Friday Flies: The "Carpinator" by Pat Kelly

As much as I would love to tell you a fun filled story regarding the conception and development of the "Carpinator" one simply does not exist. The fly came from a book called Carp on the Fly, written by Brad Befus, Barry Reynolds, and John Barryman. By my estimation, this may very well be the best published book on the topic. This book set the standard and came out unapologetically. These guys were targeting carp and writing about it before people knew it was something that could be done. At some point they stopped printing this book and it was off the market for many years. I am happy to say that now, the book is available again Carp On the Fly. For whatever reason that fly was removed when the book was re-published. Since my original copy of the book is long gone I begin to doubt that it came from the book at all. I guess I'll never know. 

What I can say is it is without a doubt my favorite Carp fly of all time. I have made some tweak's and adjustments to improve an already stellar fly. This pattern has the unique ability to land on the water softly, sink quickly, and always lands upright on the bottom, no matter what. It can be tied in whatever color you can ponder and sizes can be adjusted to the situation at hand. In most cases, I tie it in sizes 4, 6, and 8 and use either medium or large bead chain eyes for the weight. I predominately target carp in slower moving rivers and streams so I have no need for a larger/heavier version. 

Step 1: Start your thread just behind the eye of the hook and make touching wraps to half way down the bend of the hook.

Step 2: Snip a bundle of rabbit fur off the hide and tie in so that it rides along the bend of the hook. Make sure the beginning of your tie in point is below the shank of the hook. This will be important and explained in the next step.
 

Step 3: The bump created by the rabbit's tie in point will create the platform by which you will mount the mono eyes. The placement and location of the mono eyes is critical to the fly landing and staying upright once it reaches the bottom and to ensure the current doesn't knock it over.

Step 4: Once the mono eyes are secured return thread to the bottom of the tail and begin to dub a noodle of Crawdub, doing your very best to keep the amount of dubbing to a minimum. This will ensure the fly sinks quickly through the column with minimal weight. Wrap the dubbing up the hook, figure 8ing around the mono eyes and half way up the hook shank.

Step 5:  Advance your thread up the shank to just behind the eye of the hook and secure the bead chain eyes. Once secure, take two rubber legs at full length and fold around your thread and secure, walking your thread back to where the dubbing left off. 

Step 6: Once the legs are secure, dub your way up the remainder of the hook to just behind the eyes. 

Step 7: Take a saddle from the middle of the patch. Hold by the tip and stroke the fibers downward toward the base of the stem. By doing so you will leave a small tag that you can use to tie in and secure the feather before wrapping the collar. One thing to note when tying in the feather, it pays to secure the feather so that the concave side of the feather is facing in towards the fly and facing slightly backwards. This will help make sure the fibers lay backwards when palmering your feather.

Step 8: Once the feather is palmered, tie off and secure. Advance thread to in front of the bead chain and secure with a whip finish. 

After that, take the fly out of the vise and rub it around in the river bottom before fishing. Doing this can remove your human scent and will help you convert more carp.  Hope this helps you out and thanks for reading!   

Recipe
Thread: Veevus 6/0: Color of choice
Hook: Daiichi 1650 #4
Black Barred Rabbit Strips: Gold Variant
Krystal Flash: Rootbeer
Medium Mono Eyes: Black
Crawdub: Tan
Large Bead Chain Eyes: Gold
Sili Legs Nymph: Barred Pumpkin
Soft Hackle Hen Saddle Patch: Brown

Watch the full video here:

Fly Tying- The Carpinator

The Carpinator

The Carpinator is all around a fantastic carp fly and without a doubt my hands down go to fly. Not exactly sure where it came from but I do remember that Brian used to custom tie this for the shop going back 15 years or so. I think he said he learned it from Brad Befus at one point.

There are a few key characteristics I look for when I am either choosing or tying a carp fly. First I want a pattern that can be tied quickly and is very durable. It also needs to tied/designed in such a way that allows the fly to enter the water very quietly but at the same time sink very quickly. I believe this is why I turn to this pattern more than any other in my carp box. It can also be easily tied in a multitude if different colors to either match bottom color or a specific species of crayfish.

Try this fly! I think it will become a top producer in your carp box!

