Sturgeon Lake Highwaters and Carp?

[Subacca]

Was out kayaking Sturgeon Lake and due to high waters its really neat to explore around. I've heard there are catfish and carp though I didn't catch any BUT towards the end of my day I went into the little bay on the south tip of the lake and it is basicly a flooded meadow about 3 ft deep and towards the back end of it, fish, some of them fairly large, were splashing and surfacing all over the place. For people that know how to fish for these things (just let a live worm sink to the bottom and have it sit there?) it would be like a fishing paradise. Not my choice for fishing but will definitly give it a try anyways next time I go to the lake, any other tips besides my worm idea?

 

[john montana]

Very cool pictures. This high water has been interesting...as for catching the carp if they are spawning (sounds like it) they don't really eat but there are usually fish nearby that will eat. I can't speak to how to catch them on bait, but look for a single fish and throw a fly in front of him...any larger trout nymph will work. Great fun on a flyrod, and they eat flies really well.

A big one I caught about a week ago in similarly flooded waters.

 

[Subacca]

Thanks for the tips, I will give flys a try one of these weeknights. That water your fishing in looks almost exactly like what I was kayaking around in. Water was so murky I couldn't see but maybe 1 or 2 ft into the water so spotting them was pretty much seeing them surface and/or splash around. Did you ever just let a fly sit on the bottom or was it primarily spot fishing and then they would bite as the fly sinks in front of their face?

 

[john montana]

100percent sight fishing. Carp won't hang onto an artificial long, so you rarely "feel" a take. They just suck it in, then spit it out. You have to key on the fish. They usually feed like bonefish with their mouth down and tail up so you should be able to see the tail. Put the fly inches away and if the tail moves to the fly set the hook. Much easier in clear water!

 

[cookshot]

I was out at sturgeon lake last week because it looked like good bass water. Had pretty much the same experience, big fish splashing, but not even a bite. Fished rooster tails, worms from a bobber, on the bottom, and plastics. Good luck if you give it a shot.

 

[Subacca]

Haven't been able to find any information on Bass in the that lake so my best guess is that they were Carp. John Montana's thread on Carp fishing had pictures of the surroundings (flooded grassy water) and it pretty much was spot on with the environment I was seeing the fish at. I haven't been back yet and quite frankly my weekend fishing trips may be better spent elsewhere. But next week I may go back for a couple hours after work on a weekday. If I do try fishing them I may try spot fishing with a large fly as recommended.