I’m going to ask a very loaded question here, with absolutely no “right” answer. So, maybe I shouldn’t ask, but why play nice. 
What’s your idea of the perfect carp rig? Rod wt, length, leader and tippet size, backing, and line. The whole nine yards, what do you think?
The reason I ask is I recently caught about a 1/2 to 3/4 pound carp in a stream near here, and that little guy put up quite a tussle. I’d like to go after his big brothers, but a 5wt is the heaviest rod I own.
hNt
I’ve used 5wts, but felt pretty silly doing it…meaning I knew I wasn’t matched to the fish. If specifically targeting carp, I usually fish an 8wt, but I’m starting to think I could get by with a 7…so…IMO:
7wt rod and WFF line, 9’ rod length, 9’ long 0x or 1x leader, 1x tippet. You should be able to catch and land carp of all sizes with that, and still have the thrill of feeling like the fish just might beat you if you aren’t careful.
I use a 9 ft, 6 wt rod, with a 9 ft, 3x leader and a wf6f line. I have probably 100yds of backing, but have never gotten into it on a carp. Where I fish, they don’t have that much room to run and are about 5-10 lb fish. If you get into those well up in the double digits, then you will need more backing. If the fish you are targeting are under 10 lb, you should be ok with a 5wt. Give it a try!
Ted
I think you will do OK with a 5wt if the carp aint too big…I have never done it for golden carp but I use a 5 or 6 on grass carp and also tarpon so I think you will be good…I would suggest that your backing be ready to go and dont panic when it starts melting away which is easy to do…not even a bonefish can go more than 150yds before exhaustion…good luck!!!..be sure to post your pictures please!!!
Carp are on my “list” for this year; this link has some great info
http://www.wyomingflyfishing.com/article/carponthefly.aspx
In one of my past lives, I fished a carp pond in Floyd, Va. The owner charged a small per rod fee and the biggest carp of the day, week, and month won a cash prize, and you could bring your own cooler… I remember going with some folks from work, and they staked their rods to the bank and fished with dough bait. I figured I didnt need to stake my rod, I wouldbe quick enough to grab the rod if there was a bite… WRONG . My rod went into the pond like a rocket. A fellow there had a large treble hook/small grappling hook and managed to hook my rod and retrieve it, the carp was long gone…
The owner even had a small concessions stand and had the best hot dogs I have ever had - topped with homemade sauerkraut.
Way too much information and off topic, thanks for the very interesting post HNT.
I am planning on using my orvis power matrix 9’ 6wt with a 6/7 Allen reel, 200 yards of mono backing…will prob use a fluro 3x or 4x tippet, 9ft leader.
carp in my area are 20-50+ pounds so i would say 9 or 10 foot 8wt - 10 wf sink with a ton of backing
Char,
Is this what you use for carp?
I use a loomis native run glx in a 9 ft 6 inch 7 wt. I basically only use 1x leaders and a reel with a good drag and large arbor that holds plenty of backing. I like the longer rod and a 7 seems to do the rick for me.
I’ve caught a couple of carp before and I’ve really enjoyed it. The stream I’m fishing has carp in it somewhere around 2-3 pounds with maybe an occassional 4 or 5 pounder. The only time I’ve ever seen my backing is when I clean my fly line, so i’d really like to get one of the bigger ones on my rod. I’ve got a 3 wt and I’ve thought of trying that, but I like my 3 wt and I’m not sure how well it’d make it with a 5 pound carp on the other end???
Mato Kuwapi posted this link the other day and I keep watching these guys in complete awe. If I can find a pond full of carp like this I’m definitely going to need a larger set up.
hNt
there are 2 schools of thought regarding carp & fly rods. light & heavy, I have been to both schools. when I started fly fishing for carp I used a 5 wt. As I got to know carp better, I used an 8 wt because it was easier to subdue carp. but now after several years of carpin, i have learned how to carp with 2 wts and 5X tippet. John called it suicide, so I call what i do “suicide carpin”. It requires a belief that you can land the carp. if you have any doubt do not try it. To answer your question, you should be able to land most carp with a 5 or 6 wt rod. I recommend using a net to speed up the process.