Be sure to check out the tutorial on our You Tube channel which is linked below.

Pat Kelly- April 2018

Carpinator Recipe:

Hook: Daiichi 1650 #6-  Click Here

Thread: Fl. Orange UTC 140-  Click Here

Tail: Crawfish Orange Rabbit Fur cut from a Zonker Strip-  Click Here

Flash: Rootbeer Krystal Flash-  Click Here

Legs: Barred Orange Sili Legs- nymph-  Click Here

Body: Crawdub Dubbing- Softshell-  Click Here

Rear Eyes: Medium Mono Eyes- black-  Click Here

Front Eyes: Medium Bead Chain- black-  Click Here

Collar: Hen Back Patch- speckled brown natural-  Click Here

1. Secure hook in vise. Lay down base of thread and secure bead chain eyes approximately three hook eye lengths behind the eye of the hook.

2. Cut off piece of rabbit from the hide and tie in directly above the barb and wrap with thread half way down the hook bend and return thread to just above the barb. *When the fly is lying inverted on the river bottom it will give the appearance of a crayfish posturing up in a defensive position.

3. Tie in Krystal flash so that it extends a full tail length beyond the rabbit strip tail. Return thread to tie in point and secure mono eyes with figure eight wraps.

4. Bring thread back to where tail begins and dub your thread and begin to work up the hook shank and around the mono eyes. 

5. Once you have dubbed around the mono eyes continue dubbing to about half way between the mono eyes and the bead chain eyes and tie in your Sili Legs. 

I like to take one Sili Leg and fold in half and then half again. This will give you four individual legs that will be the perfect length, not so short that the will not wiggle around in the current but at the same time not too long as to foul while casting. Once the legs are secure I like to make a couple wraps with the dubbing behind the legs as to help prop them up. I find this maximizes the action of the legs.

6. Continue dubbing all the way up to right behind the bead chain eyes. At this point you will want to tie in your hen saddle. 

I prefer to tie in my saddle by the tip and with the concave portion facing rearward. This achieves two things. By tying in the feather by the tip it allows the shorter more stiff fibers to support the longer softer fibers. Secondly, by tying in the saddle with the concave portion of the feather facing rearward when you begin palmering the feather forward it ensures the natural flow of the feather veils back toward the rest of the fly. 

After wrapping the feather in its entire length tie off and advance thread in front of the bead chain eyes. At this point you will finish the fly by building a nice tapered thread head, whip finish and add a little zap or hard as hull. 

Done!

The Carpinator from the back showing the "defensive crayfish" posture that helps to make it such an effective carp fly.

Watch the Video!

Mad River Outfitters/Midwest Fly Fishing Schools

Fly Shop, Fly Fishing Guides, Hosted Fly Fishing Travel, Schools, Classes and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

614-451-0363

admin@madriveroutfitters.com

www.madriveroutfitters.com

Fishing Reports- 6/17/17

* Please remember to call us for more up-to-date or detailed information! These reports are not meant to be your one and only, daily source of information. They are typically general, even seasonal type reports and we currently don't have a set schedule as to when we update. Please, just because we don't update as often as we like, it doesn't mean that we don't care.

There are many different approaches you should take in order to get a good game plan for a trip or a day of fishing. Also remember that things change and these reports are what we know at the time of posting only. Keep in mind that we do express opinions and personal preferences from time-to-time which may be different from yours or what you may read elsewhere. Thanks for checking and don't forget to call us if you need any further information or a more up-to-date report. 614-451-0363

Thanks as always for reading our reports friends. As the weather gets more conducive we should be reporting more regularly....but we need your HELP!

Send any and all reports to admin@madriveroutfitters and we'll do our best to get them up.


Warmwater

Smallmouth Bass has continued to be the main talk in the shop.  Just before the rain this week the Scioto was just starting to fish great.  We will see how long it takes to come back down to safe levels.  If you fish gear and like to float the river then that will be the best option into early next week.  

The Olentangy was also starting to fish very well.  We personally have not been able to catch fish on poppers, but streamers have been the main ticket.  The river is currently muddy, but should fish by Sunday or Monday as they have just stopped releasing water at Delaware Dam.  

Matt Darrah was out with MRO guide Josh McQueen earlier this week and broke his personal best.....twice!!

