Carp is a common name for various species of
freshwater fish of the family
Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. They have been introduced to various locations around the world, though with mixed results.
Izaak Walton said about carp in
The Compleat Angler, "The Carp is the queen of rivers; a stately, a good, and a very subtil fish; that was not at first bred, nor hath been long in England, but is now naturalised."
[1]
Managing recreational carp
Good
carp fishing can be found in many different types of water. Many find rivers to provide some of the most challenging, but rewarding, fishing. Being that many rivers connect directly with the ocean, it has been said that perhaps the largest carp in a given river may reside in the stretch between the beginning of the tidal influence and where the salinity becomes intolerable to the carp (exactly where this is located is unknown, but some state water that is roughly half fresh and half salt is likely the limit). For example, a carp of 42.03 pounds was caught from the tidal stretch of the lower
Connecticut River in southern Connecticut. This fish was a confirmed, documented state record. Without the hard work and know-how of a group of local carp anglers, it has been said that the proper documentation of this fish would not have occurred.
Bowfishing for carp is a fast growing sport. When properly used as part of an integrated management plan it may help limit the negative impact of carp. Dr. Sorenson U of Minnesota is completing the common carp management plan which also will advocate catch n keep carp sport fishing as part of overall plan to limit carp. However, it should be know that, while popular, bowfishing and "euro-style" carp fishing should not be coupled together due to significant differences in respect for the fish. Bowhunters kill fish they regard as nuisances, while carp anglers report to have much respect for the carp and treat the fish as gently as possible during the capture, which results in the fish swimming away from the ordeal alive.
In the US, Texas is the only state with managed carp waters, (
Lady Bird Lake).
Eating habits
Boilies: carp bait made from a boiled paste
Popular baits include canned corn and homemade doughball concoctions in the USA. In the UK and Europe anglers commonly use a bait known as
boilies, which are made from milk proteins, eggs and artificial flavors, these are then boiled in water hence the name boilies.
Tiger nuts are also commonly used as a bait. In South Africa the most popular form of carp fishing is using a "mielie bomb", it is a spring shaped frame with crushed corn and maize pressed onto it.
However, in some countries, due to their habit of grubbing through bottom sediments for food and consequential alteration of their environment, they destroy, uproot and disturb submerged vegetation causing serious damage to native duck and fish populations. In Australia there is anecdotal and mounting scientific evidence that introduced carp are the cause of permanent
turbidity and loss of submerged vegetation in the
Murray-Darling river system, with severe consequences for river ecosystems, water quality and native fish species.
Carp are known to change their feeding habits dependent upon the climate at any given time, wind direction, temperate and phases of the moon are common factors which affect the feeding habits of carp.
[2]
Common carp
The
common carp, or European carp, are native to
Asia and Eastern Europe.
[3] They have been introduced, sometimes illegally, into environments worldwide, and is often considered an
invasive species.
Common carp are very tolerant of most conditions, though they prefer large bodies of slow or standing water and soft, vegetative sediments. They can typically be found in small
schools, although larger carp often lead a solitary existence.
[4] They natively live in a
temperate climate in
fresh or
brackish water with a 7.0 - 9.0
pH, and a temperature range of 35.0 - 85.0 °F.
Common carp are extremely popular with
anglers in many parts of Europe, and their popularity is slowly increasing among anglers in the United States (though destroyed as pests in many areas). American
fly fishermen have begun to target carp, finding them similar to
bonefish in their size and fight. Kirk Deeter, an editor at
Field & Stream, goes fly-fishing for carp on the
South Platte River in downtown
Denver, Colorado, which he says testifies to their ability to adapt to almost any habitat. "I think carp are maligned here because they're not considered classic table fare—though they were brought to North America in the 1800s specifically for that purpose", he says. "If you want to sight cast to a tailing fish that might be 10 pounds (4 kg) or more, carp are it".
[5]
Carp are also popular with
spear and
bow fisherman. They can grow to a length of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) and the oldest recorded age of a wild fish is 38 years.
[6] The largest recorded carp, caught by an angler in 2007 at Rainbow lake near
Bordeaux, France, weighed 40.1 kilograms (88.4 lb).
[7] The wild, non-domesticated forms tend to be much less stocky at around 20% - 33% the maximum size. In captivity, Cyprinus carpio have lived as long as 47 years.
[8]
Silver carp
Silver carp are
filter feeders, and thus are difficult to catch on typical hook and line gear. Special methods have been developed for these fish, the most important being the "suspension method"
[9] usually consisting of a large dough ball that disintegrates slowly, surrounded by a nest of tiny hooks that are not embedded in the bait. The entire apparatus is suspended below a large bobber. The fish feed on the small particles that are released from the dough ball and will bump against the dough ball, with the intention of breaking off more small particles that can be filtered from the water, eventually becoming hooked on the tiny hooks.
