I recently finished reading “Carp on the Fly”. GREAT book! If you wanna learn about fishing for carp…even if you’ve already been catching them…I recommend this book. I know a number of folks on FAOL have already read it.
The authors spent a great deal of time figuring out carp, and I do believe they NAILED IT.
Anyway, I also have a book on Clouser’s flies, so I had to tie up a few Clouser Swimming Nymphs. Can’t wait for open water to try and fool some carp on these!
Thank you. I got some huge carp about 10 minutes from my house that are just screamin to havea hook drove through their lip, yanked from their nice watery worlds and forced to hold their breath for a short amusement.
Big carp are a challenge, and WICKED fun once you finally get one hooked!
I can’t wait for open water to hopefully get into a lot more of them this coming season!
Well, I am really new to fly fishing and especially fishing for carp. My presentation is sloppy and I usually end up scaring them more than anything, but I have fun and that what we do this for, fish are just a by-product.
You’re in for a treat with those swimming nymphs. Truth be told, I probably landed more carp on a black, beadheaded wooly bugger as anything else this past season. Can’t wait for open water myself. Here is Wisconsin it is negative 30 for a wind chill today and I am dreaming about warmer weather.
This guy was taken with a 3 wt and 6X tippet. These days I hunt with a 7 wt most of the time but have an 8 wt and just bought a 10 wt for the really big girls that I want to chase this year. Carp are my favorite targeted species.
I try to use an 8wt most of the time for carp. 8+lb carp are plenty challenging on that rod. I know I could go lighter, but I’m afraid I’d break a lighter rod. :rolleyes:
What size measure net is that? I got the large size (with extendable handle) for Christmas. I figure it’ll be a great net for kayak fishing, and maybe for landing some of the bigger catfish I hooked last year while fly-fishing.
What color hackle did you use for your black woolly buggers? Black, or grizzly?
…and a “Pheasant Leech” (not sure if there is another name?) I made using pheasant aftershaft feathers palmered on the shank, and a soft rear side feather for the head hackle…and some craft fur for the tail:
This is a larger San Juan “Weenie”:
…And a couple more versions of the Clouser Swimming Nymph:
Very nice tie, Dave. The swimming nymph is one of my absolute favorites, and I have caught manys a smallie and other species with it. No carp as of yet. I think this is one of Clousers best patterns, although it does not get any of the publicity like the minnows. There is a tutorial here on tying the fly, and I have found others as well. Bob Clouser sells a kit for tying them at a very reasonable price for those that might be interested. He is a great person to talk to on the phone.
Thanks Bob. I keep tying up more of these, because they are kind of fun to tie. Much like the Clouser Deep Minnow series or Lefty’s Deceiver series, the Swimming Nymph seems to me to be a style of fly that lends itself well to customization by subsituting a wide variety of colors/materials to suit the tyers needs.
I know I keep varying the materials slightly.
You can see in the pictures I used chenille for the body on some, mohair yarn on some, and have also used dubbing on some.
I’ve used rabbit hair for some tails, and marabou with the copper flashabou for others. I suppose ostrich plumes would work too, but might be a bit stiffer than the rabbit or marabou.
I’ve also played around a bit with different feathers for the “legs”. Stiffer hackle would help stir up puffs of silt if dragged along the bottom, whereas a soft-hackle would give more action when swimming the nymph.
They all look good, I’m sure they’ll catch fish. And then their all the different color possibilities too!
You guys put me to shame. I know that I should be tying right now, but just can’t get motivated to sit behind the vise. Hopefully the show next weekend will give me a good kick in the rear to start tying more seriously. That wiggle bug looks good and I have to tie up a couple doz Clouser swimming nymphs and some bead chain eye style buggers.
Keep the pictures coming, maybe that will help me get out from behind the computer and infront of the vise.