Ella the Carp and the Land of Mirrors

The Blackfoot Reservoir appeared on my radar back in 2005.  The body of water has only Mirror Carp.  Seeing pictures of large Mirror Carp made me wide eyed and I knew I would fish there one day.  In 2006, I corresponded with a Euro-style angler from California who had been there with some of his friends.  His stories and his pictures cemented my determination to travel to the Land of Mirrors.

This is Ella the Carp.  She is a Common Carp.  She lives on the wall in the Carp Lodge next to Harry the Heron.

Ella was made by a word worker who lives very near the Carp Lodge.  She has 244 separate pieces.  Each scale is an individual piece.  (Guess how much we paid for Ella.  Seriously, guess please; you won't be offended.)

I am guilty of personifying things at times.  It works for me.  Sometimes it makes perfect sense to me.

Ella is anxious for me to go the Land of Mirrors.  In anticipation of leaving for this trip she and I posed for a picture together awhile back.

Is it that all of the Carp in the Blackfoot Reservoir are Mirrors that piques my interest so much?  It is that in part, but the Carp in that water are big and that really piques my interest!



Yes, I want to catch Mirrors but I want some major phatties!  And I know Ella wants me to hook up with those hogs.  Oh, and John, Ella and  I want you to catch some big ones too.

I have tied some extra Carp Carrots, Chocolate Cherries, Salt & Peppas, and Black Betties just for you.
See you soon fat Idaho Carp...

Gerhard's Questions and a Few Answers

This post and the two preceeding it are answers to emails from readers. I have cut and pasted the emails.

Caller three is Gerhard who is from Aurora, Ontario. Go ahead caller:

"Mr. P.,

I tremendously enjoy your web site and the information provided.
My fishing is primarily done in Southern Ontario, Canada and the metropolitan Toronto area, where favourite spots are storm water ponds with sometimes impressive and very picky carp. The Great Lakes also hold very big fish but they are hard to find in the summer, especially in lake Ontario with the exception of the Bay of Quinte maybe.

The carp carrot is very good fly in some areas, especially with crayfish I believe, but sometimes other colours might be preferable, like olive or green or even black. In your blog you mention different colours, but it does not say anything about what goes together like the orange body and yellow hackle for the carrot.
Do you use yellow pheasant for all other body colours as well or are there other combinations recommended? It would be interesting to get your view on this as when I switch colours now it also means a different pattern. I really would like to see how far the carrot could go, even around here.

Thanks for your thoughts and please keep up the excellent site."




Some answers (and a couple questions of my own):

Thanks for the props about my blog Gerhard; I'm glad you enjoying reading it. I enjoy writing it. Is the water you fish clear, somewhat cloudy, or muddy? Do you wade or fish from something that floats?

Yes, I have tried several other body colors of the Carrot. Variations I have used successfully are red, brown, black, burgundy, white, green, olive, and peacock.

For the hackle on these other variations I have used natural pheasant, pheasant dyed olive, wine, black, green, crawfish orange, purple, and black. I have tied Carrots and the variations with partridge and like using it also.

Natural Pheasant:


Pheasant Dyed Yellow:



As to preferences I still like the orange body with the pheasant dyed yellow best of all. Olive and peacock versions have been good to me along with black and burgundy. I didn't start this blog until 2009 but had been fly fishing for Carp for many years before that so I have had a chance to experiment with a lot of different patterns before I was blogging.

It sounds funny to me Gerhard to call a black version of my Carrot, a Carrot. I don't know what to call it, a Black Carp Carrot I guess; I don't know. I have tied the black bodied version with natural pheasant and black pheasant. I like them both.

In my typed fishing journal, the first time I used the green version I wrote, "I caught some fish today on a 'Green Carrot'--what do I call it, 'Celery'"? Heck a guy could fish a topper and a dropper and be fishing with Carrot and Celery.

I have tied the green and olive bodied ones with green, olive, black, and natural pheasant. What do I like in this group? I think the olive body and olive hackle in this group.

I have tied the peacock bodied fly with an olive and natural hackle, along with a black hackle. Pheasant died black turns out in a surprising way. It has a peacock kind of shimmer to it and changes color as it catches light differently. I use the heck out of the pheasant died yellow but also really like the black. The black is easy to find by the way. A peacock herl body with a black pheasant rump hackle is my favorite in this group. It's not really all black but I call it Black Betty.