In some areas, it is also legal to use "snagging gear" in which large, weighted treble hooks are jerked through the water, to snag the fish. In the United States, silver carp are also popular targets for
bowfishermen; they are shot both from the water and from the air. In the latter case, boats are used to scare the fish and entice them to jump, and the fish are shot from the air when the fish jump.
Bighead carp
Although
bighead carp reach large size, they are difficult to capture with a rod and reel because of their filter-feeding habits. They may be captured by the "suspension method" used to catch
silver carp, or, where legal, by snagging them by jerking a weighted treble hook through the water. Bighead carp cannot be shot from the air like silver carp, because, unlike the silver carp, they do not jump from the water in response to moving boats. However, they often feed near the surface where they can be shot by
bowfishers. The bowfishing record, captured in the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois in May 2008, is 92.5 lb (42 kg).
[10]
Crucian carp
Crucian carp inhabit lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers throughout Europe and Asia. They rarely exceeds a weight of over 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg). They are often caught as a sport fish: the British rod-caught record for largest crucian is four pounds, nine ounces, caught by Martin Bowler in a lake in southern England in 2003. There have been various bids for a breakage of this record since, but they have been passed off as the specimens have not been said to have been "true" crucians, but hybrids between the carp and one of its relatives, such as the
goldfish, which are not native to the British Isles. These hybrids often exhibit hybrid vigour or
heterosis, being much more adept at finding food and evading predators than either of their parents, and thus pose somewhat of a threat to the native carp population, and to other native aquatic animals.
Grass carp
The
grass carp grows rapidly, and young fish stocked in the spring at 20 centimetres (7.9 in) can reach 45 centimetres (18 in) by fall. Adults often attain nearly 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in length and over 18 kilograms (40 lb) in weight. According to one study, they live an average of 5–9 years with the oldest at 11 years.
[11] They eat up to three times their own body weight daily. They thrive in small lakes and backwaters that provide an abundant supply of fresh water vegetation. Adults of the species feed primarily on aquatic plants. They feed on higher aquatic plants and submerged terrestrial vegetation, but may also take
detritus,
insects, and other
invertebrates.
[12][13]
The species was deliberately introduced to control aquatic weeds in the
United States in 1963 and in the
Netherlands in 1973. It was also introduced into
New Zealand along with stocks of
goldfish but the distribution is carefully controlled to prevent it from becoming a more widespread pest. Grass carp require long rivers for the survival of the eggs and very young fish, and they have become very abundant in the large rivers of the central United States.
[14]
Grass carp are strong fighters on a rod and reel, but because of their vegetarian habits and their wariness, they can be difficult to catch.
[15] Chumming with corn adds to success. Canned corn, cherry tomatoes, and, despite their primarily vegetarian habits, worms can sometimes be successful baits. They are popular, but wary, quarry for
bowfishers where bowfishing for grass carp is legal.
Around the world
Attitudes to carp as a recreation or sport fish vary around the world.
- In Europe, even when not fished for food, they are eagerly sought by anglers, being considered highly prized coarse fish that are difficult to hook.[16] The UK has a thriving carp angling market. It is the fastest growing angling market in the UK.
- In the United States, the carp is also classified as a rough fish as well as damaging naturalized exotic species but with sporting qualities. Many states' departments of natural resources are beginning to view the carp as an angling fish instead of a maligned pest. Groups such as the Carp Anglers Group[17] and American Carp Society[18] promote the sport and work with fisheries departments to organize events to introduce and expose others to the unique opportunity the carp offers freshwater anglers.
- In Canada, carp are gaining popularity as a worthy sport fish, especially in the provinces of BC and Ontario. Fly fishers sometimes refer to carp as 'The Golden Ghost' or as freshwater 'Bonefish', due to the difficulty anglers have in getting them to take a well presented fly.
- In New Zealand koi carp are regarded as noxious fish, and while recreational fishing is permitted in some areas, koi must be killed when caught.[19]
Magazines
Magazines dedicated to carp fishing include:
- Belgium/Netherlands: Speigel, Karper, Karperclub, Monkey Climber
- French: Carpe passion, Carpe record, Carpe nature
- Italian: CarpaXTutti, Pescare
- United Kingdom: Big Carp, Carp World. These include notable writers like, Rob Maylin, Tim Paisley, Terry Hearn
