Illinois’ Prairie Bonefish – Carp on the Fly

River Cows, Mud Marlin, Brown Water Bonefish. Whatever you call them, sight fishing with a fly rod for carp is exciting, challenging, skill building, widely available and affordable. Like saltwater’s bonefish, red fish and permit, catching a carp requires stealth, persistence and good casting skills for accurate and delicate presentations of the fly. In return, they deliver powerful, long runs with amazing endurance. Incidentally, carp is great training for those interested in saltwater fishing.

Here we will address the two carp species most often sought after—the common carp, reaching up to about 90 pounds in weight, and the grass carp, possibly slightly heavier at up to about 100 pounds. The common carp is just that, the most common.

Here’s the tackle you need to fish for them.

Rods
Chances are you already have it, but then, we all need just one more rod. A 9-foot, 6-weight should work out most of the time, but 5 to 10 pounds is common. A fighting butt on your rod is a nice feature. Some anglers go to 8-weight rods as they handle the fish better once on, but the heavier line tends to spook the fish when presenting the flies.

Reels
A decent adjustable drag is required. A click and pawl just won’t do it.

Lines
A weight-forward line that is appropriate for trout is fine for carp fishing.

Leaders
A 9-foot 3X or 4X (respectively about 9 and 7 pounds) is OK for most situations.

Backing
Ideally, use 100 to 150 yards of 30-pound backing, but you might get away with 20-pound backing.

Flies
Carp are less concerned about what pattern you’re using than how and where you put the fly. Take flies with different sink rates (weighted), from top water to bottom bumpers.

• For common carp, use hook sizes ranging from #16 to #6. Patterns you may already have would include Wooly Buggers, Clouser Minnows, small crayfish, yarn eggs, soft hackle wet flies and dries for top water fishing. When berries are dropping into the water, a simple mulberry fly or an egg pattern can do the trick.
• A number of simple top water flies found online are suitable for grass carp. Some anglers go to 8 weight rods for “grassies” as they handle the fish better once on, but the heavy line tends to spook them. Many of the flies imitate plant material or insects that may be present on the surface.

What You Wear
Polarized sunglasses are critical. So is a wide-brimmed hat. You don’t need a ghillie suit, but bright, flashy, clothes don’t help. The idea is for you to see the fish, but not let the fish see you.

Where to Find Carp
The carp(s) can be found, and most easily fished for, in the backwaters of lakes, ponds, slower rivers and creeks, and in canals all over the state. It’s easiest to spot the common carp in shallow water, often feeding along shoreline plants or fallen limbs. Grass carp are often spotted in relatively deeper water appearing like cruising submarines. They can be fished from the bank, in, or on, the water where permitted. Stealth is paramount for both species. Even if the fish don’t sprint off, they may stop feeding, knowing something isn’t right.

Techniques
The two species demand different approaches.

Common carp may be foraging for sub-aquatic insects, crayfish, minnows or even berries. They actively search on the bottom of the water body and on weeds or wood that are present, anywhere in the water column. When ‘tailing’ head down, tail above the surface, the ‘drop and drag’ cast can be used to cast a sinking fly beyond them, then pulled and paused on the bottom into their feeding spot. When cruising, common carp will turn to pursue a fly within the column or sometimes on the surface. Two favorite opportunities for top water fishing are when cottonwood seeds are floating on the water, or when insects are hatching at the surface.

Grass carp don’t have to pursue their food and are more apt to flee from a moving fly than chase it. Try to cast to the right or left near their path as their nose creates a blind spot directly in front of them. Don’t cast over their heads. Once your fly has landed, don’t look away from their heads or you may miss the take. Fakes are quickly rejected.

Presentations for both species, in most circumstances, should be delicate to avoid spooking the fish you’re after–and all its buddies.

When to Go
Beyond “when you can” mantra, the ideal time to flyfish for carp in most of Illinois would be from March through November, or when the water temperatures are between about 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. For sight fishing, early morning and later afternoon are ideal as this is the best time to see into the water. Around those time margins, you may be able to spot tailing fish.

The Best Way to Get Ready
Fishing guides often lament “Why can’t this angler cast!” Do what you can to improve your casting. First, make sure you are practicing the right stuff. Don’t reinforce the wrong stuff. Forget the ’10 to 2 hands on the clock’ style which tends to create an inefficient, high, wide loop that the fish can easily see coming. These wary fish often require an accurate, careful delivery at distances of 40 to 60 feet. If the fish are preoccupied you might get lucky at 20 feet, but don’t count on it. They fly should generally be delivered softly by a low, tight fly line loop, frequently to the side of the carp.

Preparation Tip
A friend wanting to hone his fish fighting skills tied a small rag to his leader and cast it to his little dog, who loved playing tug o’ war. His neighbor thought he’d hooked his dog for fun and loudly expressed her opinion of such sport. All he got said was “but, but, but” before she slammed the door.

So how does one deal with a large fish with great endurance? Whether you’re fishing from the bank or boat, before you have a fish on:

• Pre-set your drag to just below the breaking point of your leader and tippet.
• Consider getting a bigger net.
• Get the fish on the reel as quickly as possible by reeling in the slack while guiding the outgoing line with minimal finger pressure. Once the loose line is on the reel you can add a little resistance by ‘palming’ the reel, but keep your fingers clear. Allow the fish to make a run under pressure.
• If the water bottom is relatively clear of obstructions, such as plants or rocks, use the butt, not the tip, of the rod to put alternating lateral pressure to your right and left. Reel in the line you have gained without allowing any slack. Be prepared for the fish to make a run.
• If the water bottom is not clear of obstructions, keep your rod tip in front of you, but not vertical, to help clear the obstructions. You don’t want to add 10 pounds of weeds to a 20 pound fish.
• Expect multiple runs, bulldog fights…and lasting memories.

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Tom Yocom, fly casting instructor, guide and fly tying instructor who has fly fished for everything from bass to barracuda, from panfish to permit and trout to tarpon. His home waters are now the warm waters of Illinois, which he notes are different from Alaska’s or the Bahama’s. His two favorite things about fly fishing are “the grab,” when a fish hits the fly, and the moment “the lights come on” in his fly casting students’ eyes with their first good cast. A student in a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman illustrated this by exclaiming “I love this! It’s like archery, but you don’t have to chase the arrows!”