I have two questions:
Does anyone fish for them regularly with flies?
What should folks do with the ones they catch? Given the reputation Carp have for destruction, C&R does not ring true with me.
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I have two questions:
Does anyone fish for them regularly with flies?
What should folks do with the ones they catch? Given the reputation Carp have for destruction, C&R does not ring true with me.
yup - nothing wrong with chasing them. Grass flies, popcorn flies, cottonseed, snails, smaller minnows. Lots of patterns.
C&R all the time. Although considered an invasive species ...... we really haven't had much for problems with them here.
Suckers, carp, forage/rough/garbage fish whatever people think of them - are a fish in the food chain now. If a state / province DNR declares a cull creel of them - then I'd say fine to do so. If not ..... C&R. I'll let the folks in charge figgure those problems out. If they are a problem in the area - call the DNR and ask them about it. No sense going off half cocked if it lands you in the brig.
Carp are delicate table fare for a number of eastern European countries as turkey is to our Thanksgiving table. I can't swallow that one yet - but then again, I thought the same way on cats.
darrell,
.
DB4D - I don't imagine the guide on the Trashonthefly website will be wearing a tweed jacket and ascot, complete with Hardy reel and 7-1/2 ft bamboo rod? We have a nice bunch of carp here in Michigan (I think they re in every state?) and I have fished for them with a fly. Actually the first fish I ever caught when only 8 years old was a carp. I made sure my three sons caught a cutthroat trout for their first fish......I guess I am in a class all my own? Have fun with Mr. Big Scales....Jonezee
A lot of waters are much cleaner since Carp have been introduced into them...
I fish for them often...and I have and show the same respect for them as I do ALL fish....C&R all the way for me...My choice...Please...If your not going to consume them...by all means return them to the water... for anothers enjoyment.. Just some thoughts.
Yeah, I go after them all the time. In fact, carp are about all I fish for most of the time. I C&R all the time because I don't have anything better to do with them. But, if you feel you must, the recipes are out there. You can also use them for fertilizer in the garden or flower beds, or leave them in your old high school's bully's mailbox.
since i started fishing for carp i've pretty much quit fishing for trout, steelhead and salmon. i enjoy the sight fishing aspect, the stalking, accurate casting, and of course the power and size of the fish. carp just a great all around fly rod species. i fish mainly nymphs and crayfish patterns; i haven't tried bread flies, popcorn or those types. i don't chum for them, if you can find feeding fish you can get them to take a fly. i don't keep any of the fish I catch, but then i never kept trout/salmon/steelhead except for the rare occasion. just don't really like to eat fish!
go catch a few, they are a blast on a fly rod. here is a link to a video of my hooking a 9lb mirror carp. not a big fish by any means, but even the littler fish will tear you up!
http://media.putfile.com/carp-on-the-fly
Well, i am from The Netherlands and carp is the specie to get here, I don't know how long ago carp has been introduced here, but the specie is going fine and they have a fearsome reputation, very powerfull and an endurance fighter.
I think on a hot day(rarely here :D ) they are the best catcable with a fly rod and a dry fly or a very slow sinking one, have fun!
(Sorry for spell and grammar errors, I speak and write another language you know)
Grand vid John,
Yep, just like any other fish of substance, completely outta control for the first however long! 8) And often, even MORE challenging to get on the hook. :wink:
We have had occassional great success when the carp are an incidental fish. Our success grows to almost non-existent when they are our target fish! :roll:
....lee s.
PS.....WE MISS YOU Rick Z !!!!
Good article "Carp the other Bonefish" in spring 2007 flyfishing & tying journal. Made me look at carp in a new light.
Its also a FAOL Sponser
Eric
Once you go carp you never go back to trout. Ok just not as often. They are a blast on a fly.
We have the asians here real bad. Mostly we go for them with a bow... They'll jump right in your boat. It is not funny. Getting hit by a 20+# fish while cruising along hurts. People have gotten broken noses, and dislocated shoulders from the things.
It would be fun to try for some on a fly. I often see pods of them sucking surface scum.
If I catch one though, it's up on the bank for the coons or turtles. (these are a severe invasive species)
Bob I saw the jumping carp on a tv show. they are amazing when they do that.
fot those of you who havent seen it, try this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8OmEr7VqI
Eric
[url=http://img78.imageshack.us/my.php?image=carp5gb.jpg:5da34]http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/7180/carp5gb.th.jpg[/url:5da34]
OK...I threw everything at em but the kitchen sink.
If I wouldn't have been in the city limits, I'd have gone up to the truck and got my 12 gauge. :lol:
I really hate image shack and have gone to photo bucket...you'll have to click on the photo to see my frustration...HA!
