TackleTour

I've been looking into fly fishing for carp after I've been trying to fish for different types of fish on a fly rod. Just wanted to ask what flies would a carp take and would you need a sinking fly line? I would imagine that fly fishing carp are mostly sight casting but what if the water is murky?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

In the spring they feed heavily on mulberries you could use a fly that looks like one and as soon as hits the water they will take it so long as you have mulberry bushes around your area

Bees too! Around here, in the fall when the bees start to die off, they come up to eat them!

Beetles, ants, grasshoppers, crickets all natural insects which at times can end up in the water. Carp are remarkable fish with an almost unbelievable memory. They will not be fooled again using the same fly. They will also take many different nymphs.

A really good place to start is with a small black or olive wooly bugger (depending on water clarity) and a floating line. Based on my very limited experience, and a friend's very extensive experience, your best results will come when sight fishing carp in shallow water, particularly if stained a bit. The ones I've fished for also seemed to like the fly moved very slowly, or sometimes not at all!

I have caught carp only rarely when they are actively eating a particular insect... for fish not doing that I would go to corn and spinning rod..

Definitely do not need a sinking line. Floating line will suffice, depending on the size of the fish I would start with a 6wt. I fish a 5wt some places, and some places an 8wt. Looking for fish in the shallows that have there nose down and tail up. Tailing much like a bonefish or redfish. Damsel fly nymphs would be good flies around vegetation, crayfish flies around the rocks. Egan's Headstands, Backstabbers, and Ditch Damsels are all good flies. I also recommend not dropping your cast right on the fish but casting past them and "Drag and Drop."

These should help
http://www.orvis.com/s/fishing-carp-central/12283

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObyLbfdlVJQ