Attica, you said they'd catch carp.

[bombora]

In a previous post I mentioned the fat wild carp which inhabit the "wild river" along with trout. Attica said try some very small bugeye jigs, so I tied these up in 1/32nd for a trip yesterday.
View attachment 1
Painted over google eyes with peacock herl bodies and rabbit tails. Probably actually weigh about 1/36th or 1/38th when sides filed flat for the eyes. You can see the raw jig (a local mould) has a very long collar so still got weight despite the head bit being filed down for the eyes. Really horizontal slow fall. And doesn't that peacock look magic in the sun. Jig on the left has emerald green clear sparkle nail polish on the eyes over black for that really buggy look.
Hook only comes in size 6, wish they did them in 8s.
Attica I failed on the carp (not jig, my lack of skills!!) but one of the bugeyes fooled this 16.5 inch rainbow (the .5s important!) in a riffle about six inches deep!
View attachment 2
Have done a report in the specific tackle talk/trout section. Was an interesting mid summer stream session for this trout newby!

 

[toadfrog]

mighty Fine .

 

[LedHed]

Excellent report & tye

 

[Radtexan]

Awesome fish,tie and Pic man !!!!

 

[Squeakyboatcaptain]

Pretty Rainbow!!!

 

[bombora]

Next trip gonna definately try harder for the carp, just to prove Attica right!!!! I've no doubt when my skills improve the itty bitty bugeye jigs will work!!!
Radtexan your stunning ghost jigs would brain the rainbows in this river!!!!! And the big wild browns to 6 pounds, if I can ever find one.
Have done a full trip report _ including some stupidity which got me into a bit of trouble in the specific tackle talk/trout section. Only got one other fish for six hours of exhausting mountain goat fishing, an 18 inch rainbow, but it too went like a Polaris missile.
Back home on the coast and, yep, hard onshore wind, wild ocean, and more rain this arvo, and tomorrow, and the day after..........

 

[Jig Man]

It's a toss up.... Carp or trout... Tough decision... not sure..... but I think..... I'm gonna go.... with..... the.... trout!!!

 

[AtticaFish]

Carp have to be one of THE toughest fish to sneek up on and sight fish! When the water runs clear on my home river, if they see you at all or notice the jig hit the water they are gone! Keep at it - you will get one - and be addicted to them.

 

[bombora]

Jigman, I know, I know.
But now it's a matter of honour! These fat carp meander about a pool, looking like they are just dumb, despised.......carp, just teasing me and I can't get a bite. A man has an ego.......

 

[bombora]

Hey Attica exactly. This river is pebble bottomed so is very clear. And these carp have won new respect, as you say they are a challenge. I have got to learn to be patient, and watch for a pattern, and know when to cast so the fish isn't frightened, and get that retrieve just so......
Then there's the fight. Local fly fishos grudgingly say good luck actually landing them.
Lot of stuff to learn for a feral fish!!!

 

[Shoemoo]

Nice trout you've got there. It's still strange to me to see such a familiar fish in such a far off place. Trout love baitfish and insect imitations, but they will also hit odd stuff too. Some of the most effective trout flies consist of little more than chenille on a hook.

I know the fly fishing guys bait carp by throwing out dog food and then casting a fly tied to look like a pellet. Don't know if that's legal where you live, but I'm sure you could tie something like that on a small jig head.

 

[Fatman]

Nice tie!!!!! That could pass for a sculpin or a hellgramite!!! Nice fish on a nice tie!!!!

 

[StumpHunter]

That is a good looking jig and the trout I would also pick over any carp!!!

 

[bombora]

OK, what is a scuplin and a hellgramite??? They sound like nasty characters from Lord Of The Rings!!!!!!!

 

[Shoemoo]

Sculpin are a type of small, bottom dwelling fish. They have spines that can stick you pretty good. Hellgrammites are the aquatic larva of a very big bug called the dobsonfly. They grow to about three inches long and have pincers that can draw blood. Some people call them toe-biters, because they can get you while walking barefoot.

Increasingly enough, they're both ugly enough to pass for monsters from LotR.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/dobsonfly.htm
http://fishandboat.com/pafish/fishhtms/chap20.htm

 

[AtticaFish]

Bombora - Never did mention but those jigs should do you well in chasing carp. Peacock with full/short rabbit tails would be perfect. If you see a couple fish in the same pool just stop and watch them for a bit. If they are flat out cruising the water up and down stream i doubt they will bite. Watch for the individual fish that have more of a stop-and-go swimming pattern and those ones are looking for a meal. Cast to them and let the others go on their way. There are a few websites and forums that focus on catching 'rough' fish. www.roughfish.com

Carp or trout.....? I might be influenced by the closest availabe species to me but a carp fight is a blast on UL spinning gear or a fly rod. Get to be big fish too! They will make crazy/fast runs to try and get out of the pool you are in and all you can do is chase them. They will slow down and you think you have them but they will scoot again as soon as you lower down to grab them. I would not eat either wild trout or carp so the edible factor does not come in to play. haha!

Hell Gee's (hellgramites) are a very popular food source in the rivers around here. Picture a black, long, flat caterpillar with large pincers at the business end and that is it. Quite ugly and mean bugs, they would fit well in a Tolkein novel.

 

[Fatman]

Thanks Shoe, wasn't on last night GASP!!!!! Took the wife out to dinner and a movie for any early Valentines day - she's a swim coach and has to work that night.

 

[bombora]

Ah I google pictured them and yep, both could come straight from sci-fi/fantasy films/books!! Specially those hellgrammites! Can see em Six feet tall and emerging from an alien spacecraft! Run, kiddies run the creatures from planet Hellgram are here!!!
Attica the carp were doing just as you say, stop/start wandering. I did get two follows. Gotta learn patience and just watch for a while.
ANd the trout guys here who sometimes fish for carp say exactly as you do; they fight crazy strong and long. And dirty.
Do still prefer the trout but wanna knock one carp off the list!!

 

[Beagler]

Nice jig and trout, That pictures is worth framing,

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Cool ties and nice rainbow.Bows are fun to catch but not my favorite eating fish. Bom, I have a Hilts mold that is very similar to that head,only difference from looking at the head is the collar length isn't as long as the one in your pic. The mold is 1/32 and 1/64 and I know it will pour #8 hooks so if you are interested in some let me know. I'd like to see what the finished product looks like. I'm sure after enough trying you'll stick a carp with those jigs,landing one in a small stream would be no small feat.