My Favorite Carp Flies Are Bonefish Flies

My Favorite Carp Flies Are Bonefish Flies

Carp are famous for adapting to a specific food source: They eat berries that fall off bushes in the creeks and canals around Washington, D.C.; they zero in on small fish like gobies at places like Beaver Island, Lake Michigan; and pretty much anywhere there are crayfish, you can’t go wrong with a great Jay Zimmerman fly pattern. 

But I’ve found that some of my most effective carp flies are bonefish flies like Gotchas, Pink Puffs and Crazy Charlies. I think, like on the saltwater flats, it’s really more a matter of presentation and not spooking the fish you are targeting than it is matching the forage. As I’ve often said, the weight of the fly (the splash factor) is as important a consideration as any. Having those different patterns with various weighted eyes–from heavy barbells, to bead chains, to nothing at all–is as important to me when I’m on the carp flat as anything. That is unless, of course, I know they’re on one of those specific food sources, like berries or gobies.

Except When My Favorite Carp Fly Is a Trout Fly

Then again, if you asked me what fly I have probably landed the most carp on overall, it would be a Size 12 or 14 Beadhead Hare’s Ear with rubber legs. Small, slow micro strips with that bug will fool even the smartest old carp.