CARP! The official 2014 carp thread

[wlai]

Dave: I'm somewhat familiar with the European carp scene, having seen plenty of videos online. The amount of carp gear and the technical nature of them are quite amazing to me.

If you want local, there are plenty of carps in Green Lake, Lake Washington at the right spots. Plenty of urban lakes have them. Or if you go to Eastern Washington, you are going to have a field day.

[rwl]

I've always wondered if carp fishermen from Europe would take advantage of the amazing carp opportunities here. If you drive to Eastern WA on the Snake River, the carp are schooled up in the shallows. I was watching them all afternoon yesterday and could get to within 5 feet before they spooked away. A little bit of jumping action going on and it is only going to get more intense.

[DaveBones]

Dave: I'm somewhat familiar with the European carp scene, having seen plenty of videos online. The amount of carp gear and the technical nature of them are quite amazing to me.

If you want local, there are plenty of carps in Green Lake, Lake Washington at the right spots. Plenty of urban lakes have them. Or if you go to Eastern Washington, you are going to have a field day.

Thanks for the reply. I have to confess that I have been to Seattle before and looked for some Carp fishing. I walked Green Lake but what with all the joggers and dog walkers I couldn't find anywhere I fancied fishing.

Lake Washington is amazing. But again, I couldn't find anywhere to fish. I will not have access to a boat but I would love to find somewhere to have a go from the shore. Where exactly are the 'right spots' if you don't mind me asking?

Many Thanks,

Dave.

[DaveBones]

I've always wondered if carp fishermen from Europe would take advantage of the amazing carp opportunities here. If you drive to Eastern WA on the Snake River, the carp are schooled up in the shallows. I was watching them all afternoon yesterday and could get to within 5 feet before they spooked away. A little bit of jumping action going on and it is only going to get more intense.

Hi rwl,

Now, that sounds like what I am after!

Trouble is, WA is a massive state...I would guess about as big as England!! Where is the Snake River? Last time I was in WA I drove to Moses Lake but I couldn't find anywhere to fish..it all seemed to be private property. i seem to remember it was about 4 hours to Moses from Seattle. How long would it take me to drive to Snake River? I am more used to fishing lakes here in UK but this sounds interesting!

Thanks,

Dave.

[rwl]

Hi Dave, the snake river is a tributary of the columbia river and runs for hundreds of miles. The part I fish is around Lewiston and Clarkston (about 5 hours drive from Seattle, so farther than moses lake) and you can drive along about 50 miles of the snake upstream and downstream from lewiston and you will see very few joggers, it is just river and river gorge. Downstream from lewiston is lower granite reservoir and there is hardly any flow it is like a 15 mile lake. You can pretty much fish the entire part that is accessible by road. I think it is all pretty much public property and people camp by the side of the road. There are several back bays that are shallow and where the carp are most visible. I don't know if seeing is in any way correlated with catching. The columbia river is closer to seattle and generally has conditions that are similar to the snake, but I don't have first hand experience. You cross the columbia at Vantage. I don't think I have seen any that are in the 48 pound range, but they definitely are getting up to 20. A lot of people try and "fish" for them with bow and arrow over here.

[DaveBones]

Thanks rwl, that's good info!

[wlai]

Lake Washington is amazing. But again, I couldn't find anywhere to fish. I will not have access to a boat but I would love to find somewhere to have a go from the shore. Where exactly are the 'right spots' if you don't mind me asking?

Many Thanks,

Dave.

Dave, I know on Lake Washington that Log Boom Park in Bothell definitely has carp. Cheers.

[DaveBones]

[/quote]

Dave, I know on Lake Washington that Log Boom Park in Bothell definitely has carp. Cheers.[/quote]

That's great info. I will definitely check that out. Thanks!

[DaveBones]

Hi Dave, the snake river is a tributary of the columbia river and runs for hundreds of miles. The part I fish is around Lewiston and Clarkston (about 5 hours drive from Seattle, so farther than moses lake) and you can drive along about 50 miles of the snake upstream and downstream from lewiston and you will see very few joggers, it is just river and river gorge. Downstream from lewiston is lower granite reservoir and there is hardly any flow it is like a 15 mile lake. You can pretty much fish the entire part that is accessible by road. I think it is all pretty much public property and people camp by the side of the road. There are several back bays that are shallow and where the carp are most visible. I don't know if seeing is in any way correlated with catching. The columbia river is closer to seattle and generally has conditions that are similar to the snake, but I don't have first hand experience. You cross the columbia at Vantage. I don't think I have seen any that are in the 48 pound range, but they definitely are getting up to 20. A lot of people try and "fish" for them with bow and arrow over here.

I have just been looking on Google maps and the Snake River looks an amazing place to fish! Was it around lower granite reservoir that you saw them in the shallows? If the sun is on the water that sounds ideal for some fishing with floating dog biscuits. They love feeding off the top here when the sun is out warming the upper layers of the water. Hopefully its the same there!
I am definitely going to drive over to the Snake one saturday during my trip. I think stay in a motel in Lewistan and fish sunday as well before driving back to Seattle. Just the drive out there looks an adventure in itself! I guess I-90 to Vantage and then highway 26 down towards Lewiston?

