Carp on the Fly with Alex Willson

Needless to say, the carp rarely makes the list of a trophy species to pursue with a fly rod. They are not rare; they are not particularly beautiful fish known for living in pristine locations; and being a bottom feeder tends to put them in the same category as the whitefish and suckers that most fly anglers hook as bycatch while pursuing another species.

With all that being said, the traits that make carp so abundant in our lakes and rivers are the same traits that make them such a challenging species to catch on a fly. An excellent sense of hearing capable of detecting footsteps or a fly hitting the water makes stalking and getting a good presentation to them incredibly difficult. Their ability to pick things up, feel them with their mouths, and spit them back out in a second makes you focus and trains your eyes for visual cues that they have taken a fly, and with fish weighing in at anywhere from ten to twenty pounds or more, they regularly take you into the backing with ease.

In my opinion, the best thing that comes from fly fishing for carp is its accessibility. Between the Columbia, the Willamette, and the many ponds and lakes in the area, it is safe to say that you are no more than 20 minutes away from a body of water that holds carp.

If carp fishing sounds like something you would like to try this summer, come into the shop on Saturday, May 16th, at 10:30 for an introductory presentation on Carp fishing in the Portland area, followed by a fly-tying demo at the Tyer's Table of some of my favorite carp patterns. Hope to see you there