The Bell Pond

Last year I began trying to target carp on the fly. It was a big learning curve, as big still water carp are a whole different animal from the Bass and Trout I was used to. Thus It was several months before I was able to get my first one. It was a resident of a small mill pond that I spent hours observing, and finally caught on a corn fly of my own design.

Sometime this spring I discovered a carp in a pond I have fished for about three years. I formulated a plan to pattern and catch these big untouched fish. I would start out using spinning gear and European style rigs. Then, using what I had learned I would switch to flies. 

First, I spent a while learning the pond, which I nicknamed "The Bell Pond". It consisted of a feeder stream formed ridge; with long, shallow flats on either side; a deep trough hugging the dam and stretching up each shore; and a weeded margin. 

I discovered, in that margin of time which I spent spin fishing, That the carp spent a period of time pre- and post-spawn when they would spend the morning on deep part of the ridge, then root around in the flats all afternoon before working there way down shore to the dam in the evening. I caught a few fish following this pattern.

After the post spawn lethargy period I decided to begin the task of fly fishing for these giants. In the mornings I went out to wade the ridge while targeting fish both on the ridge and in the flats on each side. This resulted in some fantastic fish. 

I learned a few things: 

The fish went deep an hour or two after the sun came above the tree line. 

The best flies were large and very bushy. 

Flash and bright color was not beneficial, and even spooked fish. 

Smaller fish would take a moving fly more readily than the bigger ones. 

Being aware of these facts lead to some great fishing, outlined in these posts:

flyfishingcts.blogspot.com

flyfishingcts.blogspot.com

flyfishingcts.blogspot.com

flyfishingcts.blogspot.com

I think next year is going to be incredible.