How to Fly Fish for Carp on the Denver South Platte // READING WATER with Rick Mikesell

Reading water and understanding how to present and fish your fly in a specific section of water trumps fly selection in many ways. We're excited to launch a new SERIES on our KZbin Channel titled: "READING WATER." In each episode of READING WATER, we will tag along with a skilled and experienced angler who will give us insight into how they approach a specific section of water from all angles - GEAR, RIGGING, FLY CHOICE, SEASONALITY, FLOWS, and the like.
For this episode of READING WATER, we joined Trouts own Rick Mikesell as he stalks the banks of the Denver South Platte looking to catch carp on the fly. Rick talks through his gear selection, available forage, fly selection, rigging, approach, identifying happy fish and not-so-happy fish, and presentation for these spooky game fish. From the drag and drop to fighting a hooked carp, Rick touches all the bases it takes to be successful when chasing carp along the Denver South Platte. Enjoy in HD.
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our KZbin channel as we introduce a slew of NEW on-the-water and educational videos & series.
Drone Footage by Torrance Hall
TROUTS ONLINE ANIMATED KNOT GUIDE
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LEARN THE DRAG AND DROP TECHNIQUE
• Trouts Tips - Using th...
GEAR USED:
Orvis Helios 3D Fly Rod // troutsflyfishi...
Abel SDF Fly Reel // troutsflyfishi...
Umpqua Jigged Wooly Bugger // troutsflyfishi...
Umpqua Barry's Carp Fly // troutsflyfishi...
Umpqua Deceiver HD Big Game Fluorocarbon Tippet // troutsflyfishi...
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our KZbin channel as we introduce a slew of NEW on-the-water and educational videos & series.
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We are Trouts Fly Fishing. With two full-service fly shops located in Colorado, we’re here to enhance your fly fishing experience through on-the-water videos, fly fishing education, tips & tricks, product reviews, fishing forecasts, and much more. For more fly fishing content, consider subscribing to our channel!
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Trouts Fly Fishing has two full-service fly shops in Denver & Frisco, CO. We are privately owned and operated, and we pride ourselves on operating in a manner that goes against the grain of the traditional fly shop. In addition to selling fly fishing goods, Trouts also offers a wide selection of fly fishing classes, guided trips, and destination travel options. Whether you are looking to book a guide for a day, take a class to expand your fly fishing knowledge, book that dream destination fly fishing trip, or just pick up some supplies before your next outing, Trouts Fly Fishing is here to meet your needs.

[@jerrybell4884]

I particularly enjoyed and learned from your initial failures rather than only seeing the success like you only see in these kinds of videos.

[@justpow88]

Watched a lot of youtube carp videos, this is one of the better ones out there! Thanks for the information, and well done 🤙

[@ScottMilamscottenglishphoto]

Really excellent video y'all! Rick, you are such a thorough and thoughtful teacher! Really appreciate it! I love fly fishing for carp here in AZ, and I feel like most of the videos that people make are littered with secrecy and vagueness, so Im grateful for how you walk us through everything! I'm especially impressed with how well you can teach while fighting the fish! Great work! Would love to see more carp videos for sure!

[@FFFOutdoor]

Great video! We fish for carp a bit diffrently here in Mpumalanga, South Africa. I like the drag and drop presentation method, but our carp will spook the moment the fly fall hard on the surface like your flies did. Looking forward to more carp videos!

[@steveelder5011]

Really well done. Love the split screen, two-views approach.

[@FreeFormFlyFisher]

Well done. Very informative. I've always wanted to try for carp. I think this video helped a lot based on the details explained 🍻

[@G274Me]

Don’t know if I’d describe any carp as a beautiful fish but they’re definitely fun to catch

[@ccogden3345]

Nice video. Loved the split screen views. Mike knows his stuff and is a great teacher! I was fortunate to spend a day on the DSP with him and had a great time stalking and catching carp!

[@TroutsFlyFishing]

Ricky the Mike man knows his carp!

[@ccogden3345]

@@TroutsFlyFishing damn spell check.

[@sonja9001]

Wow, I have ridden my bike right by this spot looking for SMB. Next time I’ll have to get Carpie here. Thanks for posting. Super great aerial video and land video.

[@BrentHermanussen]

Nice work Fellas! Rick is the DSP king!

[@kmayer303]

Nice video! The fish in that pool…wow!

[@mantismamba]

I love Rick!

[@rsantos627]

I use the nail knot for attaching lines and flies unless I need a loop. Over 10 years and have never had a knot failure.

[@davidlovesgolf]

Super informative, nicely done!

[@Pharohku5h]

Really good Video! Mike is the man!

[@midcoflyfishing]

Rick sure does make it look easy. What a pro! Great vid. Love the split screen. Love the hawk call. Well done!

[@TroutsFlyFishing]

That hawk call was 100% the actual bird. It was wild.

[@midcoflyfishing]

@@TroutsFlyFishing I did think there was a Zeke thing happening at first. Very cool

[@OpportunityFishing]

The effort on this video really shows! I made the premiere but I forgot to ask one important question. What fly line would you guys recommend to replace the beat up floating line on my six weight I use for carp?

[@TroutsFlyFishing]

I certainly have my opinions, but I'll wait for Rick to return to work tomorrow and we'll get his more expert take on the matter.

[@conslin1147]

Rio Perception... Can do a bit of everything...

[@imaflyfisherman]

Very well done

[@AndyJ171]

Excellent video, really enjoyed the mix of overhead drone video along with your ground view!

[@TroutsFlyFishing]

Glad you enjoyed it, Andrew!

[@Paulpoission]

Leader is a lot heavier than I would use in water that low and clear. Good to know I can beef it up. I would have gone either 2-3X

[@TFCCatarafts]

Insane video

[@ronaldburnett13]

Great video!

[@TroutsFlyFishing]

Thanks for tuning in, Ronald!

[@SiuslawOR]

Great video ! Would a 10’ 7wt do the job or is it too long of a rod ? Cheers

[@christophercook723]

No S on Trout, Aircraft and Sheep in English. They are both singular and plural in the English Language.

[@TytusTolshemLives]

Where on the South Platte was this? Are there stretches of it that are better for carp than others?

[@kyle_juhl4716]

I love these videos. I have only been fly fishing for about a year now and what does Rick mean by net blowout.

[@TroutsFlyFishing]

A net blowout is when a fish is too big and/or weighs too much for a net and rips a hole in the net, letting the fish swim through it. It's a real sight to see. 😂

[@kyle_juhl4716]

@@TroutsFlyFishing haha I bet that would be funny to see

[@ryan89870]

what brand of line do you use for your leader?

[@Fabio-bc2ji]

Carp and bass Fly fishing it's a chianti's Styles BUR heres Born in U.s.a.

[@lolocoleman]

Who’s flying the drone? Hard to consider that fair chase if someone’s telling u where the fish are. Hope that’s not the case. Drones are destroying fishing spots all over the world now. Like I said, hope that’s not the case here.

[@claytonballerine2280]

This is the DSP nothings a big secret here and he works for a renowned shop he doesn't need a drone to find fish. Drones aren't destroying fishing.... You need to have expendable cash for a drone and if you're using one you likely already know where the fish are. People hot-spotting like "Check this monster Carp out of Clear Creek, wooo Casinos and Carp" are worse.

[@lolocoleman]

@@permitfisher can’t argue with that.