The Carp Crusades - Charlie's Observations

In the pursuit of carp and other so called rough fish on the fly, Charles Wright of Sulphur Springs Inn has started making notes and observations regarding the habits of these creatures. In a beautifully simplistic fashion that lends itself to pieces by Alfred W. Miller aka Sparse Grey Hackle, Charlie offers this easy-to-read and perfect sense paper.

Hope you enjoy.

The Carpalo Of Rock Creek

1. They locate in a stretch of stream that provides them with good pasture. Sandy/small gravel bottom fine enough to suck up, filter out food and expel sand through gills. Little current so they don't have to work to hard for their food.

2. They hold up in a protected slough off this pasture to rest and for protection

3. They are herders and travel as a herd to feed. They go out to feed and return to rest and leave to feed again. How often I don't know but probably like most animals morning and evening with midday rest. Of course there are the lone wolfs that venture out; the ones I've seen kinda wait on the side and move out to midstream for something in the current I guess, and then move back to the side. Interesting.

4. I don't think they have good eyesight. I was walking up stream on the shore right at water's edge and a pod of about twenty can meandering downstream, headed home... just three feet from me and they were unaware of my presence. In another spot I stood right over their home (slough), moved around, and they did not respond. So you can get real close, but out of water, as I think they are super sensitive to water noise.

5. They seem to be alert, keen to the movement of turtles - kinda like a beacon that something is coming

6. I dropped individual corn kernels to see how they responded. It was kinda like they took note, but didn't respond unless it was right in front, just inches away. In that case they would take it, the others they ignored. However, a short time later some would start eating the corn on the bottom. An interesting note - when they went to the bottom it would cloud the water a little (water about three feet deep). So the subtle cloudiness could be used as an indicator that they are bottom feeding as opposed to taking suspended food.

Charles Wright