Bonefish in your Backyard

Don’t snub your nose at carp; they’re a fly-fisherman’s dream in North Carolina lakes.

The weather forecast hadn’t changed for nearly two weeks: mid-90s, high humidity with little chance of rain barring a scattered evening thunderstorm.

For a lot of fishermen, that’s why July and August see to crawl along, like the time between the Super Bowl and the opening of NFL training camp does for a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

But an alternative is out there if you’re up for it.

By way of introduction, here’s North Carolina’s newest gamefish — a term coined by outdoor writer Robert Fulton — the carp.

Yes, you read it correctly. But, why fish for carp?

That question was put to legendary fly-fisherman and fly-tier Bob Clouser at a recent fishing show in Charlotte. He smiled and responded, “Why wouldn’t you?” To say the least, his audience was intrigued and attentive.

Let’s be clear for a moment. As a gamefish, the carp is not the fish stocked in a muddy pond, the focus of a cash prize. Nor is it the fish in a local watering hole with a pellet-dispenser on the dock. If you’re into that, have fun.

Fishing for carp on large, Piedmont reservoirs is as close to carp-pond fishing as deer hunting in the Pisgah National Forest is to trophy hunting in Texas — where huge deer emerge from the cover whenever a feeder goes off, spinning protein out on the ground.

Try sight-fishing and stalking “golden bones” on Lake Norman in gin-clear water a few inches deep with a fly or marabou jig. It’s the perfect choice for fishermen seeking bigger challenges.

Meet a “backyard bonefish” on his home turf.

The Catawba River system provides splendid opportunities to fish for large quantities of both common and grass carp. Many prime destinations for smallmouth bass also have fishable carp populations. Granted, this encompasses a large area, but fishermen can use ample access points, and with good exploration, suitable water is close to any one in the state.

Carp belong to the minnow family and were introduced to North America from Europe in the 1800s. Common carp are dark brown to bronze with hints of orange and red in the fin and tail areas. They’re quite stunning, actually, and if you like enhanced lips, well you’ve got it. Carp also have highly-tuned senses for tasting, smelling, seeing and hearing, plus vibration-detection. Combine this arsenal of defensive weapons with backyard availability, prolific numbers, measurement in pounds, not inches, and a true test of tackle leaves little doubt of being considered the perfect game fish.

A productive and challenging way to approach this adventure is by sight-casting to feeding carp. The term “feeding” refers to fish actively mudding and tailing in search of prey. The fish that are aggressively digging up food are most vulnerable and present the best odds of success. Clear water is a must, as are good weather conditions. All watersheds are affected differently by rain, and it’s important to have information beforehand, either by checking power-company release schedules, online forums, online data and good old-fashioned recon.

For sight-casting to carp on shallow flats, water temperatures can range from the mid-60s to the mid-90s. Outside these ranges, carp will be in deeper water. They spawn late April with water around 65 degrees. The prespawn period is quite good, but the window is small, with most fishing done after the spawn.

On any lake, areas to search that will hold carp include flats, sloping points, undercut banks and rip-rapped shorelines. The idea of flats on area lakes is a new concept. Think back bays, coves or shoreline contours — not miles of expansive flats like the Florida Keys. Any area where you have to pole, use a trolling motor, or move along depth contours and edges are also worth checking. Focus on depths of two feet or less. Remember that sight-fishing for carp is similar to sight-fishing for redfish — the species that many North Carolina fishermen target for their first saltwater adventures.

Where to look is not nearly as important as how to look and what to look for. Many fishermen are accustomed to targeting areas where birds or baitfish are present, but not for carp. Looking for “muds” and tails is much more valuable. Muds occur where carp — and redfish, bonefish and permit, as a matter of fact — root on flats, stirring up sediment while searching for food. Once you realize what to look for, they become hard to miss. Muds not only signal the presence of fish, but direction, time of occurrence, and areas to focus your vision.

Polarized glasses are a must, and angler elevation helps in seeing these signs. If you’re buzzing in and out of areas with the stealth of a herd of rampaging elephants, you’ll never know carp were present.

Clouser is quick to agree.

“The more experienced and successful angler who is quiet and learns to stalk will get it right,” he said. That’s a lesson for all fisherman, regardless of what species you target.

When you find carp feeding, they are opportunistic and omnivores. They will eat almost anaything if it is presented correctly.

Capt. David Edens of Blue Ridge Rods, a certified casting instructor, compares getting a carp to bite with “fooling a wary brown (trout) in a spring creek.

“If you delicately cast in front of a carp’s nose, you will see those big lips open and inhale the lure,” he said. “You must have the right selection and MUST present accurately.”

Clouser said there are no hatches to match; it’s more of figuring out the carp’s mood.

“Put the fly about a foot in front of the fish and let it drop into the zone rather than retrieve,” he said. “If he sees it, you have a chance he’ll eat it.”

Any fisherman can struggle with a plate-sized casting zone. The good thing is, you’ll get plenty of chances, with 20 to 30 shots not unusual. The more opportunities you can get, the better chance for hookups. Plan your approach and observe the way the fish is feeding, but still be prepared to be humbled somewhat. It’s not a roll-cast under the branch for a 6- of 7-inch brook trout; one cast may be 50 to 60 feet, then you quickly adjust for a 10-foot cast.

Multiple casting shots are possible. That’s the fun part and the challenge. Edens admits it’s “better than casting from a cooler in the yard,” and it made his redfish game better.

Paul Rose is a freelance writer and photographer from Gastonia who guides fly-fishermen for trout, bass, redfish and, of course, carp.