I caught my first carp on the surface with a dry fly in a large canal near Phoenix. There was an algae bloom late in the day, and the algae was rising to the surface like yeast in a cup when you are proofing it for bread. It was coming up in clumps and the carp were rising to it like trout to a mayfly hatch. I greased a medium olive mohair woolly worm, got below a nice one and made the cast. He rose and took just like a trout except much larger than most trout.

This winter I observed the carp in a nearby lake swimming around on the surface with their mouths open scooping in something off the surface. I never did deterine what they were eating. I tried to intercept their line of "scooping" with nondescript dry flies, but was unsucessful. I'm pretty sure it was vegtable but they were very selective and spooky.

I have my best luck with a hair nymph when they are tipped up and have their noses in the mud.