November and December are great months to fish in Southeast Virginia with most anglers focusing on Striped Bass and Speckled Trout. The down side to this great fishing is sometimes the best kayak fishing spots are really crowded. Last weekend my Dad and I decided to get away from the crowds and do something different, sight fishing for Carp with the flyrod. The weather was good and we were the only folks on the lake.

There are plenty of ways to catch carp but to me the most fun is stalking the fish and then targeting each carp with the fly. On this day the carp were very picky and would only take a fly presented right in front of their face. I was using a nymph on my 4wt custom rod from Bishop’s tackle in Yorktown, with a 5lb tippet on a floating line. Carp are great fighters, even though the fish on this day were on the small side every fish taking me into my backing with strong long runs.

The Cuda is a perfect boat for this type of fishing. Being able to stand up is critical to seeing the fish. Carp spook easily, so you have to be as stealthy as possible. The paddle holding notch on the Cuda is a great place to quietly put your paddle and you don’t have to worry about it getting knocked around while you make your cast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A7KhlYHLb8

So if you want to get on some great fighting fish without the crowds give Carp fishing a shot. Carp are a lot of fun and we can target them all winter here in Hampton Roads. In February, I’ll be giving a seminar on Kayak Carp fishing at Appomattox River Company. Once the date and time are set, I’ll update this post.