Carp are a pretty popular target for fly anglers, both commons and grassers, for a multitude of reasons. And while they will readily take many different types of flies, one thing that definitely is not common in Texas is fly shops. Personally, I live in the Bryan/College Station area, so my only option for buying flies is online. So, consequently, I started trying other methods for catching carp on a fly rod, and this is the method I've found works best (for me, at least).
Even though this method technically isn't "fly" fishing, it is an extremely effective and simple way to catch carp on a fly rod, which is quite the experience (and fight).
Basically, all I do is place a small, weighted bobber where the fly line ties into the leader (see image below), and then adjust the leader's length to present the bait right over the bottom. Because of this, this method is only effective in waters up to about 10ft deep. Anything deeper will make casting next to impossible, so you should mainly use this method in creeks or small rivers with little to no current. For the hook & bait, I typically use small octopus hooks and bread balls as bait (although corn, garbanzo beans, peas, and other typical carp baits will work fine too). I usually don't even use hair rigs with this method; I just place the bait right on the hook. Our local carp don't seem to mind, but this method may not be as effective in areas where the carp are heavily targeted.
As I mentioned earlier, we use weighted bobbers for this rig (see picture to the right), however, if you don't have any available, you can always use a small, unweighted bobber and simply place a couple split-shots directly under the bobber (see picture below) The reason for the weight is to both aid in casting and aid in the bobber going under with minimal amount of resistance, as carp will spook if they feel too much resistance on the line.
Like I said, it may not be fly fishing, but it works. And while this method is most effective in small waters such as creeks and small rivers, we have had some success using this method in a few lakes, Lake Bryan specifically. It's all just a game of finding carp in spots with depths around 6ft to 10ft max.