5 wt rod, 9foot leader, 9 foot rod, tippet depends on size (0X - 6X) , I like #8 or 10 hooks. i’ve caught many with white woolie buggers & deer hair pellet flies.
Carp must be in the process of feeding before they will consider your fly. carp will take many of the same flies that trout take but only when they are in the process of feeding themselves. So don’t think that normal fly fishing tactics will work, they won’t. carp do not chase flies! when carp are feeding, your fly must be in their feeding zone. the feeding zone is triangular shaped with the apex of the triangle starting at the carp’s mouth. the base of the triangle is about 2 feet from the mouth. put your fly in that zone & the carp will “consider” your fly. the most important thing to know is that your presentation of the fly to the carp must be accurate. if your presentation is sloppy, you will spook the carp and it will leave the area. once your fly is in the feeding zone, make small moves with the fly (less than 3 inches) or twitch the fly. carp do not like fast movement or big movements. carp do not like seeing you so use stealth. remember if you can see the carp, the carp can see you! cast no shadows on the water. do not over line carp when casting.
Depends on how big you’re going after. My preferred setup for 5-10 lb carp is a 7.5’ 3 wt. I’ve caught grassers up to 15 lbs on it too.
A lot of good info herein. Consider that a Carp, like most fish, is temperature dependant so catch one in it’s preferred range and you’ll get a fight. Cold or warmer waters will slow them down a tad. Also like most fish, if the pond is just a acre or so they can’t run far so you can step your outfit down a bit. In short it is knowing your fishery and good Carp rods will range from 3-10 weight in strength. My favorite for one big lake where they ran into the 30 lb mark with a few even bigger was my Redfish Rod, an RPLX886 or 8 ft 6 inch 8 weight. It was stiffer than an eight so I use a nine weight line on it with a couple hundred yards of backing which I saw many times fishing there.
You do need to observe how carp feed where you are fishing. I have observed carp chasing small baitfish such as bass and bluegill fry for short distances in the shallows of some of our local lakes. Not an every day occurrence, but it does happen. We have caught the carp with a fast stripped small minnow shaped nymph like a Bird’s Nest in these situations.
I use 4 through 8wt rigs for carp, with a 6wt being used most often. I tend towards the 7 or 8 when the carp are feeding in flooded brush as often occurs during the spring after the winter rains raise the levels of the local reservoirs. The heavier butt and mid sections on these rods combined with tippets testing from 10 to 16lbs help quickly pull fish away from the sticks and other cover that they can quickly wrap a leader or flyline around. In water with less obstructions I will use the lighter rods.
My first carp was caught on a size 10 crappie candy fly. I was actually targeting bass and after a couple of blind casts I hooked a nice carp.
Depending on the conditions carp will chase flies.
when I reported that carp: carp do not chase flies!, I meant to say that in a normal situation, one should not expect a carp to react to a fly outside of the carp’s feeding zone. it can happen but don’t count on it happening. A buddy once hooked a carp (mistaken for a feeding trout) on a trico. remember your presentation of the fly is the key to catching carp.
I can think of another situation in which carp would chase flies. I used to fish the tailwaters of the Big Bend dam on the Missouri river. Baitfish used to go throug the dam regularly and carp and would feed on them. Seasonally there would be large schools of smelt there and you could see carp feeding on them too. My younger brother cast flies for them and caught them without a problem.
that is the same situation I described. the carp were not going out of their way to take flies. they were in the process of eating baitfish,already. when the fly was presented at that time, in the feeding zone, the carp took the fly. I would not consider that to be an example of carp chasing a fly. if there were no baitfish & the fly was not in the carp’s feeding zone and subsequently the carp pursued a fly, that would be “chasing”.