Decoding the Carp Berry Bite

 Upon my return to the scene of the mulberry carp chaos I'd discovered, I was keen to figure out some new things. I wasn't sure how long the berries would last and I'd not yet figured out a way to get the fish that weren't under the trees to eat a fly. Learning should never stop in fishing. New bites present opportunity to broaden your knowledge, and this mulberry bite was something completely fresh for me. I'd love to be presented with such an interesting and new fishing opportunity each month, but the longer you fish the harder you need to seek these things out. 

Day Two presented the same challenges as the first day, but I was now a little more prepared. I'd tied up a handful of flies that I thought did a good job of imitating both the unripe and ripe berries, and had on a leader more appropriate for the snag-filled environment. I felt I'd be more adept at getting the fish feeding under the berry trees but still wasn't sure about the others. I spent the first hour fruitlessly casting sinking flies- not berries -at tailing fish. They would occasionally look but none ever ate... none of them. It was really frustrating. Eventually I got to the first mulberry tree, where I promptly broke off an atypically large mirror carp for this water body. Fortunately, two casts later I was hooked up again. 

After finding success at the next three berry trees and none whatsoever with the many dozens of fish I cast at away from the trees, I was starting to wonder how these fish could be so picky. I'd think the fish feeding specifically on berries would have more of a food image to follow than those foraging the banks. I thought perhaps I could downsize tippet, but that proved incorrect. No fly change I made changed my success either.

Eventually, after catching yet another beautiful mirror on a floating berry imitation under a tree, I simply left that fly on out of laziness. The next time I saw a tailing fish, I plopped that berry a foot way from him... and I'll be damned if that fish didn't come up and suck down the fly. 

After that, it was just silly. When I put that little purple berry in front of a carp- if it saw it- the fish would at least come up and give it a taste test. Usually it would just inhale it. The fights were nuts; each fish acted utterly shocked that it had been duped. Even though they averaged quite small, these fish pulled like crazy. It was a riot and some of the most fast-paced carp fishing I've experienced. Oh yeah, and virtually all mirrors... that's just what this place has. 

I'm not sure why the berry worked so well for fish away from the trees. It could well be that every fish is aware of the berries even if they aren't actually under the trees at the moment one is presented to them. It could also be the case that this is a behavioral trait that I've just not tapped into before... perhaps I should be casting dry flies at carp more often. I still have a lot to learn and that is just so exciting for me. 

Until next time, 

Fish for the love of fish.

Fish for the love of places fish live.

Fish for you.

And stay safe and healthy.

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Edited by Cheyenne Terrien