The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

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Barry’s Carp Bitter

Insect Species Icon None
Difficulty Icon Easy - 5-7 Min
Water Category Icon Warmwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Straight eye short shank streamer
  • Eyes: Black beadchain
  • Tail: Golden Brown grizzly marabou
  • Legs: Orange barred crazy legs
  • Body: Cream and orange mixed angora goat dub
  • Collar: Tan grizzly soft hackle
  • Head: Cream and orange mixed angora goat dubbing

Tying tips: Brush out the dubbing with a piece of velcro, a brush, or a dubbing needle to get that “spikey” effect

  • You can use any dubbing you like
  • You can use any color marabou you like but I would recommend sticking with grizzly barred marabou
  • Soft hackle makes a better collar for this pattern but a short piece of schlapen would be similar. In a pinch you could use wooly bugger hackle

Try different sizes and colors. Adjust fly weight to match water depth. Try olive, orange, and tan colors.

The carp bitter is a go-to for many folks who stalk tailing carp. It’s one of those flies that doesn’t really look like anything but just rely on aspects to trigger the fish to eat. The spikey dubbing, the pulsing hackle collar, and the barred marabou tail trigger reactions from carp to eat. The pulsing marabou tail paired with the dubbing makes this fly irresistible.

Cast this fly near tailing carp and hang on. This fly can entice the weariest of carp to turn and eat. Cast in their feeding zone, generally about 6″ from their head. Let the fly reach the bottom before making any movements. You can just keep a tight line and see if the carp will pick the fly up, sometimes the best thing with carp is not moving the fly. Remember that the marbaou tail and dubbing is doing a lot by itself without your input. If carp aren’t responding try short slow strips. If this fly isn’t working try different techniques before changing flies.

None

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