Carp Fishing? who does or did?

[Popasilov]

11 hours ago, Callmefish said:

I used to fish of carp in the colombia river for money they were invasive and we got paid per fish

Did you live there?

7 hours ago, Callmefish said:

this is the contact info to get paid out (they don’t pay for as many as they used too) but if you like to fish, why not get paid for it, plus no limit.

https://www.critfc.org/invasive/

Those are Asian grass carp. Somewhere known as Amur or White Amur.

Those were introduced to our water back in 80s to control underwater weed, mostly in the small lakes and ponds on golf courses but looks like they went under control

Different than our common carp.

 

 

[oc1]

In many states, the grass carp stocked in ponds are supposed to be triploid (having an extra set of chromosome) so they cannot reproduce and become a nuisance.  To make them triploid, eggs are shocked with heat and pressure.  The eggs grow into fish that are almost sterile.  Usually the females are completely sterile while the males are sort of sterile.  It's tricky business and not completely foolproof.  There is a lot of testing under Fish and Wildlife Service scrutiny.  

 

In some states, normal (diploid) grass carp can legally be stocked and reproducing populations have developed.

 

Grass carp are not the same as the four species of Asian carp that have recently taken over many river systems.  You know; the ones that jump in the boat and smack you in the mouth.

 

The Common Carp was stocked all over the country by the US Bureau of Fisheries in the late 1800's.  They initially claimed it to be a huge success. Then, the impact of carp on natural ecosystems and native fish populations became obvious.  Carp root around in the bottom and muddy the water.  The muddy water screwes up the food chain and prevents normal spawning and recruitment of freshwater sportfish.  The government then had a carp eradication program for a while but it was already too late; they had taken over.

 

I hate them but have only caught and eaten one.  It did not fight like a sportfish and was nasty when cooked.  I would never do it again.  There are intermittent discussions about whether or not it should be illegal to release a Common Carp.

Edited March 8, 2021 by oc1

[PSeggs]

10 hours ago, RAW said:

Thays a really nice fish. You nver know what they might eat. The guys who bow and arrow carp over grass said they seem to eat veggies?

Guy on youtube from England did a video recently where he hooked carp on bacon & eggs. 

7 hours ago, Popasilov said:

I grow up learning that carp bate is either corn, bread dough, cooked polenta or earthworm.

Like my dad used to say, that's all you need to know about bait for carp.

Next thing is patient and hook set.

Those are my dad' words and I will remember them for the rest of my life.

I was planing trip to upstate NY for last few years, just for the carp fishing. there are two or three lakes that hold a big carps and it is on my "to do" list before I move out of NY.

 

 

 

I'm reading this and watching my goldfish eat.  I can hear your dad's words in motion as Fish (that's it's name) does it verbatim...

 

Fish was a 1inch long fair prize when we got it.  Now about 8inches long. 

[PSeggs]

1 hour ago, oc1 said:

 

 

I hate them but have only caught and eaten one.  It did not fight like a sportfish and was nasty when cooked.  I would never do it again.  There are intermittent discussions about whether or not it should be illegal to release a Common Carp.

Do u feel the same way about LMB & SMB, brown trout, pike, and others that were moved around the globe far from their native ranges?

[oc1]

1 min ago, PSegnatelli said:

Do u feel the same way about LMB & SMB, brown trout, pike, and others that were moved around the globe far from their native ranges?

Common carp adversely affect all of those.  Which would you rather catch.

[PSeggs]

13 mins ago, oc1 said:

Common carp adversely affect all of those.  Which would you rather catch.

Ok. But all of those are also invasive somewhere.   

Just trying to point out that your gamefish is trash to someone and vice versa.   Pike are hated in the Pacific NW, carp are loved in the UK, brown trout invasive to the Rockies etc...

 

To me the world is always changing. Species rise & fall. Things overtake others and push them out.  It's just survival. Adapt or be overcome. 

 

I don't really have a preference on what I'd like to catch.  I'm just someone that loves to catch fish.   I've had fun catching suckers in a sewer pipe with a handline.  

[R.R. Bridge Fisher]

When I first fished carp I googled the hair rig and made one . I put 3 corn kernels on and it worked perfectly.  Hooksett was right in corner of the mouth. 

