Carp Season 2011

Posted By on April 30, 2011

Pucker up! A little "carp love" from last weekend

Our 2011 carp season at Lake Ray Roberts is off to a GREAT START.  The fish are coming off spawn (there are still a few hopeless males exhibiting spawning behavior) and beginning to show typical “summer” feeding patterns.  We’re still waiting for the mass of insect larvae/other invertebrates to hatch, but the fish currently on the flats will jump at any well-presented fly.  I caught 9 fish the other day in about 2 hours of scouting time (and I wasn’t casting to every fish).

Water levels are LOW for this time of year; Roberts is about 2 feet below conservation pool.  This makes for great carp fishing (more exposed flats at the right depth) but not so good for any one else.  The last time we had this La Nina induced pattern was 2007 when we had the GREAT FLOOD that put Roberts up 8 feet in three days.  That killed the season for the rest of summer.  Lots of rain forecast for the next 72 hours so we’ll just keep the fingers crossed.  It WOULD be nice to have a little more water in the lake before we get into summer.

A few extra inches of water will also help our big Hexagenia hatch in June.  Dates are filling up for mid-June so if you want to get in on some incredible fishing (we often see 150+ fish/day) give me a call!

(940)391-9480

Categories: Fishing Report
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About the author

Joel Hays has been a professional guide since 1990, and has guided professionally in Colorado and Texas.

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North Texas Fly Fishing Adventures with Joel Hays

Imagine wading through ten inches of clear water,trying to be as quiet as possible. Fifty feet ahead is a pod of large fish "tailing" on the flat. You strip out fly line, make the cast, and pull your fly in front of the lead fish. After agonizing seconds the fish spots the fly, rushes forward for a quick grab, and feels the hook. The silence is broken as the fish accelerates across the flat, quickly exposing backing on your screaming reel. Sounds like a great day on the coast, or even an exotic bonefish flat, right? Actually it's a great description of the usual day my clients have fishing for Carp on the flats of Lake Ray Roberts where many clients are blown away by the water clarity and the actual ability to sight cast along miles of flats. Big spooky fish in shallow water. They fight and tail like Redfish and can sometimes rival Bonefish in nervousness. This is an EXCELLENT WAY to hone your flats fishing skills and test your "eyes" where it's more about stalking the fish than simply stumbling upon them. You will be a better flats angler!