If you are looking to fish close to the city this weekend then you will want to focus on Alum Creek, Little Darby, Big Walnut and other small creeks in the area.  There are many parks scattered throughout the area to access these small waters.  Find your local park and explore the water.  You might find some great fishing right in your "backyard."  The water temps are up making wet wading a good choice for those who look forward to this time every year.  There also have been many people out taking advantage of the warm water floating, swimming, and tubing so keep an eye out when casting.  

As for rod size we like to throw our 6-8wts with aggressive floaters or sink-tips.  There are some great rods in the shop for all budgets so make sure to give us a call or stop in and we will help you get the best rod for your situation.  Top picks for lines would be the Rio Big Nasty and Smallmouth or the Scientific Anglers Titan Taper and Clear Tip.  If you are not building your own leaders than either sign up for the Knots and Leader class or pick up some Rio Bass or Scientific Anglers Hard Mono Leaders.  Flies would be any of the Modern Streamers especially the Bottoms-Up in all colors, Boogieman, Clousers in all colors, Peanut, and Sump.

Above: "Conner's Uncle gave him the ultimate Christmas & Birthday present of a Private Warm Water School.  Conner and his Dad spent the morning learning about everything Smallmouth.  After a little knots and rigging we headed to their home water to apply what they learned.  We worked on casting, how to fish poppers and streamers, and how to unsnag a fly.  The water was still a little off color, but Chris did manage to catch a few small fish.  It is always great to educate a father and son together so they can make memories of their own!" - Guide and Instructor Ryan Ratliff

Education is the Cornerstone of our business. In all aspects....it's what we do!!

Above: Lindsey Kittle and her brother Lee were out with Andy aboard the Fly-N-Carp last weekend. Fishing was exceptional.

Carp fishing is of course in full bloom....as are the local mulberries. Great time to get out and chase carp on the fly in the local streams or lakes. They are starting to eat just about anything so mulberries, crayfish and nymphs should be in your box.

Click Here to see our line-up of Carp Flies

Mad River

USGS Gauge- Urbana

USGS Gauge- St. Paris Pike

Mad River Map

We need some water.  For the most part the major mayfly hatches are finished and we have moved into the typical summer pattern.  It's time to start thinking Caddis and Terrestrials.

You may still see some Sulphers, a stray Slate Drake or Brown Drake but probably limited to the upper river at this point. You may also see some tiny little mayflies but they usually don't amount to much as far as the fish are concerned.

Combine lower water and high heat with heavy canoe and kayak traffic makes for a tough day on the water. If you are going to fish during the day, which is not adviseable, plan on tons of canoes getting in your way.

There is midge and Caddis activity as typical. Fishing a Griffiths Gnat or other midge dry can be a great choice when the fish are keying in on the little stuff.  As for the Caddis a variety of sized Elk Hair Caddis are a staple, but make sure to have a good variety of colors and sizes. Galloup's new Goober Caddis has also become a shop favorite.  

As for the terrestrials we always carry Galloup's Ant acid in both colors.  Others to have also are the Fur Ant, Sinking Ant, and HiVis Para-Ant.  When the fish are picky a Splitsville Flying Ant is hard to beat.  Don't forget about the Japanese Beetles and Dave's Cricket also.  Drop a Soft hackle or Drowned Caddis behind these and you are ready for anything.

Che Brindle on a float this past Tuesday with MRO guide Josh McQueen on the Mad. Although the fishing has slowed a bit, you can certainly still catch fish if you are patient and toss the right flies. Fish early and fish late....avoid mid-day.

Clearfork River

USGS- Upper Clearfork

USGS- Lower/Mohican State Park

Clearfork Map

The upper Clear Fork is a great choice, but as with the Mad the mayfly hatches are pretty much over.  We have still been seeing some Light Cahills in the late evenings but the past few days this has slowed up and not enough to really get the fish going.

We would suggest fishing Midges and Caddis, but keep an eye out for fish raising to terrestrials.  Fishing a Cricket or Beetle with a Swing Nymph behind and cover water is a great option.  