Pheasant Dyed Black:





Here is a Black Betty.




And here it is with a red tail.

As an aside, I have fished a peacock body fly with a palmered brown saddle hackle for decades. I tie it very sparsely by stripping barbules off one side of the feather. For durability I counter rib it with fine wire. I have used this for trout and am going to try it for Carp this year.

For the red, brown, black and burgundy, I have used mostly the natural pheasant hackle and also a partridge hackle.

The white version I have only tried half heartedly. My friend, Keith, fishes a white fly that looks like a grub with a tail. I have tied this and fished it but honestly not very much.

I have experimented a bit with purple, crawfish orange, and wine hackles on brown and black bodies and I've also tried the wine hackle on a burgundy body. I haven't done this much so I don't have any thoughts on them.

A Whole Skin Dyed Purple:



Pheasant Dyed Crawfish Orange:


As I said, I use the heck out of pheasant dyed yellow. I use it for Carp flies but also for Trout flies. Several years ago I took a couple "empties" back to the fly shop and told the owner I was there to complain about a couple bad pheasant rump patches he had sold me. He showed genuine concern and asked what was wrong with them. I took them out of the bag and told him they didn't work anymore; they were empty. He laughed and told me he sold refills. I bought two refills and put them to work the same day.

Two Views of An "Empty":




I am committing myself this year to at least one, three day trip where I only fish new water. On that trip I have been telling myself that I am going to really work to fish two or three flies, or versions of flies, that don't usually get first billing when I'm out. If I'm getting shots at tailing fish and they won't take, well then it will be a good day of learning for me with some new flies, or flies I am revisiting. In particular I am going to fish Black Betty, the peacock body fly with the pheasant dyed black, and the olive body with olive or black hackle. I have caught Carp on these flies before but they have taken a back seat the last few years. Its time to bring 'em back.

Thanks again for your email Gerhard.

It is drizzling lightly here at home. I am dreaming of warm Carping days in the weeks to come.

Carp Carrot Questions and Answers

I receive a number of emails about Carp fishing and about my Carp Carrot. Here are some of the questions that people have asked along with answers.

Do you have a favorite size or version of your Carp Carrot?

While I fish it from sizes 6-12 I prefer 8 & 10. I prefer the two versions I have pictured here. Gold dumbbell eyes with a white rubber tail and black or nickel eyes with a black rubber tail. (I spread the hackle a bit to show the body.)



Why do you use the dumbbell eyes?

Using dumbbell eyes was initially about weighting the fly sufficiently to get it down but I have also found that I like that the point of the hook is up when the fly settles down. I think that I get fewer snags and more hook ups. I think the dumbbell eyes create a different look or profile. I would emphasize the word “think” in these sentences though.

Will you sell me some of your Carp Carrots?

Sorry, I don’t sell flies.

Is the Carp Carrot available in fly shops?

Not now but it may be next year.

Will you give me some of your Carp Carrots?

Maybe. If you email me and ask me to just send you a dozen, nope I won’t do it. (It has happened more than once.) If we have corresponded some, then I might give you a few flies. If we fish together then I will definitely give you some.

Why do you think this fly is so effective?

I don’t really know. It is though. I have some thoughts on some of the common elements of effective Carp flies and will mention that in the answer to another question.

You fish this fly on your Columbia River, have you fished it in any lakes?

Yes, there are two lakes, one in particular where I have fished it quite a bit and the Carp respond very well.

Have you tried the Montana Carrot?

Well that’s a bit of a funny question to me. I was fishing with John Montana and his dad two summers ago on the Columbia. It was July 26, 2008 actually. Let me say that John is truly a stellar Carp fly angler and a quality person. At that point I had been fishing the Carrot for three years already. On that particular day I had caught a few fish and John Jr. or John Sr. had not got a fish yet. That’s not a normal day for John by the way. They saw a fish move to my fly. When I released that fish I gave each of them a couple Carp Carrots. The one I gave John Jr. and John Sr. is one of my preferred versions I mentioned above. I have tied the Carrot with a dubbed body and two shades of orange yarn. To say that my Carrot is lighter or darker in color or lighter or heavier in weight compared to another Carrot is also funny to me since I had been tying it for three years before I started giving any away. During those three years I had already tied it in sizes 6-12. I had tried it with a lead wire wrap, beads, dumbbell eyes, and no weight at all. I had experimented with different hackles and body colors too. I had tried it with a rubber tail and without. I made an earlier post in my blog about the history and variations of my Carp Carrot. Like I said, it's a bit of a funny question to me.

