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December 20th, 2004
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Q. I am from the mid-west just outside of Chicago. What food or forage found in creeks, rivers, and streams does the common brown carp eat? I am a fly fisherman and have presented every type of fly under the sun and cannot get these carp to take anything. Is it true they only forage on plants etc, etc, or will they eat the natural insects found in these small waterways, and what are they?
A.
Carp are largely omnivorous suction
feeders, vacumning up the soft bottom
as they cruise the soft sediments.
Although ingesting mainly vegetation,
they will take any insects that get sucked
up during the process. Some species such
as the grass carp feed exclusively on aquatic
vegetation; they are purposely planted to
help control nuisance growths of vegetation
in water bodies.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor 105 W. Cherokee Dr. Estes Park, CO 80517 Phone: 970-577-1584 Email: streamdoctor@aol.com
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The 'Stream Doctor' is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
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