Bbl 9.1.11... Holy carp!!

[white belt]

Is what I would have been saying if I knew how to catch those buggers :ROFL:

I've never seen anything like it... a school of about 20-30 HUGE carp (5-10+ lbs) just swimming by the shore in grout bay. It was a pretty awesome sight. I didn't even remember there being carp in that lake when I went as a kid but there they are. I had nothing for em though since I only had trout and bass baits. Sucks. They would actually swim up to my crank baits but no bites.

As for me, got there around 9am and on the 2nd or 3rd cast with my texas rig shim-e stick, I caught this little guy:
http://i55.tinypic.com/wwak3o.jpg

Still a fun day. Scenery was awesome as usual and there wasn't a single person in grout bay so that made it even better. Just wish I had SOMETHING for those carp!!

[Pete Marino]

The carp are EXTREMELY thick in Big Bear lake.. I often snag them while trolling for trout....
Alot of people bow fish for them too..

But as far as catching them with bait... Thats another story. I have been there and fished for them with them swarming the area and havent caught one. Ive used bread and dough baits and watched them swim up then swim away without eating it... Im sure something works for them, just not what Ive thrown... grrrrr...

Pete

[XMrxSEAUx]

The carp are EXTREMELY thick in Big Bear lake.. I often snag them while trolling for trout....
Alot of people bow fish for them too..

But as far as catching them with bait... Thats another story. I have been there and fished for them with them swarming the area and havent caught one. Ive used bread and dough baits and watched them swim up then swim away without eating it... Im sure something works for them, just not what Ive thrown... grrrrr...

Pete

I saw a guy there fishing what looks to be hellgrammites under a bobber and he was getting way past 30 . Took him 6 trips for his stringer

[white belt]

I saw a guy there fishing what looks to be hellgrammites under a bobber and he was getting way past 30 . Took him 6 trips for his stringer

Was he using live bait or plastics? I'd hate to have to rig those nasty bugs alive haha.

[stocker]

slayed those carp on a fly during the springtime spawn. i'd imagine you could catch a mess of them on wonder bread.

[blackberg]

cant go wrong with a bow:Twisted:

-bb

[NorthwestWolf]

You can determine which carp are in an active feeding mode or not by watching their behavior.

The book "Carp on the Fly" has an excellent section on how to determine which carp to target on any given day.

Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Carp-Fly-Flyfishing-Barry-Reynolds/dp/1555661866/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315213221&sr=1-1

[etaggart]

Hey Wolf,

Interesting book reference - Can you provide more info without spoiling the ending? Does that little book provide any useful hints that have paid off for you? Especially for how to catch carp when they're NOT actively tailing/feeding?

If it's got good info, I'm all in for $14! I've accidentally caught a couple of carp on the fly and they're a great catch - last thing I want to do is keep'em, but a great fight on the fly rod.

Thanks in advance for any info you'd like to share.

Eric

[Spaulding]

Is what I would have been saying if I knew how to catch those buggers :ROFL:

I've never seen anything like it... a school of about 20-30 HUGE carp (5-10+ lbs) just swimming by the shore in grout bay. It was a pretty awesome sight. I didn't even remember there being carp in that lake when I went as a kid but there they are. I had nothing for em though since I only had trout and bass baits. Sucks. They would actually swim up to my crank baits but no bites.

As for me, got there around 9am and on the 2nd or 3rd cast with my texas rig shim-e stick, I caught this little guy:
http://i55.tinypic.com/wwak3o.jpg

Still a fun day. Scenery was awesome as usual and there wasn't a single person in grout bay so that made it even better. Just wish I had SOMETHING for those carp!!

That lake is loaded with carp. you can make your own masa bait or you can buy the already mixed carp bait at Big Bear Sporting goods (just add water) Both work real well.
If you have youngens that you want to get hooked on fishing,hand them a trout pole with 4lb test on it, set the drag loose and launch a ball of that out with a little split shot weight or flylined and hang on...Evening time seems to be the best,The light flicks on and they start biting. The Stanfield marsh is loaded with them too.

[white belt]

That lake is loaded with carp. you can make your own masa bait or you can buy the already mixed carp bait at Big Bear Sporting goods (just add water) Both work real well.
If you have youngens that you want to get hooked on fishing,hand them a trout pole with 4lb test on it, set the drag loose and launch a ball of that out with a little split shot weight or flylined and hang on...Evening time seems to be the best,The light flicks on and they start biting. The Stanfield marsh is loaded with them too.

Thanks for the tips, i want to go back for the carp real soon! do you know if the bite slows when its colder or does it pick up ?

[IncredibleHuck]

One of my favorite baits for carp are Sugar donuts! They are the donuts that have the sugar coating. I will fly line that on 2# test on a size 18 treble hook! Puts up an awesome fight!

[Ifishtoolittle]

If you "feed the ducks" then the carp will come over and inspect. two springs ago I hooked into a few on 4lb and boy oh boy was it fun! I find a size 12 hook with a ping pong ball size of loosely clumped bread with a 1/4oz C-rig tends to work well. Also you do not really need to fish light line for these guys since they are so thick! I've managed to catch a few on my curado and 10lb mono before and that was also insanely fun.

[Cpt. Heffanio]

Strawberry Hubba Bubba

[NorthwestWolf]

Hey Wolf,

Interesting book reference - Can you provide more info without spoiling the ending? Does that little book provide any useful hints that have paid off for you? Especially for how to catch carp when they're NOT actively tailing/feeding?

If it's got good info, I'm all in for $14! I've accidentally caught a couple of carp on the fly and they're a great catch - last thing I want to do is keep'em, but a great fight on the fly rod.

Thanks in advance for any info you'd like to share.

Eric

It would be quite difficult to sum up the info in the book, as much of the behavior of carp is very conditional. What is very clear is that carp that are tailing are actively feeding and should be the first target over say the carp you find sunning themselves or circulating in small loose groups.

I'm right in the middle of setting up a 6 wt. rig for carp and bass. There's no way I'd try to hook one on my short 3 wt. rod. Also, besides tying some conventional flies for carp I've tied up a handful of "bread flies". A little bit of fun foam from the craft store and white craft fur and I have what looks like a soggy yet floating piece of white bread.

[DockRat]

In the late 1960's we used to shoot them with a cheap bow.
The Racoons would get them at night after we tossed them on shore.
The next day skeletons and footprints on the shore near Papoose Bay.
DR

[bowler]

Is what I would have been saying if I knew how to catch those buggers :ROFL:

I've never seen anything like it... a school of about 20-30 HUGE carp (5-10+ lbs) just swimming by the shore in grout bay. It was a pretty awesome sight. I didn't even remember there being carp in that lake when I went as a kid but there they are. I had nothing for em though since I only had trout and bass baits. Sucks. They would actually swim up to my crank baits but no bites.

As for me, got there around 9am and on the 2nd or 3rd cast with my texas rig shim-e stick, I caught this little guy:
http://i55.tinypic.com/wwak3o.jpg

Still a fun day. Scenery was awesome as usual and there wasn't a single person in grout bay so that made it even better. Just wish I had SOMETHING for those carp!!

Masa use it on your line with a size on 6 hook and no weight and you will caught carp all day long in BBL.