Carpe Carp (Seize the Carp)
“When the temperatures soar and trout waters get tepid, what is a fly fisher to do? ”
You can go early. Really early is best. Like 5 a.m. on the water early. Fish for trout until 9 or so. Check your water temperatures. Stop at 68 degrees or above. So, it is now 9:30 a.m. and you want more fishing time. The sun is up, and it is getting hot fast. Carp time.
They are moving into the shallows and getting busy doing carp things, like eating. Mid-morning to early afternoon is prime time. The sun is high enough for great visibility and the waters are warming up enough to get the carp metabolisms in high gear. Do you want to see your backing? Put a fly a few inches in front of a carp mouth, let them suck it in, and buckle up
Zzzzz. Splash. Zzzzzzzz. Thrash. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
When it is too hot for trout, carp will give you a great ride.
As the afternoon wears on and the temperatures soar, the carp feeding window will begin to close. They will sometimes play follow the leader and swim around slowly in groups. Casting at them is not likely to result in success. When it is hot, they will lay around like logs. Fishing is over until the sun begins to drop. You need some shade anyway.