[Callmefish]

5 hours ago, Popasilov said:

Did you live there?

Those are Asian grass carp. Somewhere known as Amur or White Amur.

Those were introduced to our water back in 80s to control underwater weed, mostly in the small lakes and ponds on golf courses but looks like they went under control

Different than our common carp.

 

 

I’m a washington native, i lived a couple hours away from the columbia.

 

i think the asian carp were eating salmon eggs or salmon fry. It’s a pretty good way to basically piss off every fisherman in the PNW.

[Long Wader]

I tried carp fishing a bit in college when ultra light spinning first became a thing in the 70's. I went to a couple of ponds that had large carp, chummed a can of corn, set up with a horizontal rod holder with a home made strike indicator and waited quietly for the carp to feed. Caught a number of large ones on 4 lb test and it was a blast since there was no obstructions in the pond. It was also great practice on how to fight a big fish on light tackle.  The problems was you had to stay quiet and seated or you would spook the carp. They are very sensitive to vibrations your feet make on the shore when you walk or move.

 

I prefer to actively fish lures and I quickly lost interest in carp fishing. I was more into exploring and actively searching for fish than staying stationary. Over many years I've seen carp caught on lots of things like flies, small jigs, corn, homemade concoctions with vanilla extract and strawberry Jello and even baits like minnows and hot dogs.

 

I would say they are omnivores and opportunists. 

 

I have found that many species of game fish love to eat young carp because they are basically a large soft finned minnow.  Try fishing a gold minnow lure near spawning carp in the Spring and see what happens. Bass and pike like to hang near the spawning carp to eat the young ones and the other fish and critters they kick up when they are spawning in the shallows.

 

During the 70's and 80's after the Clean Water Act many rivers became clean enough for game fish to thrive and the carp that once dominated the rivers started to thin out and disappear from the upper reaches of these rivers.

 

What happened to these formerly prolific populations of river carp.

 

Well, it is hard to grow your population when other fish are eating most of the young ones.

 

Many of the rivers that were formerly dominated by carp and bullhead catfish were now populated by bass, channel cats, and in some cases trout that were more than happy to utilize the soft finned minnows/carp as food.  

Edited March 8, 2021 by Jay Blair

[Popasilov]

16 hours ago, Callmefish said:

I’m a washington native, i lived a couple hours away from the columbia.

I would move there in the heartbeat.

LOL

I love area around and between Anacortes and  Bellingham,and all around San Juan Islands.

Friday Harbor is one of my favorite places.

 

 

[Callmefish]

10 mins ago, Popasilov said:

I would move there in the heartbeat.

LOL

I love area around and between Anacortes and  Bellingham,and all around San Juan Islands.

Friday Harbor is one of my favorite places.

 

 

I’m originally from pierce county and mainly stuck to rivers hammering salmon and trout for the most part.

 

puyallup, nisqually, green and duwamish mainly.

 

i’d travel further for the S rivers skykomish, skookumchuck,  snohomish and skagit alot too.

 

never really hit the cowlitz all that much but I didn’t have a boat nor the ambition to nightfish for steelhead there.

 

I fished alot of saltwater at point defiance, redondo, and the san wuan islands (had a family friend who owned a private island out there) 

 

my uncle was the guy that always fished for invasives. I’d go with him sporadically, but it was never a consistent thing that i did like him. He’d haul a trailer out to the columbia and live on public campgrounds for weeks and months at a time getting paid to fish in his retirment.

[Captain Ahab]

Carp fishing is huge worldwide.  Many of our surf rods began life as carp rods, high end ones especially.  my CTS vapor trail is a carp rod blank.

 

Guys who fish carp are as hard-core as any surf rat and their equipment and rigs just as specialized and nuts. 

 

Boilies, hair rigs, tiger balls, pva bags, remote control wireless strike indicators and bait runner reels

 

all kinds of highly specialized chum, bait and gear for carp.  Likely the largest fw fish most people will ever catch and they do fight very well

[Captain Ahab]

If carp readily took lures they would be about the most fun out there

[PSeggs]

Think this might work?  I got it for trout but had a thought maybe for carp. 

[RAW]

This was a fly rod carp, long fight/ fertilizer