{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Help -- Carp Fishing C&O Canal Advice

I'm far from an expert on carp, I've only landed one and hooked a few others in the canal, but I found it helpful to just focus on the ones feeding nose down in the mud. Cast only when you have a clear shot at one specific fish. 

The risers are probably eating midges and I can't even begin to imagine trying to land one that's been hooked on light tippet needed to fish midges.

On Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 10:56:03 AM UTC-4, Daniel Lazenby wrote:

I received an offer to go Carp fishing. Not wanting to show up dumb as a rock and having no technique I viewed some Youtube Carp videos about how to fish them. 

Then I spent a couple of afternoons (1 PM-5:30ish PM) walking the canal from Fletcher's down canal for a mile and a half towards DC. Water clarity never seemed to be more than maybe 8 inches visibility. I saw Carp. Really nice size Carp from my perspective. Most of them were greenish, though I did see a couple of orangeish-yellowish ones.

On my first walk, every Carp I saw was suspended (hovering) in position. Hardly moving a fin. Came across a pod(?) of 10 on the far side of the canal hovering under an overhanging bush. Hardly a fin moving. At the end of the day, I did see the most artful slow-motion rise. The 24+ inch fish surfaced with mouth open, closes its mouth, and submerges hardly leaving a dimple in the water.

On my second walk, a majority of the Carp I saw were slowly cruising up or down the canal or playing some form of tag. I did come across one half-submerged in the near side vegetation slowly working its way up canal feeding(?). I tried dropping my fly in the vegetation several inches in front of it. That resulted in the fish going around my fly and my fly snagged in the vegetation. I saw another one slightly nose down but there was no mud being disturbed. I also came across a faint mud trail, but never saw the fish.

So after two 3 mile round trip walks and a couple of handfuls of red cap raspberries, I still haven't a clue how to fish for these beasts with a fly.

Am I there at the wrong time of the day? 

Wrong time of the year?

Not holding my mouth right?

All advice welcomed.  

Daniel

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