It's trout season no doubt. It's also chilly outside with the wind chill delivering a feel factor of 17 degrees... way too cool for these old bones.
So, a lot of time is being spent on the vise these cold days. No, not too many trout flies are being churned - have plenty of those. However, there are carp flies and carp season is only mere months away.
When it comes to the colors that carp like, orange usually comes to mind. During the 2010 carp season, orange was a predominant color used in the quest of capturing carp.
The top producing fly of that season was the Carpola Charlie tied in orange and olive. Other top producers int he Carpola Charlie series included orange and yellow, and orange and brown.
When thinking of orange for carp how can I forget Mr. P's fabulous Carp Carrot. Wow... what an effective fly. Used this pattern a lot also in 2010 and there were times when nothing else would work the Carp Carrot would. Hat's off to the inventor of the Carp Carrot.
Then there is the color white. Carp seem to like white also.
2011 was a disaster of a carp by fly season here on the prairie ocean due to the drought and extreme heat. We had basically the months of late March, April, and early May. During those months I stuck with the color white and this is what took the large majority of carp I captured.
In 2010, another top producer was the white wormball known as the Great White Hope.
During April of 2010 and early last season, this color and pattern was, at a time, the go-to fly. Eventually the carp seem to see the fly coming, having met it before, and production fell. But... on how good it was for a while.
The Crazy Charlie, another all white fly, was very effective in 2011 also. And, then there was the Mysis Shrimp which was a killer pattern.
On the last trip to the fly shop I made sure plenty of orange and white materials went in the shopping cart.
Going to the vise to tie up some more carp appetizers.
1 comment:
Hello Barry,
I concur, carp do become jaded to a particular fly used repeatedly. That Great White Hope as you know did well for me in my hard fished waters as they cleared in Sept. It is also one I have used under an indicator. I here have had my best success with hook up designs in yellow and a tan of New Age chenille called Golden Stone, with a rabbit tailed fly of my own woolly bugger like, I have my own name for it. Eggs? Pale Yellow was my original go-to, but now I mottle the base color. People think orange sometimes for crawfish, but I have never seen a baby crawfish in adult dark colors, usually they seem to be a mottled olive. Color and carp, I find it very important at times. Going to tie up some of your marabou Clouser designs, the name escapes me embarassingly.
Best, Gregg
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