Were they grass carp? Even if they weren't why not try a "Grass fly"...saw one on here somewhere...or a "Berry fly".Quote:
Originally Posted by namekagon
Not grassies. You really had to be there...obviously feeding on something on the surface or near surface.
I'm wondering if "normal" carp surface feed on vegetation? I see the grass carp on the golf course here after a mower goes by slurping on the blades of grass that were thrown onto the water....just like trout slurp insects.
There is an expert carpster that's posted here before, but mostly he's on the other site.
Nice pic Duckster. That is usually what I see right before loosing an arrow. I would imagine lining them is a problem. Cast to where the pod is headed. I would think that pretty much anything that floats, and is put in their way, they will eat.
Other than the fact..............lining wasn't the problem.
It's namekagon's picture.
It's against the law to release carp after you catch them in Ga. and I think TN. THey must be killed and disposed of. This also applies to Gar.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Personally, I eat carp and have many great recipes. No reason to waste a valuable resource (but then again, I've started fishing for Snake-Heads here in Ga. as well. Believe it or not, they are great broiled!).
With a side dish of starling? :shock:
I just wanted to fix a broken link from an earlier post by someone else.
Here is the Carp fishing link for Ian James' site.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/ianjames/carp.html
After you read that, take your time to read the rest of the site. It's quite funny. I learned everything I know about carp fishing from this guy.
I live on the Thames River...a sewer flowing through London Ontario !! OOPS...did I say that? Yes the river has it's problems BUT the river covers nearly 300K in length and has a lot of carp fishing opportunities as well as just about any other warm water species. Just don't wet wade!! I love about 500m from it so fish it almost daily. I love going for carp when the opportunity presents itself.
Regardless what some folks think of these fish, they have been here LONGER than the brown trout everyone loves to chase.
I remember when I was young, the old men who caught them used to throw them on the bank. It disgusted me then as it does now. So now you know, I release my carp catch and with as much care as I would any sports fish. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This fish is FUN and it's a great teacher for the fly angler, as carp are a whole lot harder to catch than those cute little trout. I've learned a lot about stealth, presentation and rod handling from these golden ghosts.
The photo of those carp on the surface would have had me scrambling. If that is a area where they get fed bread and popcorn, I would have used a Usual or light colored caddis. If you couldn't see or guess what they were after, a midge (emerger) is a good pattern to try. Cotton wood seed (white fluff or the Usual again. Carp take many of the same things that trout do. I most often get them on a #14 or #16 PT flashback midge, a#8 or 10 Muncher or Puke Fly, or #6 crayfish. In the early spring I occationally get them on Zonkers along a seam next to fast water and they hit it hard just like a trout. My best day so far was 13 carp landed in 3 hours. I gave up due to darkness and PAIN. I couldn't fish the next day. I felt like I fell off a horse. I learned my lesson and usually quit after four or five now...but remember I said "when the opportunity presents itself". That means the fish has to be in the mood to catch them and you need to know the signs. If I don't see that, I just keep walking and go for the other fishes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...Carp152706.jpg
Thames River Ontario Carp on a 9ft 5wt DTF /#16 Flashback PT Midge.
They are probably one of my favorite species to fish for on a fly rod. OkieBass got me started on them and I can't quite. I look for tailers because they are the easiest to catch and will hit most trout nymph patterns but can be very picky. Be careful, flyfishing for carp can be very addictive!
I've never read anything in the annual releases of Tennessee's fishing laws that prohibits releasing carp &/or gar. I've been reading them for about 30 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gigmaster
Ed
I'm not sure about TN, but in Ga., it is illegal to release a carp, with the expection of the Grass Carp (White Amur), which is stocked to control vegitation. They are sterile. They must be immedeatly released.
Yeah, those asians and bigheads were supposed to be sterile too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gigmaster
OOPS>... :evil:
Okie and Poke,
Long time, no see. Okie got me started too and now, they're my favorite fly rod fish. Nothing compares to carp on the fly. Okie, Poke and I used to meet on an "unnamed" carp honey hole and sight fish for them. A natural gas on 3 wts up to say, 10 lbs, eh guys? Let's get together and do it again sometime.
Robert
Could you possibly post where you can read those regs regarding the common carp and gar. I spent the last hour reading the Georgia fishing regs, but I couldn't find any reference to a law that says you can't release them. :? I did find the reg about you MUST release Grass Carp, so I know I'm not totally blind.
