Time of the Carp
The Polar Vortex rotated down over the US this year, giving Europe a very mild winter and early spring. Theo Bakelaar recently wrote that the daytime temperatures in Holland are near 70F, and the carp are moving into shallow water, seeking the warmth.
Of course, that means carp fishing time. Carp are powerful brutes, and they take the fly well. Small nymphs (a size 10 or 12 Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear is my favorite), small woolly Buggers, and small crayfish imitations work very well for carp. The carp is actually in the minnow family, and so it’s mouth is not the downturned spigot of the sucker family. The carp’s mouth is forward pointing, even if relatively small. It is also just a bit tender, and one cannot pull against them too hard for fear of tearing the hook free. None-the-less, a carp on a 5 weight is very exciting. They can certainly teach you the ins and outs of truly fighting fish and not merely playing them.
I addition, carp are very spooky. They often travel in schools, and if you spook one, you spook the entire school. If you are fishing the carp flats in the Great Lakes, for example, and you spook one school, the whole flat will empty. They are every bit as touchy as bones.
When our spring finally does peek out from under the blanket of the Polar Vortex, and the ice leaves our lakes, it will be carp time here. Hook up to some of these big burnished bronze beasts and discover how much fun they really can be.
As the spring warms, the carp move into the shallows seeking the warmer waters, to feed, and eventually to reproduce.
The carp is in the minnow family, and its mouth is a bit more tender than that of a trout, bass, or pike.
Theo, playing the role of the happy angler. Who wouldn’t want to play that role with a big carp like this one?
Catch and release of carp assures that there will be plenty of big ones around for tomorrow’s outing.