[rwl]

Yes hwy 26 is correct, then there are about 2 different ways to get to Lewiston, both are about equal. Lewiston or Clarkston are a good base for operations. A Washington license should be good for any shoreline in WA (the snake shoreline is in idaho for parts). Lewiston or clarkston would be inexpensive to stay at a motel. I live about 30 minutes away and would be happy to take you out in my boat. It should be pretty easy to figure out. If shallows where you can sight fish is the ticket, you will be able to see a lot of the shallow parts. There are several on lower granite reservoir. Just upstream from the dam there is a road called the 193 that follows the river, the first shallows accessible by road is wawawai county park where there is a big triangle shaped lagoon. We often see carp jumping in there. As you go along the 193 back towards lewiston several miles if you look on google earth, you can see another small shallow arm that is parallel to the highway at 46.605445, -117.360529. Then about 1/4 mile further there is a small triangle shaped lagoon at 46.602127, -117.354777. Those types of features are the best bet for seeing carp and there are a several more along the road going back towards lewiston/clarkston. That is interesting that you can get them to feed on the surface. I haven't tried, but I know people sight fish for them with flies, seemed like the strategy was to look for when they have their tails up and heads down stirring mud in the shallows then put a large sinking insect imitation in front of them. In clarkston, there are also some shallow places like swallows park. The best tackle store in Lewiston is called Black Sheep and they would know the river better than me. This morning was windy and I didn't see any carp when I was chasing bass. The water is still pretty cold for this time of the year, so peak activity is probably still in the future.

[DaveBones]

Yes hwy 26 is correct, then there are about 2 different ways to get to Lewiston, both are about equal. Lewiston or Clarkston are a good base for operations. A Washington license should be good for any shoreline in WA (the snake shoreline is in idaho for parts). Lewiston or clarkston would be inexpensive to stay at a motel. I live about 30 minutes away and would be happy to take you out in my boat. It should be pretty easy to figure out. If shallows where you can sight fish is the ticket, you will be able to see a lot of the shallow parts. There are several on lower granite reservoir. Just upstream from the dam there is a road called the 193 that follows the river, the first shallows accessible by road is wawawai county park where there is a big triangle shaped lagoon. We often see carp jumping in there. As you go along the 193 back towards lewiston several miles if you look on google earth, you can see another small shallow arm that is parallel to the highway at 46.605445, -117.360529. Then about 1/4 mile further there is a small triangle shaped lagoon at 46.602127, -117.354777. Those types of features are the best bet for seeing carp and there are a several more along the road going back towards lewiston/clarkston. That is interesting that you can get them to feed on the surface. I haven't tried, but I know people sight fish for them with flies, seemed like the strategy was to look for when they have their tails up and heads down stirring mud in the shallows then put a large sinking insect imitation in front of them. In clarkston, there are also some shallow places like swallows park. The best tackle store in Lewiston is called Black Sheep and they would know the river better than me. This morning was windy and I didn't see any carp when I was chasing bass. The water is still pretty cold for this time of the year, so peak activity is probably still in the future.

Thanks ever so much rwl. Thise spots look really interesting. I hope the sun is out when I go because it would be amazing to catch Carp in such amazing scenery!
Dog mixer is a great bait for surface fishing. They are tricky to get on the hook as they are so hard so you have to soak them a little to soften them up....not too much though or they fly off the hook during casting. During the soaking process you can add some flavours if you want.
Alternatively, I use plastic imitation biscuits!! They are made so you can add a little shot weight so they sit properly in the water so the hook is exposed above the bait. That way the fish can't see the line going to the bait so it looks the same as the free offerings. Here they are: http://enterprisetackle.co.uk/et31n-new ... og-biscuit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Again, thanks for your help and if you wanted to meet up when I come over your way then that would be great!
Dave.

[rwl]

sun isn't going to be a problem, but wind will cut into your ability to sight fish. But those back sloughs/lagoons will be a lot more sheltered from the wind. Eastern WA is windy at least 70% of the time to varying degrees. Some of the weather stations online for lewiston/clarkston do not accurately reflect the wind conditions, so look for the ones showing the most wind, and those are going to be most accurate.

I might try feeding the carp when I see them. Are you saying they like to eat dry dog food? Will they eat cat food too? I also have some commercial fish food pellets, but I don't think the float. Those fake biscuits are amazing you guys really mean business. I think if I see them taking floating food without a hook, I'm going to have to stick a hook in and have some fun. I wouldn't have guessed that they would feed off of the surface like that, I thought that was a tame carp behavior.

Let me know or PM if you have more questions.

Ray

[BARCHASER10]

Looks like a good spot for my Carp story.

