This Q&A is all about chasing one of fly fishing’s most addictive curveballs 🐟—carp on the fly—and doing it right in the heart of New York City. Joining us is Brandon Dale, a standout carp-on-the-fly guide who’s made a name for himself unlocking one of the most unlikely fisheries around: Central Park.
While most people see joggers, tourists, and skyline views, Brandon sees cruising carp, subtle eats, and some of the most technical sight-fishing you’ll find anywhere. He spends countless hours guiding anglers through Central Park’s waters, proving that world-class fly fishing doesn’t always require a long drive—or even leaving the city.
1) New York isn’t the first place people think of for carp—what drew you to chasing them on the fly here, and what keeps you coming back?When I first became carp-obsessed in New York, it came from a very simple place: I wanted to fish—a lot. Not once a week, not once a month, but whenever I had a spare hour. Carp made that possible. They live where I live, in the same urban and suburban waters I pass every day. And they are challenging, dynamic and fun to target! What keeps me coming back is that they never get easy. Even when they’re abundant, they demand attention, patience, and intention. Every outing feels earned, and every fish teaches you something new.
Carp are the most difficult freshwater fish to target and catch consistently across environments—anyone who targets them or can do this will tell you. There’s a reason there aren’t many carp guides — because it’s an incredible difficult fish to catch on the fly, much less guide someone to catch. If someone watches a carp eat a fly, go on a 50-60 ft run peeling drag off your 7wt and nets a 26”, 9lbs common carp and still calls it a trash fish, they’re missing the point entirely. These fish are intelligent, pressured, and unforgiving. They will humble even the most experienced angler. No other fish thrives in such varied environments, and as such, it requires a really wide variety of techniques to use to catch them routinely on the fly.
3) How does carp behavior in urban or suburban New York waters differ from what you’ve seen elsewhere?
Urban carp are extremely pressure-aware. They’re attuned to vibrations, movement, and unnatural behavior in a way that surprises a lot of people. In New York especially, carp have learned that anglers—fly or otherwise—are targeting them. That means your approach, your cast, and even how you stand on the bank matters. I’d say most distinct, though, is that I find urban fisheries for carp often display a wider range of forage than those in nonurban environments. They more surface oriented generally and really key on whatever food source is most activity abundant, relying less so on habitat features that other carp in rivers / big reservoirs might utilize.
4) Walk us through a perfect carp-on-the-fly scenario—from spotting the fish to the moment everything goes right (or wrong).My favorite times to fish the park are early mornings or late evenings, when pedestrian traffic is minimal. I’m usually looking for the slightest disturbance—nervous water, a subtle ripple. As I move closer, I might catch flashes of iridescent bronze: carp gulping food off the surface.
This often happens during mulberry hatches, when fish gorge themselves on the first berries hitting the water. It’s exhilarating, and the instinct is to cast immediately—but slowing down is everything. I’ll watch the color of berries dropping, how frequently they fall, and the direction the fish are moving.
Once the fly lands, drag-free drift is critical. Carp don’t expect their food to move. Any unnatural drag and the opportunity is gone. When it goes right, the fish commits, the mouth comes fully out of the water, submerges, and only then do you set the hook. When it goes wrong? Usually because someone rushed the moment. But the swirl and hook up or miss — won’t ever get old!
5) What’s the biggest mistake fly anglers make when they first start targeting carp?
Striking too soon—especially on surface fish. Watching a 25- to 30-inch carp sip a tiny fly is intoxicating, and people can’t help themselves. You have to wait until the mouth fully closes and submerges.
Subsurface, beginners often use too much weight and don’t take time to understand the fish’s body position/feeding disposition. Carp are incredibly sensitive to vibration, and your presentation needs to suggest something fleeing naturally, not crashing into their feeding zone. Or totally motionless, let the fish tell you.
6) How much of successful carp fishing is about fly choice versus presentation and fish-reading?Ninety percent of carp fishing is presentation and understanding behavior. The remaining ten percent—fly choice—really matters when it matters. When carp are keyed in on specific sizes or colors, especially on the surface, they can be more selective than trout. And they’re not just seeing the fly—they’re smelling it too. But I focus on presentation and taking “high opportunity shots” at fish because those are the ones you most often can land.
7) You guide a lot of experienced trout and saltwater anglers—what surprises them most when they hook their first carp?People don’t expect the fight. In tight urban quarters, carp demand constant pressure. I fish heavier gear—often 6/7 or 7/8 setups—with tight drags and the rod braced on the hip. If you give them room, you won’t land them.
That surprises trout anglers especially, and even saltwater anglers who are used to letting fish run in open water. In cities, the fight begins after the hookset, and it’s controlled and intentional from start to finish. The obstructions in any urban fishery present challenges when landing fish, and the small barbless hooks don’t help. So I always walk folk through where we’re going to land the fish before we set up, to reduce the chances of a missed one at the net before the chaos of the fight breaks out.
Stealth is everything. I’m a hunting guide and spend a lot of time outdoors observing wild animals, so I approach carp fishing like bow hunting for deer. It’s about observation first. Where are the fish moving? What are they feeding on? How can I enter their space without announcing myself?
9) Carp demand patience and humility—what have they taught you as an angler or guide?
They’ve made me better at everything. Carp sharpen your eye, force you to slow down, and reward discipline. My goal with clients isn’t just getting a fish to the net—it’s giving them skills they’ll carry into every other fishery they visit.
10) For someone curious about carp on the fly but hesitant to try it, what would you say to convince them to give it an honest shot?Carp train your “fishy eye.” Whether you’re spotting fish in crystal-clear rivers or reading subtle surface disturbances in murky, algae-covered ponds, those skills translate everywhere. Carp fishing teaches presentation, observation, and restraint—the foundations of fly fishing itself.
Why rod versatility matters in carp fishing
One thing I truly appreciate about AllFly rods is their modular versatility. I’ll sometimes pair a 5–6 tip with a 7–8 butt for softer presentations, which gives me incredible control without sacrificing backbone.
The 7–8 rod in particular is remarkably versatile—it has the strength of a true 8-weight butt section while still allowing soft, supple presentations. I can roll cast 40–70 feet, throw overhand casts close to 100 feet, and still execute bow-and-arrow casts when space is tight.
To have a rod that can do all of that and confidently handle 15–20-pound carp pushing 32 inches is something special.
Paired with an orvis bankshot wf floating line, 10ft leader and the ACID reel make for a sweet combo!