Oklahoma bone fishing.

[Robert McMahan]

I met Okiebass and Pokeflyfisher this morning on one of our Oklahoma bonefish (aka carp)lakes. I didn't think Okie was going to make it because of a bad case of strep throat but he came rolling in about 9:30 and proceeded to give Tom and me a lesson. I just hate those young kids. No respect at all for their elders. Right Tom? I was fishing next to Poke and looked up about the time he set the hook on a nice "Golden Bone". He did a nice job of fighting him and landing him. Didn't take him long on his 6'6" 2wt. Rainshadow. The fish looked to be about 5 lbs from where I stood. Nice job Poke. We all caught fish. It was nice to see you 2 again even though Okie looked a bit green around the gills. The fish were pretty spooky and the water was a little stained but all in all it was a good day.

[ozarkflyflinger57]

We fished the lower Illinois today and there was an abundance of carp! I saw many more of them than trout.

So how do you catch them? What lake where you at, if you don't mind me asking

Dan

[waynep]

What fun! I hooked my first carp today ever on a fly rod. Had 3 on, lost them all, 3 different ways! Darn fish! I am going back after them again!!!!

Mine were Arkansas Bonefish!!

-wayne


[This message has been edited by waynep (edited 25 June 2005).]

I fished a small warmwater stream this morning that is full of big carp. I caught several green sunfish, 1 nice little 10 inch bass, and hooked into 2 carp. The first one broke off after the first run in a matter of about 1 minute. The second one broke off as I was about to reach down and grab the nymph to twist him loose. I fought the second one for about 5 minutes and he looked to be about 10lbs. I was using my Pac Bay Traditional 6.5ft 2wt and various size 10 nymphs, wet flies, and hopper patterns. The carp took a black hares ear type nymph, and a green and black soft hackle with chartreuse head. Also, I hooked into the second carp on what was supposed to be my last cast!!

All in all, a very fun morning!!

Lou

[OkieBass133]

Robert, it was good to see you and Poke. I'm glad I was feeling well enough to make it (even if I did have adjust my Tylenol 3 schedule so I could drive ). My tally for the day ended up being 15 carp, one more lost to a broken hook, and one accidental bluegill. All but the first three fish came to a new algae pattern I came up with. Ridiculously simple, and you'd never think it would work, but the fish didn't want to let it get away. I'll have to bring some for you next time we meet up. Did you end up hitting any lakes on the way home?

Oh, and green around the gills is probably a pretty good description. Thanks to good ol' strep I dropped about 10 pounds in two days. But, I put a couple of them back on when I got home today.

[Robert McMahan]

Ozark,
I'd really rather not say where we caught them. The lake is kind of small and I don't think it could stand too much pressure. The carp are getting a little spooky already. But I surely don't mind telling you how I catch them. I'm sight fishing for them. You have to have the right kind of lake to do this. First of all it needs to be pretty clear. We are wading so if your going to wade, the lake needs to have a gently sloping bank and the bottom needs to be hard enough that you don't bog down. Although I have one lake I fish I call the "land of the giants" that I mostly tube from because the bank drops off so sharply. I've had on 3 over 20 but none to hand that big yet. Poke, Okie and I all use 2 wt. rods even on big carp mainly because the presentation is so delicate and because a 2 wt is just so much fun to fish. But use whatever you have 3,4,5,6 wt., it doesn't really matter other than the bigger lines are going to slap the water a bit more. Carp are really, really spooky most of the time, especially in thin water. Use at least 3X tippet. Surprisingly they aren't all that leader shy even in clear water and a hard charging fish like a carp needs mono with some strength. Waynep and Loudog may be using too light a tippet if they're losing fish because a carp's mouth is ideal for a hook. It's almost impossible to have one pull loose that's hooked good because their mouth is like soft rubber. I don't debarb my hook although I know Okie and Poke do. I use a small fly size 12 to 16. My two favorites are a Prince and a Damsel nymph in olive. The damsel goes both ways in my mind in that it represents a bug and also looks like waving moss or algae since I use a lot of marabou in it. If you're losing fish in the cattails or brush, try this. Set the hook gently so as not to spook them then feed slack line to them until they swim to deep water. They'll know something is wrong but they won't panic and run for cover if you don't apply too much pressure to them right off, instead, they'll move out to deep water and when they do, apply the pressure and let the good times roll. I dap quite a bit too. Often you'll have a fish that won't get away from cattails or rocks long enough to cast to. In that case I'll get down on my knees and butt and ease up to them and dap the fly to them. I caught 3 of the 8 I caught yesterday dapping. I use a 6'6" 2 wt for this because a long rod can be unwieldy when dapping and besides if they're out much further than that I'll cast just the leader. Sometimes they don't want the fly to be moved. Just let it lay there and they'll mosey over and inspect it and suck it in or you may have to give it a little twitch and they'll pounce on it. The main thing to remember is they change moods frequently. One day you can go out and every cast will spook them and when they see your fly they'll act like it's a ghost then the next day you'll go out and when they see your fly they'll turn and chase it and pounce on it like a cat on a mouse. Those are the days I live for. And too, different fish act differently so don't get discouraged. Be persistent------and most of all be QUIET.

Okie,
Yes, I did check one of the other lakes on the way home and it looked really, really good. It was less than prime time and I saw quite a few carp. I did more scouting than fishing. I was tired but I did catch a couple. This lake is up but it actually looks better than last year to me at least. This is the big carp lake Tom and I told you about. I did not, however, see any really big ones. Probably 8 pounds was the biggest I saw. Email me for more details. Man, you kicked my tail yesterday. Would you mail me a couple of those flies, pretty please? And instructions on how to fish it? Tom said you were using a split shot in front of it? 702 E. Pecan, Altus, Oklahoma 73521

[Jim Hatch]

Okie,

You are without doubt the most prolific
catcher of carp on a fly that I have ever
heard of. I enjoy reading your (and other)
accounts of your carp fishing feats. I have
caught a few carp on flies of my tying, but
my efforts pale in comparison. I'm waiting
for a weekly article on your Golden Bones.
Warm regards, Jim

[ozarkflyflinger57]

Robert,

Do you weight your nymphs? My thinking is that they need to be heavy so they would sink to the bottom?

Dan

[OkieBass133]

I'm not Robert, but I'm going to chip in anyway. Hope you don't mind.

I fish nymphs ranging from no extra weight all the way up to lead wraps all over the shank and bead chain, and will sometimes add a piece of shot above them for even more weight. Even a lightly weight nymph will get to the bottom eventually, if you have the time to let it get there, and sometimes the fish like to see something sinking slowly. Other times, the fish are moving fast and in a couple feet of water. If your fly can't hit the bottom like a brick the fish will be gone before your fly even gets close enough for a look. Also bear in mind that heavy flies hit the water differently than unweighted flies, and sometimes all it takes is the sight or sound of a little bug dropping to the bottom like a rock right in front of a fish's nose to spook it into the next county.

[Fishnfool]

Okie,

Sounds like most of your strikes are coming after your fly has hit the bottom? How long do you leave it there and do you ever twitch it or will the action/movment actually scare the carp? Just curious how far in distance are you from your carp? How deep is the water yout casting to?

Have a nice day,


------------------
John G.
Albuquerque, NM