Are there other flies you fish for Carp that you feel are equally as effective? If there are will you post pictures of them?

No fly works all of the time for Carp. It’s not an easy game which is one of the things that makes it so engaging. There are some days, not all days, when the Carp will noticeably move to the Carp Carrot. I sure like those days. Other Carp fly fishermen across the country have had the same experience with the Carrot. Still, there are days when the fish prefer the SJW. There are other days when I seem to do better on a Hare’s Ear, a Leech, or on one of my Carp Woollies. I made a post earlier in the year showing some of these flies. I will post additional pictures of some of my other Carp Woollies soon. I should add there are some days when the Carp prefer to nap, look for love, or to eat real food and not my fakes. And there are days when the wind is blowing like heck, or the sky is cloudy, or the river is high, or my casting is bad, or my feet are clumsy, and all of my flies are equally ineffective.

Through these last seven seasons I have experimented with a lot of different flies for Carp. I can give you a good serious list of flies that just plain don’t work for Carp, at least not for the Carp I have chased. I have tried a number of different Salmon flies for Carp and got no love. I really thought that I could get Carp holding in current to pick up small baitfish imitations. I believe that at some point at least some of them actually eat small baitfish but I have not had a take on any of my Clousers or other Salmon patterns, even the small, sparse ones. I have swung baitfish patterns in front of holding Carp and I have dead drifted them and not got a single Carp to take. I have tried some other brightly colored patterns and they don’t seem to work nearly as well as rust, orange, brown, black, grey, burgundy, and olive patterns.

A perfect day--well close to it anyway...

This first picture is one of my favorite that I have ever taken. To fly fish for Carp, in an "ideal" situation" one needs several elements. Feeding Carp in shallow water certainly tops the list. Nothing else matters without the first item. Clear sky with the sun that is more up than down is a huge help. Clear water is helpful and so is a lack of wind. The truth is that most days don't have all the elements, at least not in perfect condition. Last Thursday morning the sky was absolutely clear and the wind was non-existent. It was as if there was no such thing as wind in eastern Washington. I know better than that, but it sure felt like it was true. No wind means no waves on the Columbia. Quite a contrast to two weeks ago. I arrived at the river promptly at 10:30 and was fishing by 11:00. Wading, I was not seeing any fish in the shallows. The fish I was seeing were gearing up for love. The males were chasing the females around; it's kind of like the boys are kissing the girl's butts. Maybe boys of all species are like that when they want something special, I don't know. I saw lots of fish swirling and twirling and lots of fish sunbathing. The tailing fish I did see were all in three feet of water or even more. In fact I never saw a single tail sticking up out of the water the entire day. The water was still and clear. Carp are always skittish but they seemed particularly skittish on this day. I had started with a #8 Carp Carrot. The second tailing fish I cast to turned towards the fly. I stripped a bit and he followed. I continued to strip slowly and he continued to follow the fly. I have seen Carp do this in the past but it is definitely not the norm. We probably did our dance for 20 or 30 seconds until he headed slowly back out to deeper water. Without my fly in his mouth by the way. I finally switched to a size 12 Carrot. This is the smallest I will fish this fly. It seemed to make a difference and I got some hookups. The fish I was able to get connected with were all solitary. They were tailing in three to four feet of water by themselves. I have a new weigh sling and it was fun to give some fish a ride in it. The smallest one I weighed was 12 pounds and as it turned out it took me farther into the backing than the fish that were four to six pounds heavier. More and more I am believing that pound for pound a 12-13 pound fish gives the most bang for the buck. I got a new Waterworks Lamson hat. I tried it out and just like their reels, it works really well. The day was "perfect". All of the conditions were "right". It is hardly ever that way. I caught fish. But now I'm going to whine. Just a little. In three or four feet of water it is more difficult to judge where the fly is and to visually detect the take. I want all the conditions to be right AND I want the fish to be in shallow water so I can see them clearly AND even more importantly I can see them take the fly. I don't think that's too much to ask for. Friday: There were small whisps of clouds in the sky; overall it was sunny, the river had come up, the water was still clear and there was a slight breeze. Again, all the conditions were pretty dang near perfect. Oh, but there was one more thing, there were fish tailing in the shallows. They were tailing close enough in that their tails broke the surface of the water. Dang, I love that! A solitary, tailing fish: Who took my fly. Hell yes! I had been trying the Carp Carrot on really just a few fish and got no love. I switched to my Chocolate Cherry Carp Woollie and they took it. It is just so darn cool to see a tail break the surface, steathily move towards the fish, determine which way he is pointing, cast so that the fly lands on his "dinner plate or spaghetti platter", and wait for the take. Captain Paul Rose, a Carp guide in North Carolina, had asked me for some of my Carp Carrots. I sent him some and he sent me some flies back. A couple weeks ago when I was fishing with John and JP the wind was blowing so dang hard I just stuck with flies I know produce. Though I would have liked to see some fish in 18 to 24 inches of water, conditons were much move favorable today, so I tried a couple of Paul's flies and got a hookup on an olive pattern. Thanks Paul. This fish took Paul's fly. The temperature was in the 80's; it was just a wonderful day; the conditions really were about as good as they can get. There were definitely plenty of fish playing around and only thinking about spawning but there were tailers and that makes me happy as hell. The fish were cooperative and most of them were well into the teens with some going high teens. By the time I released my tenth fish I was sated. Part of that was that my legs were tired, my heel hurt, my hip hurt, and the boots were getting heavier. I wanted to catch another fish but I didn't want to walk anymore and I didn't want to play another one. I just wanted more takes. The take is the premier moment; in all of life the take is the premier moment. I just wanted the takes. I walked back to my Carpwagon very grateful for a tremendous day of Carp fishing and for a good life. (All rights reserved please. Thanks.)

