Went fishing at Lake Manassas up here in Virginia a week ago and saw several carp tailing in shallow water. Put on a small crayfish pattern and casted out over a rocky point. (Fish had stopped tailing at this point) Next thing I know feels like I’m hooked up to a red. Took 10 minutes to bring him in, while drinking a bud light of course. 27 inches long, im guessing 6-7 pounds, the boga was in the truck. First carp I’ve ever caught, they are ugly as hell. Heading back there this week to see if I can get another!
carp seem to be getting a better reputation as a “game” fish, especially in the south. There are now guides around the Atlanta area for this species. When you cannot get to a tailing red or bone fish this is the best option.
Nice catch, and at one time you had to be Royalty to own one of these so do you feel like a Prince?
Far better it is to dare mighty things to win glorious triumphs even though checkered with failure, than to take ranks with those poor spirits who never enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
thanks for the heads up hokie. Thought they were algae/grass eaters so i have yet to go after the ones on Daniel Island… Will try it next summer when they are in the ponds thick.
“I’d hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.”
Hunter S. Thompson
Go look up Dave Whitlocks articles on the golden ghosts from Fly Fisherman mag I think. I had caught tons of em on lakes and such as a kid even a few in rivers on buggers in e. tn. So when I found a bout a zillion of em mating (which is wild if you have ever seen it) on a lake up here in w. nc I figured I better learn about these big-uglies. You will be surprised to learn a few things about these bread ball sukin fish not gonna go on and on but they can hear 3 ways versus game fish like bass etc… that hear one way. So if you are on a boat cut that radio off cuz they know you’re there, second and I though most interesting, lines up with what nbk65bo said, carp have the ability to release a pheremone into the water when they spook, this scent is picked up by all carp in the area and they will check out, and won’t even come in the area. Pretty wild stuff. I am by no means a carpetiere or whatever french word they used to call carp chasers, Oh and it is recommended NOT to use a boga on em due to the lack of bone structure in their mouths. check it out, often a tough fish to fool on a fly for sure.
Yea I thought about the Boga after the fact that they have no bone structure. A lot of fish that do have bone structure in their mouths can’t handle a boga either, i.e bonefish, freshwater trout. From what i’ve heard carp are very tough to catch, i probably just got lucky but they were around and i’ve heard they eat small crayfish so the shot was worth it! went back twice over the past few weeks and didn’t see any more, probably too cold now for them to tail. If I see them tailing again will definitely toss the crawdad at them