I don't know where it is in the reg book, but if you go to any of the lakes and spillways here, like Carters, Allatoona, Lanier, Ocoee and Blue Ridge, they have large signs up that say you cannot release carp, buffalo or gar back into the water once you've caught them. You must also release Grass Carp, and sturgeon, and must report the catch to a particular phone number or website listed on the sign. You must also report any sighting or catches of snake-heads, walking catfish, zebra mussels or Pacu. Failure to do so can result in up to a $500 fine and loss of fishing licence for 2 years. They have pictures of all of them posted for identification.
I don't know how much plainer they can be than that.
I keep forgetting that everyone doesn't understand how it is in Ga. Just because something isn't written down somewhere, doesn't mean they can't or won't take you to jail, fine you and confiscate your property. Law Enforcement, especially the DNR have VERY, VERY wide descretion on what they do, and the courts will back them up in this state. Half the time, you will never even get to go to court to fight it. Example: If you are observed with a loaded weapon within 50' of any dirt road, trsil or anything that could be interpreted as a road, even if you have a CCW, you will be charged with hunting from the road. You do not go to court. You either pay it, or lose your drivers, hunting and fishing licences and maybe have your equipment confiscated.
So in Ga., when they put a sign out telling you not to do something, whethter it is a law or not, we just don't do it, and don't question it much.
Semper Fi!
Many years back there was little to naught on the net as far fishing Carp and especially Carp fly fishing. My website has an early article I wrote. In that same time frame Dave Whitlock wrote a couple of excellent pieces that likely can still be found on the Flyfisherman's Magazine site. I think titled the Golden Bones or something similar. About then Barry Reynolds' excellent book on Carp Fly fishing came out and between the publicity those two generated everyone got into this great sport.
Now for some of my early history on Carp on the fly. Like Dave Whitlock, I found out early on that Carp love Mulberries and in Springfield, Ohio down in Snyder park there were a few small lakes and ponds, Buck Creek and Mad River and all with a few Mulberry overhangs here and there. There was also an old blind black man whom we knew as Blind Eddy or just Eddy and he was a Carp and Cat angler par excellance and mixed the purple mulberries into his bread/doughball mix during this time of the year. A very effective way to a Carp's heart.
All was well but there came a day when he or we were out of doughball and necessity being the mother of invention we tore off a thin strip of white cotton from our shirt most likely and wound that on a hook after finding that raw mulberries wouldn't stay on by themselves at all. We then soaked and mushed in the berries and were back in fish almost instantly. Somewhere we found out that the mulberry stain was enough and just hitting beneath the tree with our rudementary fly was enough to get a Carp to swirl and take it. So way back in the early fifties we were fly fishing for Carp and soon after that we found they would take most any fly presented in a natural way.
Great sport, and most widely available, big fish, fly rod target we have in the US and likely the world. As for C & R? Why certainly or at least in many if not most cases but I like the term Selective Release or SR. What this means is if the Carp are destroying shoreline or other vegetation, or habitat, or causing other problems then catch and keep or catch and destroy. If not then C&R by all means as this is one of the premier Fly Rodding, warmwater, Game Fish of this century!
I had this exact same experience earlier today.Quote:
Originally Posted by namekagon
Great stuff, Chuck.
Well, after hearing about this thread I just couldn?t let it go without checking with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division to see if there was any possible truth to it?A statement was made saying:
"It's against the law to release carp after you catch them in Ga. and I think TN. THey must be killed and disposed of. This also applies to Gar." "I don't know where it is in the reg book, but if you go to any of the lakes and spillways here, like Carters, Allatoona, Lanier, Ocoee and Blue Ridge, they have large signs up that say you cannot release carp, buffalo or gar back into the water once you've caught them. You must also release Grass Carp, and sturgeon, and must report the catch to a particular phone number or website listed on the sign. You must also report any sighting or catches of snake-heads, walking catfish, zebra mussels or Pacu. Failure to do so can result in up to a $500 fine and loss of fishing licence for 2 years. They have pictures of all of them posted for identification?
I was pretty sure the part about it illegal to release carp, buffalo, or gar back into the water was incorrect, as was the part about their being signs posted at various lakes saying they cannot be released back into the lake?..So, I have contacted the Georgia Department of Wildlife Resources to see if there was any truth at all to what was said?..Well there is not, it is totally inaccurate (which is a nice way of saying what it realty is)?.Mr. John Johnson, a Sergeant with the Law Enforcement Division with the Georgia Department of Wildlife Resources, reported that there is NO law of any kind saying that it is illegal to release carp, buffalo, or gar back in a lake, nor are there any signs posted at lakes stating such?Mr. Johnson also reported that the statement that had been made was totally wrong, it is not something that is subject to interpretation? it is just simply wrong and inaccurate......However Mr. Johnson did state that it would be illegal to do as the fellow suggested if they simply left the fish on the bank or shore, as they could be charged with littering?.