feeding nose down in the mud. Cast only when you have a clear shot at one specific fish. 

The risers are probably eating midges and I can't even begin to imagine trying to land one that's been hooked on light tippet needed to fish midges.

[Jeffrey Silvan]

Carp are super finicky in general, but the canal is even trickier. First, no matter where you are, you're generally very unlikely to catch a carp that isn't feeding or trying to feed. So when you see one in the canal just resting and hanging out under a tree, you can try casting to it, but 99% of the time, it won't care. Cruising fish have a higher likelihood of being a willing player, but still depends on the "way" it is cruising. With a feeding fish, if you're generally matching what it's feeding on, you have a great chance. Flies do matter - you need to match the hatch like trout. Not exactly the same as matching the size and color of a mayfly, but close. In the canal, more often than not, they're going to be feeding on nymphs. 

At this point, I've fished the canal enough, I know which fish are worth casting to and which aren't. You'll start figuring that out once you get an idea of what the successful targets look like. I generally look for two types of fish - "bank diggers" which are fish picking food literally on the bank right next to where you're walking. You basically dab your nymph for those, but you need to be super stealthy. The other is the general feeding fish. The ideal situation is a school of multiple fish feeding together. Your fly becomes a competition then. But more often, you'll only find a single fish. Knowing the water clarity is going to be garbage, I try to focus on the sections that are only a couple feet deep. Approach them like bonefish. When you see those mud trails you mentioned (I call it smoke), I spend time watching it, even if I can't see the fish right then. So just stare. Watch where the new smoke arises and where it's fading out. See if the fish is moving in a general direction or just hovering in the area. Most importantly, watch for a flash of the tail so you know where the head is and which way it's pointed. In these situations, your sight fishing ability will be very limited, but you can have success with a strike indicator. It's still tricky getting the length and location right, but if they're feeding aggressively, they're more likely to move greater distances.

I've caught the carp in the canal in all weather during all seasons. But, I do find that on the super hot days, it will slow a little bit while the sun is overhead. In that case, focus nearby some of the little feeders into the canal, and you might have a little better success, but options are pretty limited.

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[N Elgas]

I just ran along the canal this morning,  its packed with carp nose down in the current. I mean packed.  They look like they would eat rock if it fell in front of them right now.  I have always found that carp are about luck and timing,  but maybe that's cause I'm not that good.   They can be very skittish alot of the time. 

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[Daniel Lazenby]

I'd been told they are a challenge to catch. But did not realize the degree of the challenge until I started to try.

@ N Elgas,

May I ask approximately what time of the morning you ran? Maybe I'm getting there too late in the day.

@ Jeffery Silvan, & @ Andrew

I think  I may have encountered a "Bank Digger" but my dabbing technique may have put it off. Thank you for the pointers. 

  

Daniel

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[Jeffrey Silvan]

Thinking more, specifically about the bank diggers... whenever possible, try to be out of the line of sight - both you and the rod tip. Not always possible, but if you can your chances go up. Same thing with your shadow - casting a sudden shadow over the fish can spook it too.

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[Josh Cohn]

Get this book: Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing for Carp: Tips and Tricks for the Determined Angler Kirk Deeter & read all of John Montana's Carp on the Fly blog..

On Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 10:56:03 AM UTC-4, Daniel Lazenby wrote:

[Josh Cohn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=fAY70Sjnh1M&feature=emb_title

[Stephen Perkins]

(First time poster, long-time lurker)

I tried yesterday around 5pm...  Walked about half the Canal - from Georgetown out - and saw a few cruising carp as well.  Some singles, but also a couple of groupings of 3 or more fish.  I threw a few things at them, but had no luck.  Saw no tails.  It's a pain in the rear to cast along that trail with the runners, overgrowth and other things in the area.  I plan to try again though.  I was super pumped when I came across 2 GIGANTIC snakeheads.  They looked to be a couple, guarding a ball of fry.  The larger one - had to be +30 inches - did not leave their side.  The other one though, chased my fly all over, but did nothing mock me.  It was super fun though.

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[Daniel Lazenby]

Got it thanks.

Daniel

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[tperkins]

What fly were you using?

My favorite for the canal
Mulberry (but only under a tree actively dropping berries)
Hybrid carp fly
Puke fly (https://www.instagram.com/p/B_EGZfCDMgp/?igshid=1evsibl6pex6s)
Weighted San Juan worm with long tails

It take a while to learn but it’s great fun.

[JB Rolter]

Wanted to try carp in the canal, but with the steep banks how do you deal with one once you get it close?

[Jeffrey Silvan]

I have a giant net with like a 4'+ telescoping handle.

On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 4:05 PM JB Rolter <jbro...@gmail.com> wrote:

Wanted to try carp in the canal, but with the steep banks how do you deal with one once you get it close?

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[tperkins]

I have a similar net. It folds up so it has a decent size bag but easily fits in my car or on my bike. I also find spots where I can slide down the bank to get closer to the water to land the carp. Doesn’t always work.

Bikes are a great way to explore a lot of water on the canal to find where the carp are active/water quality is good.

[JB Rolter]

So you don't play Carp Dundee and slide on in to wrestle them in ...

[Daniel Lazenby]

Tperkins,

A couple of flies I got from District Angling. I had asked for carp flies. Not sure what they are. 

I've heard of Mulberries. Have a couple recipes for them. Trying to get my hands on some mulberry looking stuff. 

Thanks for the other suggestions. I'll look them up.  Also came across a Clouser`s Swimming Nymph  - Carp version receipe that looks interesting. 

Daniel

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Devin K., Virginia

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[Jeffrey Silvan]

For the mulberries, they're super fun since you're catching carp on topwater, but you're extremely unlikely to catch carp on them unless you're fishing under a mulberry tree that's dropping berries. 

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[Andrew Sarcinello]

FWIW, the carp I caught in the canal ate a green drake nymph. Not because there are green drakes in the canal, but because it probably looked very similar to a dragonfly or damsel nymph.

[Daniel Lazenby]

@ Jeffery,

Heck, I like mulberries too. I try to fish Holmes Run when mulberries are ripening. There's a couple of the bushes/trees over the paved path near the dam.

As for the Canal, I'll have to pay more attention to the far side bushed/trees to locate possible mulberry fishing locations.

Daniel

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[Daniel Lazenby]

@Andrew S, The day I was there I did see quite a few damsel and dragonflies on the canal side foliage. Next time I'll bring some nymphs that are dragonfly/damsel nymphish. Thanks for the tip.

Daniel

On Mon, Jun 29, 2020 at 11:32 AM Andrew Sarcinello <andy...@gmail.com> wrote:

FWIW, the carp I caught in the canal ate a green drake nymph. Not because there are green drakes in the canal, but because it probably looked very similar to a dragonfly or damsel nymph.

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[N Elgas]

All times of the day,  Your gonna have to walk little bit.  I found most of them in the water half way between baked and wired and fletchers.  About a mile in either way you cut it.  The water was dirty today making them harder to see,  I plan to try give it a try tommorow morning to see if its any clearer.  

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