The lower river is a great place to fish a bigger terrestrial like a Fat Albert with a caddis pupa like a Soft Hackle or Nitro Caddis behind.  There is a mix bag down there and just about anything will eat a big Terrestrial on top or settle for the nymph.  Focusing on Smallies with poppers and small streamers is also a great option also.   

Clear Creek

USGS Gauge

Clear Creek Map

The creek is super low right now.  Focus on small Caddis dries and Soft hackles.  With the higher water temps make sure to focus on the early mornings and land fish quickly.  

Fishing terrestrials also is a great option.  Flies are the same as for the Mad: carry Galloup's Ant acid in both colors.  Others to have also are the Fur Ant, Sinking Ant, and HiVis Para-Ant. 

When the fish are picky a Splitsville Flying Ant is hard to beat.  Don't forget about the Japanese Beetles and Dave's Cricket also.  Drop a Soft hackle or Drowned Caddis behind these and your ready for anything.

Mad River Outfitters

Fly Shop, Guides, Trips, Classes, Schools and more!

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com
www.midwestflyfishingschools.com

614-451-0363

Mad River Outfitters and Carp on the Fly

MRO's Brian Flechsig circa 1996

I caught my first carp on a fly rod sometime in the late eighties. I remember that I had just started guiding around Ohio and was doing some scouting one night on the Little Miami River near Cincinnati. I saw a carp feeding in the shallows, pitched my crayfish pattern near him and WHAM! My addiction had begun.

A few years later, Mad River Outfitters was born and I had moved to Columbus to make it happen. I guess you could say that I was a bit worried on what people would think of this "new" fly shop if I ran around talking about carp on a fly. I was afraid to "come out of the closet" and just pretended I was an uppity trout fisher!!!

Jim Andrix and MRO's Pat Kelly

Then, in about 1995, a man named Jim Andrix started working in the shop....and he was a carp "guru".....to say the least. It was during this time that I really learned alot about fishing for carp with a fly rod and also learned that there was nothing to be ashamed of!!! I really owe alot to Jim, as do many fly anglers here in Central Ohio.We have been promoting fly fishing for carp ever since!!!

Brian Flechsig and Dave Whitlock during the filming of Carpin'

Fast forward a few years......and I had a few "videos" under my belt. We had released "Getting Started in Fly Fishing", "Steelheading Made Simple", "Cool Flies for Hot Fish" and then "Chasing Silver". My next project would be something that had never been done before, a video on catching Carp on the Fly.

It was 2001 and just so happened that the same summer we were working on the video, Dave Whitlock was hanging out for a weekend here at the shop. I asked Dave if he would be interested in helping on the project and to my surprise, he said that he'd be honored!!! Holy Crap, making a video with one of my heroes!!! In the spring of 2002 we released the video (and now DVD of course) called "Carpin' - a Lighthearted Look at Fly Fishing for Carp". It was, and probably still is, my proudest moment! This DVD still sells very well today and I don't know of anything else like it currently on the market.

A few years earlier, we also had the pleasure of spending a weekend with the king himself, Lefty Kreh. We actually had a day to ourselves and Lefty wanted to go carp fishing.....so......I took him carp fishing!

Lefty Kreh and Brian Flechsig- "Carpin' in 1999

Long story short, but Lefty was so impressed with what we did, and how we did it, that he immediately got on the phone with his buddy Flip Pallot. Lefty told Flip that he "HAD" to get to Central Ohio and get this "carp thing" on film for the Walker's Cay Chronicles.

Although it took a few years, Flip finally made it to Central Ohio to film a few episodes for the Walker's Cay Chronicles and one of those was on Carp. We spent four days chasing carp with Mulberry flies and wound up with one of the best episodes ever put on film. Flip still says that the episodes that we filmed together were some of his favorites. It was really cool to share the excitement of Carp with Flip and his viewers!

Flip Pallot and Brian Flechsig during the filming of the Carpin Episode of the Walker's Cay Chronicles

I guess it was about 2005 or 2006 then that customer and friend Andy Jensen started promoting his Guide Service called the "Fly-N-Carp". He immediately came to us and we teamed up and started booking trips for him. Growing up a trout fisher, Andy claims that he was inspired by Jim Andrix, the Carpin' video and also by the Walker's Episode. He immersed himself in the carp game and became one hell of a guide! He has an "Ohio Flats Boat" and guides folks on several pieces of water around Central Ohio. It is truly just like chasing bonefish or redfish in the Bahamas or the Keys.....just change the scenery a bit....and the price. The experience is just the same and a ton of folks hire him as practice for a saltwater trip, and some, just because they love carp fishing!