I was raised in north Portland in the Kenton area. Kenton is a retail business area right where old 99 used to come into Portland. We used to use canned sweet corn for Carp. In the '50's we would ride our bikes down to the Swan Island industrial area, catch a ****load of Carp in the Willamette, stuff them into the newspaper bags on our bikes and sell them to an Asian guy who lived near Kenton. He owned the Chinese Restaurant in Kenton. My parents used to buy his Chinese food all the time..but not the fish dishes.

Back in those days the Willy was really polluted. Lots of Brown trout. The best Carp fishing was always near the sewer pipe. Sometimes we would toss Carp out on the main road into Swan island and watch the Semis run over them.

[DaveBones]

sun isn't going to be a problem, but wind will cut into your ability to sight fish. But those back sloughs/lagoons will be a lot more sheltered from the wind. Eastern WA is windy at least 70% of the time to varying degrees. Some of the weather stations online for lewiston/clarkston do not accurately reflect the wind conditions, so look for the ones showing the most wind, and those are going to be most accurate.

I might try feeding the carp when I see them. Are you saying they like to eat dry dog food? Will they eat cat food too? I also have some commercial fish food pellets, but I don't think the float. Those fake biscuits are amazing you guys really mean business. I think if I see them taking floating food without a hook, I'm going to have to stick a hook in and have some fun. I wouldn't have guessed that they would feed off of the surface like that, I thought that was a tame carp behavior.

Let me know or PM if you have more questions.

Ray

Yeah, give it a go! We have a product made by Pedigree called Chum Mixer which is basically dry dog food to supplement tinned food. They are small squares that look identical to those fake biscuits. I see Pedigree sell dry food in the States but I can't see they sell chum mixer. Never mind, any floating food will do, cat biscuits or floating pellets, (I have even caught Carp on Marshmallows!). As I say, the trouble is the biscuits are hard and brittle and break up when you try and get them on the hook. Take a handful to use as hookbaits and put them in a sealable freezer bag with a small amount of water, shake the bag and leave them for a while to soak up the water. You may have to experiment with how much water because you don't want them too wet. You want to try and achieve a rubbery texture. They will then be strong enough to withstand casting in but soft enough to be hooked.

Do you have some kind of weighted float? Biscuits can be tricky to cast any distance because they have no weight. A simple set up is rubber float stops on the mainline holding a weighted float (we call it a 'controller float') this float then gives you some weight for casting. You don't want the line near the hook to be too big a diameter or the fish can see it. I would use a length of 5 or six feet of 6-8lb line attached to the mainline by loops - ie tie a loop in your mainline and a loop in the 6 foot hooklink then pass one through the other and pull the hooklink back through the loop to attach them together. Then tie on a small-ish hook - size 10 is perfect. Hook your biscuit on (leaving the hookpoint exposed) and you are ready to go!

I think it's a really exciting way of fishing. Don't be too quick to cast in though. It's best to wait until they are feeding confidently. The ideal situation is when you have at least two or more fish competing with each other for the food and that's when they make the mistake we want.

Good luck Ray! I'm really interested to hear how you get on!

[rwl]

thanks, we'll see what happens

[DaveBones]

thanks, we'll see what happens

Hi again,

Did you give it a go with the biscuits? Any good?

As its going to be a lovely weekend, I'm coming over to Snake River tomorrow. I think I will find a motel and fish again on Sunday before coming back to Seattle Sunday evening. I may even bump into you on the bank! If you see a bald headed Englishman playing out a monster Carp it will be me!!

Edit....Just found out I can't do this weekend...work getting in the way. i will make a plan for next weekend!

[rwl]

That's great that you are coming out. I haven't been on the snake since July 4th, but I would imagine the carp will be out, didn't see any that morning, but I usually can spot them best when there is no wind. I've got a variety of pet and fish pellets in the boat, but haven't been out, was down in California fishing for bluefin tuna and the afterglow from that has supressed the need for a fishing fix. Give me a shout next weekend if you think a boat will be useful to find the carps!

[DaveBones]

I don't blame you not feeling the need to fish after going for Bluefin Tuna!

Anyway, I made it over to the Snake on Tuesday. Stunning place to cast a line. The only thing I didn't plan for was the heat! IT WAS HOT AS HELL! 109 degrees according to the car. To be honest it was far too hot for me. I had a bait in the water for about an hour before I had to get outta there! But it was still a good experience and a place I won't forget visiting. It's just for a pasty skinned Limey it was a bit too much! I might have to stick to the milder Lake Washington while i'm here!!

[rwl]

We are having a heat wave right now It isn't usually this hot, but sorry not to give you advance warning. In the summer I usually fish in the morning and it is quite pleasant until about 10:30 or so, but middle of the day is pretty challenging.

[skagit510]

Alright, I see allot of carp talkin yet no carpin action. Lets see some pics. Anybody target these with a flyrod. I have to admit I'm intrigued. I have a couple buddies that fish for these things in other areas with the fly and say its allot of fun. Haven't really asked too many questions though as I'm always chasing silver fish. However, the carp thing looks fun and I like figuring out new species.