Back in February I made a trip to a friend’s pond that has a large population of triploid grass carp. This lake would be choked with water lilies if it weren’t for the numerous grass carp. They really do their job.
I think the carp were spawning because there was a large number of them and they were making mud clouds all over the lake. It can be a real challenge to get a grass carp to take a fly. I have gotten them to eat just a regular dry fly like an Adams in the early Spring. I wrote a post back in 2018 on catching them in the early Spring on regular flies, see https://samuraiflyshop.com/2018/03/20/early-spring-carp-bite/.
But the best success I have had has been on either a small chartreuse 1/100 oz microjig or a chartreuse mop fly.
I saw the carp in the clearwater and tossed a green microjig at one and when he took he easily broke my old and brittle 8 lb tippet. I tied on 20lb tippet and tried again. I dropped it right in front of one as it was cruising and he just sucked it in like a redfish.
What a fight! I was in my kayak and I just had a tether on my paddled staked in the mud to hold me in one spot. The big grass carp had me doing circles around the paddle. I finally got him in and with no net I just had to scoop him up in my arms and drop him in the boat.
That fish was a lot of fun but the fight muddied and disturbed the water so much I couldn’t see any more fish, and it was time to go anyway. What a fish to end the day on!
"Samurai" Fly Shop 