Thoughts on Winter Fly Tying

Where has the sun gone? It is cold out; in the morning the roads are icy and slick. It is the end of December; I am tired of the rain and I am particularly weary of the long, dark days. The Carp were good to me this year and I am thankful. Most of the ones that were tricked by my flies, took the fake so very subtly. Some of them jumped on the fly and just took off. I am thankful.





It is 4:40 AM and I am wide awake this Saturday morning. At times being awake on a weekend day at this hour makes me edgy or even down right crabby. I lay in bed for awhile thinking I might go back to sleep; I don’t. This morning I’m glad I don’t go back to sleep. I get dressed and head down the hall to my fly tying bench. The house is still; pattering rain and trickling water is all that is heard. I sit down at the fly tying vise and pick up where I left off last night. Twelve Mr. P.’s Carp Carrots are neatly lined up from yesterday evening; the head cement dried during the night. I plan to tie 3 dozen of this pattern in this size before moving on. Twelve more hooks, with the barb pinched and the bead on the shank, wait patiently to be married with fur, feathers, and artificial materials.

Sometimes I believe that I am tying my own flies for the cost savings. One could say that, and I certainly say it, but saying it doesn’t necessarily make it true. It may be true for me; it may not, heck, in the end it may be costing me more money to tie my own flies, in the final analysis I don’t care either way.

The continuing study of entomology provides an endless source of learning. There was a period of many years where I seined nymphs, photographed them, measured them, described them in a journal, preserved them in formaldehyde, and then worked meticulously to imitate them.

There is orderliness and precision to fly tying. Results are immediate and tangible. Repetition and production are relaxing. It is rewarding to fill storage boxes with dozens upon dozens of flies. It is even more satisfying to line up little armies of flies in the boxes I use when I’m fishing.

There is a creative, imaginative part to fly tying. It is fascinating to experiment with new tying materials and to play with variations of tried and true patterns.

The anticipation of time at the vise starts with planning my tying, and then selecting the materials out of my tubs, bins and containers. I lay out the materials and savor the beginning. I proceed at a measured pace. Tying as fast as I am able, produces more flies but it distracts me from my day dreaming.

