Carp fishing is said to be similar to bonefish fishing, just without the pristine water and beautiful tropical flats. They spook easy, require light line, delicate presentations, and smaller flies. Also they feel like you hooked into a freight train when you get one on the line! They are absolutely one of the most rewarding freshwater species to target with a fly rod. If you haven't carp fished before, you are definitely missing out.
Where I went were a few small lakes right off of the San Juan River which is one of the best trout fisheries in the United States. However these lakes are pretty unknown to the general public, and there are some monster carp in there. My largest I have caught was a 30" carp when I was fishing a 5wt rod. I felt like I was going to break the rod due to that one fighting so hard. That fish took me 21 minutes to bring in, and has to be one of the hardest fights I have ever had on a fly rod. Of course this fish was only 20" or so, and I was using a 6wt rod, so he was much easier to bring in. It only took me 2 minutes on this last fish, because I could put a bit of backbone into him. Overall though, any carp is fun and enjoyable to fish for. The fights are epic, and its very tough to hook them. Lots of hiding, sneaking, and crouching while casting.
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