Carey Special fishing techniques

[Wetswinger]

How exactly do you all present and retrieve a Carey Special.? It’s a renown fly, but new to me, and I’d love some mentoring on how to use it.

 

[Billy]

I dont think there is one golden ticket. You can strip flies fast, slow, deep and fast, slow and shallow. Let the fish decide what works.

 

[Matt B]

I dont think there is one golden ticket. You can strip flies fast, slow, deep and fast, slow and shallow. Let the fish decide what works.

Heck, even motionless can work. I’ve hooked fish with flies sitting on the bottom while I was doing something else.

 

[SurfnFish]

How exactly do you all present and retrieve a Carey Special.? It’s a renown fly, but new to me, and I’d love some mentoring on how to use it.

Tied with a thin red collar it's a go to at a Crane Prairie channel I frequent early and late in the season (during warm months I attend the volcano lakes for their fish protecting colder water temps).
I use it with either an intermediate or sink tip, 9' leader with flouro 4x tippet, and vary between hand twist and med to fast strips until that first tug.

 

[Tom Butler]

It's a fine trolling fly as well as what's been mentioned.

 

[RCF]

I slow troll them a lot (with a periodic twitch just for good measure) when going to the spot(s) I want to fish. Adjust your speed to find where in the water column they are. As @Matt B indicated above, I have caught lots just letting them sink to the bottom and start to gather the line back up.

I have caught perch, crappie, bass, trout and catfish all on the same fly in one trip trolling around the small lake I live on...

 

[RCF]

All my Carey Specials are tied with only 3 materials: marabou tail, chenille or peacock body and a feather/material of your choice for soft hackle. I do not use a bead, but many do use a bead head. My preference is no bead so that; IMHO, is more natural looking and action. It also does not sink into the mud or plants on the bottom.

What say you?

 

[DryFly82]

Either trolled on an intermediate or cast/strip on intermediate or fast sinking for me. I caught one of my biggest wild rainbows on that fly, but haven't used it much the last few years. It's a good searching pattern during the caddis hatch that could also double as a dragon nymph near the bottom.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

could also double as a dragon nymph near the bottom.

Has me thinking....I might try adding a foam butt....

 

[Sir Homey]

I like to use them as a trailing fly on occasion. Drop one back about 2’ or so behind something like a leech or bugger. The larger fly might get their attention but the Carey gets the bite.