Carp in Gauteng

[kreef]

Hi all

I have never caught (or for that matter actively targeted) carp before, so I was wondering. Do carp have better and worst seasons, or are would one be able to fish for them all year round? Are there any good venues in the Gauteng region to target them on fly?

Thanking you in advance

[clarias]

Good luck finding any in shallow water in a gauteng winter! They basically go deep once the water drops below 15 degrees...

[wernerm]

Clarias answered your question short and sweet. When targeting carp on fly you have to find them in the shallows and carp are only active in the shallows when the water is warm enough, you can still target carp in winter but generally not on fly. Not to say you wont find them, but you have to look long and hard. Not really worth the effort in my book.

[clarias]

Yeah, I see the carp anglers catch really big ones in winter, but also really deep down where the water is possibly warmer.
I have yet to land one on fly, although as Werner said, once you've found them in the shallows it is pretty easy... just have to be good at stalking. Look out in summer for bubbles and tails sticking out of shallow water.
Good luck

[Herman Jooste]

There are some papgooiers who only target Carp in Winter.
They find the holes and take their lines up to 300m out with canoes.
That bait may lie for a whole day before it's picked up.
When it is picked up though it's usually by a BIG fish.
Some of the articles in StyweLyne show Carp of 15+ kilo's

[clarias]

Well if i look at how slow my koi get when the water goes under 10 degrees, I'd be able to land a 15kg+ carp on my 4wt!
You gotta love your papgooiers!
Actually I'm trying to convince my favourite old uncle to take it up, as he is becoming way to injury prone to go gallavanting over rocks in the transkei...to see the man who taught me everything I know about fishing parked off next to a caravan, with ten rods laid out in front of him....waiting for the 'groote', what a sight

[MyWorld]

Winter time is mostly boilie time for carp angling, that means long waits, sometimes up to two days!

Clarias rightly pointed out the the carp look up deeper water AND become "lazy" in the winter, so they excert much less energy and therefore do not need to feed on huge amounts of food, which makes them harder to hook on any method.

Go into a piece of water in the winter for a swim and you will immediately feel that the survace temp is much colder than water deeper down, but to make it more interresting, there are these thermal zones stacked in layers in deeper water, depending on currents, etc.

So it's not to say that the deepest palce will have the biggest fish, as always, it is finding the RIGHT spot that will put you into them.

Sorry for the off-topic...

[clarias]

Its not that far off topic, its quite relevant to finding the depth at which stillwater trout are hiding out...wish there was an easy way of knowing at what depth all those inversion zones are!

[poppernel]

Its not that far off topic, its quite relevant to finding the depth at which stillwater trout are hiding out...wish there was an easy way of knowing at what depth all those inversion zones are!

This is when the count down method used by ff comes in handy.

Dave

[chris williams]

The carp in my area seem to be 'awakening' once the sun hits the wate rin local Dam X and just before it departs. This ayem I got three carp on light olive marabou (tied 'steamer style' to look like a lump of rocksnot/algae) size 8shortshank hook and sight-fished extremely stealthily (for me...) casting 10 yards back from the side of the dam and only letting the degreased long tippet contact the water. Am off again in a mom to try get the 'evening rise' of AED's (Algae Evening Duns...) - also taking 12wt with 5/0 black zonkers in case the barbel want an evening stroll around Dam X margins..

Sorry been a bit quiet recently (you're probably all grateful...) - been chaotic business/domestic-wise but all coming good thank goodness, hope all OK with all you guys?!