How to Use the Drag & Drop Casting Technique for Carp

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Carp. A rather peculiar freshwater fish known for living in large ponds or warm water lakes. They are famous for having a large somewhat “sucker” or “suction cup” type mouth that acts as a vacuum cleaner if you will. Carp tend to be large and heavy species and if you aren’t careful, your rod wont stand a chance! Carp are rather spooky due to their sensitive lateral line and their small feeding window. They are known for their monocular vision meaning they are very good at focusing downward toward their prey and food. Carp are unique in that they can actually “hear” sounds while other fish can only feel vibrations. Because of all of these tricky senses, your fly needs to be placed perfectly and with precision to ensure hooking and landing these mud rockets. In this tips and tricks video of the week, Rick Mikesell of Trouts Fly Fishing demonstrates how to execute the Drag & Drop casting technique for carp.

How to Execute the Drag and Drop Cast:

  1. Start in the ready position with the fly in hand and plenty of fly line un-spooled from the reel.
  2. Avoid making a lot of false casts as this can spook the fish.
  3. Quickly load your rod, cast 4 to 5 feet past the fish.
  4. Lift your rod to keep the fly high in the water column and then drop your rod tip. The fly will then gently drop into the zone.
  5. At this point the fish will either eat or spook.
  6. At shoot distances, a trout set is perfect for hooking carp.
  7. Sometimes twitching the fly slightly can also entice and eat.

Now that you have the Drag and Drop cast mastered, its time to hit the pond! Tight lines!

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