Andy Jensen operates the "Fly-N-Carp" Guide Service

Andy has also now become the manger of Mad River Outfitters! He is available at any time to consult on Carp Fishing with a Fly Rod and also teaches some classes around the shop, including the "Carp School" which he does several times a year.

Mad River Outfitters strives to be at the forefront of Carp Fishing with a fly rod. I'm not saying that we started the revolution, but we were definitely there in the beginning and have made our contribution.....and we continue that today!!! I'm glad that I finally "came out of the closet" and admitted.......I'm a carp fisherman!!!!

Thanks for reading and look for a few more Blogs during the remainder of August on Carpin'.

Brian Flechsig

August 2013

Links:

Carp Month at MRO

Carp Photo Contest

Fly-N-Carp Guide Service

"Carpin" - the DVD

Carp Flies

Mad River Outfitters

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com

614-451-0363

August is Carp Month at MRO!

Help us celebrate the world's most popular gamefish!

Click Here for the exciting details on "Carp Month"

Enter to win some great prizes and GC to MRO!

Click Here for the details on how to enter and what you win!

Click Here to view the entries and to "Vote"

813 Bethel Rd.

Columbus, Ohio 43214

www.madriveroutfitters.com

614-451-0363

Fly Fishing for Carp

Mad River Outfitters- your full-line "Carpfitter"

Outfitters for Carp on the Fly

It really got started back in 1996 when a guy named Jim Andrix started working at Mad River Outfitters. He was often heard to say that he was "Not much of a trout fisherman.....prefer my smallmouth and my carp". Not something heard very often in a fly shop, especially back then. The more we started talking though, the more we found folks who agreed. The carp are a fantastic gamefish on the fly rod. It was just that few people were willing to publically admit that they were "Carp fishermen"



Then, in 2002, we came out of the closet! "Carpin" was released and featured MRO's Brian Flechsig, fly fishing legend Dave Whitlock, Jerry Darkes, Jim Andrix himself and the late Dr. Steelhead...Michael Bennett. The movie takes a lighthearted look at the sport of catching Carp on a fly rod. It was a ground-breaking work in the industry and still holds it's value almost ten years later. It is one of the few of it's kind right now in the industry!!





We had also started "Guiding" for carp on a few pieces of water in Central Ohio and developed quite a client base. Late June and July became a busy season for us once the "Mulberry Hatch" was on! Muzzy Lakes Club, one piece of water that we work on features some of the best Mulberry fishing that we have ever seen! This was so much fun that it attracted the likes of Dave and Emily Whitlock every season. The photo above is Emily's 1st Carp on the Mulberry. Lefty Kreh even joined us one year and afterwards made a call to his buddy Flip Pallot. A year or so later we filmed a "Walker's Cay Chronicles" that aired on ESPN......and the rest is history!





Today the tradition continues.......

We now feature the talents of MRO's Andy Jensen and his "Fly-n-Carp". Andy has a full-blown "Ohio Flats Boat" and can be found poling the shores of Alum Creek and Muzzy Lakes Club with anglers from around the Midwest who are looking to experience the thrill of Ohio Flats Fishing. Andy will also be conducting a "Carp School" to be held at the Muzzy Lakes. This Summer's class falls on Sunday, July 18th and is limited to 6 students!

We also feature some killer carp trips with Captain Brian Meszaros and his Great Lakes Fly Fishing LLC. Brian is legendary for his muskie and smallmouth fishing but also puts customers on crazy numbers of carp during May, June and July.

For more information on our Professional Guide service for Carp, be sure to see the links below or the website under "Guide Service".

Mad River Outfitters

Your source for Carp on the Fly!

Useful Links:

Fly Fishing for Carp- good links here

Carpin'- the DVD

Carp Fly Department- one of the few online

"Carp School"- Sunday, June 18th 2010

Fly-N-Carp Guide Service

Great Lakes Fly Fishing LLC

New! Carp Photo Album