Fly fishing for Carp on the Columbia River, who knew? Probably quite a few, but loose lips sink ships, and after spending every day the last 3 summers guiding out there I can see why it’s such a tightly guarded secret. There is literally hundreds of miles that these fish will inhabit, from the coast all the way to the Snake in WA and beyond.
When air temps start hitting between 80-100 the 8wt gets broke out and the stalking begins. Fly design isn’t crucial but these fish are extremely smart and can get a little gun shy as the season pushes on. A great early season fly is just a standard black leech. The water can be a little off color and maybe not as warm as the fish would like, causing them to be a little more sluggish. A larger profile fly that’s visible can get them moving.
A far as hooks go you can use the MFC Heavy Wire Scud in a 6-10 but buyer beware the big girls will bend these out. Anything under 12lbs seems to stay stuck.
I really like the Ahrex SA274 Curved Salt in the 2-8 range.This is a bad ass hook that has never bent out and they keep a point for a long time.
Now, a couple quick tips when fly fishing for Carp.
Do’s:
*Move like a ninja. No quick movements or demonstrative arm movements. Think stealth. Extreme stealth.
*Use heavy Fluorocarbon like the SA Saltwater in 12-16lb. Oddly enough they don’t seem to be leader shy.
* Utilize overweighted fly lines like the SA Sonar Jungle, or the SA Bass Bug. Accurate short shots are the name of the game, and these lines turn your flies over at short distances.
Don’ts:
* Do not throw right at them. Click this “Drag N Drop” Or search youtube. Plenty of good vids.
*Quit casting to cruising fish. They will spook and mess up shots at tailing fish in the area.
*Don’t point at them. This spooks them. Not sure why but it does, even if they’re faced away from you.
All in all these fish are incredibly smart, social, crazy strong and can be very hard to catch. An average day I will put my clients on 20-80 tailing fish and if you’re not paying attention, following directions correctly and keeping a cool head, you will not catch them.
My season sells out a year in advance but if you would like to be added to the waitlist shoot me a text or give me a call at
(503) 784-4623