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I absolutely hate it when I foul hook a fish. Makes them very difficult to land. Particularly bad news when returning them because the fights are drawn out.
I also like catching carp but having to kill them because they’re invasive really takes the fun out of it for me.
I think the fly selection matter when they are "mudding." Before I started making my own carp flies I went days sometimes without catching them. And then all of a sudden, without anything changing, other than the fly, I would start catching them w the pattern I posted a picture of them.
It may not be color or anything of that sort but I do think the different materials and possibly the rubber legs cause the fly to move differently and the fish to sense it as a food item as opposed to whatever other muck floats around when they're mudding...
Super easy. Basically just a marabou feather w/ legs. Strap down the eyes whether they are bead chain or dumbbell. Take the marabou feather and tie the end off the back of the hook from little tail. Wrap the marabou to the eyes. Secure it with a thread wrap or two. Tie in the rubber legs. Continue to wrap the marabou over the eyes to the front of the hook. I'll usually criss cross the eyes a few times to fill any dead space. Whip finish on the head and you're done.
You could write a book on carp fishing in Australia from many perspectives, and any way you went you would upset a lot of people.
This is not Europe so there is no place for Euro-centric judgement, carp are considered to be invasive vermin in this part of the world, and to the vast detriment of our native fish and many waterways they now make up an estimated 95% of the vertebrate biomass of our inland waters. In two states, South Australia and Victoria it is illegal to return them to the water. They have only recently spread in Queensland - the spreading is usually done by European coarse fishermen who are completely blind to what these fish do to our waterways - and it is illegal to return them to the water there as well. In New South Wales its at the discression of the angler.
We do have some bloody good fishing for them, often in clean water and its all sight fishing. Myself and a mate had a day last summer where we caught (and killed) some 70 carp, all of mine were on dry flies (grasshopper patterns). My mate is a huge advocate for native fish and they have been the big losers in this battle - mind you the impact humans have had on native fish in this freshwater poor country has also been severe - and he kills them all (the carp). I was recently at a waterway where 2 fly fishing clubs had got together for a few days of fishing and they return all their fish, fortunately we are allowed to do either, its up to you.
One thing is for certain, now that we have got over our prejudice of actually fishing for them (well many of us have) they have been a real boost for fly fishing. They're big, its all sight fishing, they require some skill most of the time, and they fight hard. If they were edible they would probably be endangered. I can certainly get my fill of them in just a few days of fishing for them each summer, others are obsessed.
The numbers of them in our waterways has to be seen to be believed and they are pushing right up into trout waters on the mainland. Some idiot introduced them to Tasmania and there has been a 15 year project to eliminate them from those waters and that project is in its final stages.
Make your explanations as simple as possible, but no simpler. A Einstein.
In Eastern Europe, Morsie, Carp is the equivalent of the Christmas Turkey. Usually they end up in soups with a mix of other fishes and paprika. I personally find the whole thing a bit too fishy but that’s just acquired taste. I was fed one of these dishes recently by my Hungarian. Neighbour - just a special event not for Christmas!
