• Get some mad ninja skills!
A lot of people worry about
flies and lines and leader set ups way more than this, but for
me it’s the clear single most important factor in carp fishing.
These fish can hear you and in shallow water they are wary.
Learn to creep and get close unseen and unheard. 90 percent
of the guys I take out to get their first carp struggle most
with this. They spook fish before they even get a chance
to put a fly in front of them. A spooked carp WILL NOT eat.
• Learn to read the fish that are worth casting to
and don’t waste your time on negative fish. There are tons
of stuff already written about this but a lot of guys I see just
don’t get it and try to cast at anything. Often you run the risk
of spooking players by casting at a negative fish nearby. Stop
and watch. Pick out the fish that are telling you they’ll eat.
Probably the best way to learn this is with someone to show
you, but if you can’t do that read about it and try to apply it
on the river. It’ll come surprisingly quickly if you work at it.
Don’t be afraid to leave fish and try to find more. With carp the
old adage doesn’t hold true; you’re not going to beat a carp
into submission, so go find a happy carp that will eat your fly.
• Don’t get too hung up on fly patterns, t