Texas Fishing Forum

Best flies for carp?

Posted By: Bites and Strikes

Best flies for carp? - 09/28/23 12:49 AM

I've never fly fished before but I want to target carp specifically. I absolutely love catching carp with dough baits and bread, and ave been pretty successful at it. SO I want to try fly fishing for them now. Any suggestions?
TIA
Posted By: Capt. Mac

Re: Best flies for carp? - 09/28/23 06:43 PM

Any buggy looking fly will work. I have my best luck with sizes 2 down to 6. My favorite colors are olive and rootbeer. The big trick, in my book, is to match the fly to the water conditions. If you ate fishing real shallow you don't want to throw a heavily weighted fly. The "plop" of the fly landing will spook the fish and you will more than likely hang bottom instead of a fish. Conversely, you don't want to throw an unweighted fly in deeper water. The fly won't sink fast enough and the fish usually swim under it before the fly can settle in front of them. You just have to experiment with sink rates. Ideally, you want the fly to enter the water without spooking the fish, then settle down about six inches to a foot in front of his head. That's your best odds at getting bit. And remember, you can do everything perfectly and still not get an eat. You just have to keep casting at fish until you get one that's ready to play. I hope that's not too rambling. My favorite patterns are The Backstabber, Barry's Carp Bitter, The Brasshawk and The Coyote Carp Fly ( each has its place, depending on water depth and bottom type). Hope this helps. Good luck!
Posted By: Osbornfishing

Re: Best flies for carp? - 09/29/23 02:39 AM

For me this is the shape that works best. I call these carp slayer flies, but there are similar patterns that have been developed around the world (often called bread or egg flies). Carp feed by sampling with their lips. So you want a fly that penetrates before the carp figure out what the fly is. Other flies will work so don’t be afraid to try one out.

[Linked Image]
Posted By: ps1135

Re: Best flies for carp? - 10/27/23 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Osbornfishing
For me this is the shape that works best. I call these carp slayer flies, but there are similar patterns that have been developed around the world (often called bread or egg flies). Carp feed by sampling with their lips. So you want a fly that penetrates before the carp figure out what the fly is. Other flies will work so don’t be afraid to try one out.

[Linked Image]

what material are you using for the main bread/egg part?
Posted By: Osbornfishing

Re: Best flies for carp? - 10/27/23 06:34 PM

For the floating version pronghorn works the best, but elk is almost as good. I add a few wraps of brass or copper wire for the sinking version and it works with lots of different types of hair. I have used deer, moose, elk, etc., depending on the color I want. Most of the flies in the picture are well used and have caught fish. The one in the top right corner is what they look like when I make them.
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