Most enjoyable of all is the day dreaming while fly tying. I am at the vise tying my Carp Carrot. I have tied this fly many times; I don’t need to think about what to do next. The repetition makes it easier for my mind to wander. Captures from the past months are relived; they blend with anticipation for the coming year. At the vise, all trips are good, all sessions are good sessions, the sky is clear, the wind is just a slight breeze, and there are plenty of feeding fish. At the vise, those feeders just LOVE my Carp Carrot! They move to it assertively, pick it up and take off. They fight well; occasionally one of them even leaps out of the water. Fishing itself regenerates me but fly tying renews me in a different way. In the dead of winter I yearn for long, hot, summer days chasing the world’s greatest sportfish. These dreary days tying flies and daydreaming about trips past and present almost feels like it is more fun and more satisfying than fishing itself. Perish the thought but it does feel that way sometimes. Tying flies makes the chase more interesting; it makes the hunt personal. Fly tying is about hope. Hope is the breath of the soul. In its own way winter fly tying helps my soul to breathe.



Five proven Carp Catchers:



Rubber Leg Hare’s Ear

Hook: 3769 sizes 8 & 10
Thread: black
Weight: bead
Tail: white rubber
Legs: white rubber
Thorax: gray or tan dubbin
Abdomen: gray or tan dubbin
Rib: flat gold or silver tinsel





Rusty Bunny Leech

Hook: 5263 size 8
Thread: orange or black
Weight: lead wire or lead eyes
Body: rabbit fur
Legs: rubber (optional)






Chocolate Cherry Carp Woolly

Hook 5262 or 5263 sizes 6, 8, or 10
Thread: black
Weight: lead wire or bead
Body: brown chenille
Hackle: grizzly saddle hackle dyed red




San Juan Worm

Hook: 2457 sizes 8-12
Thread: red
Weight: bead
Body: vernille or ultra-chenille



Mr. P.’s Carp Carrot

Hook: 3769 sizes 8 & 10. 5262 size 6 or 8
Thread: black or orange
Bead: bead or dumbbell eyes
Tail: The tail is optional. Rubber legs are my definitely my first choice though there was a time I used philoplume or web.

Body: orange yarn or dubbin
Hackle: pheasant rump dyed yellow











Jim is a freelance writer who lives in Bothell, Washington.
This article is from the winter of 2007 and was pubished in North American Carp Angler Magazine. Jim is the Fly Fishing Editor of the magazine. All rights reserved.

All content, photographs, and images are the property of Jim Pankiewicz. Permission is required to copy, download, or use text, photographs, or image files. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express, written permission from Jim Pankiewicz is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full clear, credit is given to Jim Pankiewicz with specific and clear direction given to the original content. Contents on this site may not be mirrored, republished, or reproduced on another web page, website or offline. All rights reserved.

History of Mr. P.'s Carp Carrot (And Some Variations)

A plate of carrots


I first tied my Carp Carrot in the spring of 2005. At the time I was experimenting with different materials and patterns to entice Carp to take. A trout fly that I tie, has yellow pheasant rump in it so I already had a couple rump patches on hand. Way back in the 70’s we tied nymphs with wool bodies. I have several colors on small cards left from those far away days; among them is orange.

While nothing is cast in concrete when it comes to fly fishing for Carp, it did seem to me at the time, that darker patterns were working better than lighter ones. Trying all kinds of different flies for Carp has both pleased me and frustrated me. My presentations to Carp have included Trout flies and even Salmon flies. At least some of the time the Carp have responded well to trout flies but bright, flashy, Salmon flies have been a total bust. The Trout fly in which I use the yellow pheasant rump is one of my favorite half dozen. Well for trout it is anyway. It’s not a common fly but it is certainly used by others and is easy to tie. I was just sure the Carp would love it as much as Trout do. I have given that fly some serious effort and have not hooked a single Carp with it. Not even one! I swear one time I thought a nice size Carp had turned on the fly and I said, “Finally!” Well he turned on it alright but I think all that really happened was that he positioned himself to defecate on my fly, look back at me over his shoulder, and swim off with disdain.

In early 2005 I was weighting my Carp flies with lead wire wraps. I was varying the weight from 10 wraps of .020 to 15 wraps of .035. I keep a pretty extensive fishing journal and have for decades. I also keep a fly tying journal. It helps my muddled, middle age head remember how to do things, particularly if I have not done it for a year or two. In my tying journal I can read that in 2005 I was using Tiemco model 5262 in size 6 and 8 for my first Carp Carrots. Those first ones were heavy, having 15 wraps of .035 lead.

The above fly is tied on a #6, 5263. It has 15 wraps of .035 lead wire. This is one of my earliest Carrots.

It would be during that summer that I began using beads and dumbbell eyes.  I was also dubbing the fly with orange rabbit fur.  Sometimes I would dub over the dumbbell eyes right up to the head.  I don't know that dubbing works better than wool; the wool is just quicker to tie with.  I also experimented with tying variations with partridge legs and a partridge beard rather than wrapping the hackle.  (Still thinking of a name for that bug)

Unlike the Salmon Flies, and the Trout fly the Carp pooped on, they liked the Carrot right away. I don’t know why. I have ideas and theories, which change from month to month, but still, I really don’t know why they like it so well. They do though. The darn fish responded well the first time I presented them with it. During those first few trips where I was using my Carrot more and more, there were times when the body would partially slip off the wire wrap, particularly when it was the .035 wire. That caused me to begin trying bead head flies and then the dumbbell eyes. I was used to lead, dumbbell eyes from fishing Clousers in the saltwater. I really didn’t know if the dumbbell eyes would put the Carp off. At least so far, they seem to not be scaring the fish. With bead heads or with the dumbbells I can wrap the bodies much more tightly so there isn’t any slipping.

Since those early versions I have tied the fly as small as size 12 on a 5262 hook. I had a bad experience, grrrrr…, one day with size 12, 5262 Carrots. I straightened the hook on three consecutive fish. I wrote an article about it for the NACA magazine. From that point on I began using Tiemco 3769 for the smaller size hooks. It is heavier wire and holds fat Carp just fine.

The above fly is tied on a #10 5262.


This fly is tied on a #12 5262
I have moved away from using this hook in these small sizes.


#6 3769 with black dumbbell eyes, brighter yarn, and orange thread



I have also tried a variety of rubber legs on my Carp Carrots. I’ve used black, white, and variegated. The orange and black legs pictured are tarantula legs. I also use what are called juicy legs. I have some tiers use the slang, “silly legs” for the variegated color products. I have tied the legs short, medium and long. At this point if I am going to use legs I don’t like them to be too short. The verdict is out at this point on whether particularly long legs are helpful, neutral, or problematic. I don’t experience short strikes with Carp like I do with other species. The pick it up or they don’t. The can eject a fake very, very quickly and I don’t know if long legs tells them to hold it in or to blow it out. I’ll have to keep field testing.

#6, 3769 with medium length white rubber legs, darker yarn color, bead head, and black thread

#6, 3769, longer black legs, brighter colored yarn, bead head, and black thread

#6, 3769, tarantula legs, darker yarn, bead head, black thread.



I have tried some bright, glass beads on my Carrots. These, at least so far, don’t seem to produce any advantage though I am continuing to experiment.

The first Carrots I tied were with wool bodies. The fly produced such pleasantly surprising results that I went out and bought a ball of yarn at the fabric store that was basically the same color as the wool I was using. Two years later I bought another ball of yarn that was brighter orange than my original Carrots. Once the fly is wet I don’t think it makes any difference whether it is the brighter orange or the duller version. In fact I tie most of my Carrots with the more subdued color simply because the material is slightly easier to work with than the brighter color. The darker yarn is a bit easier to work with.

I have also tied the “Carrot” in other colors. I don’t know exactly how I can call something that is green, black, red, tan, or pink a Carrot. Nothing seems to work as well as orange.

I do tie some unweighted versions in small sizes that I fish in very calm, shallow water when I am casting to particularly skittish fish.

No one fly will work for Carp all the time. This is my "go to" Carp fly. The fish seem to be more willing to move to this fly than to others. There are still days when the Carp don't want my Carrots and I have to give them something else.

All content, photographs, and images are the property of Jim Pankiewicz. Permission is required to copy, download, or use text, photographs, or image files. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express, written permission from Jim Pankiewicz is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full clear, credit is given to Jim Pankiewicz with specific and clear direction given to the original content. Contents on this site may not be mirrored, republished, or reproduced on another web page, website or offline. All rights reserved.