Carps eat bass/gill eggs when they’re spawning and the DFG asked them to kill all that they can catch… What?.. Really? I read it in another forum for Southern California surf fishing~ is this JUST in Southern California?..
Carp are bottom feeders. When there isn’t anything on the bottom they are opportunistic feeders.
Basically a trash fish. So yes…
Kill them.
Some people actually eat them. But I rather eat the plank they were cooked on. 
maybe carp are a problem in your state but to say that they are “trash fish” is only one side of the coin. if we begin to pick and choose what we allow in our local fishery we will soon be out of places to fish. be careful of what you wish.
Bill
Carp are a lot of things but they are most definitely not a trash fish. True, they are not native to the US. Neither are brown trout. They are big, strong, wary fish that are as fine a sport as you will find. Oh, and they are 10 minutes from your door, just about anywhere.
Carp are not native to North American Continent. European Carp were brought over here by our European Ancestors. Recent year we now have Asian Carp that have be brought over to North America. Both are are aggressive feeders, and they disrupt the Ecological Pyramid that keeps our water healthy, and balanced.
Unforunately, just like the “Genie let out of the Bottle”, it is almost impossible to iradicate a species that has been introduced to a ecosystem, where that specie has no know predetors that keep them in check.
Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone! So I say, catch some carp, and eat them. They are quite good to eat! There are many fish that freshwater anglers do not eat, and that is a shame. Burbot (Eelpout) is a freshwater fish that is a member of the Cod family, its loins are good eats, a little melted butter and it taste like lobster.
I love White Fish, smoked and served with a white cream sauce.
I am glad the Northern Pike have restrictions in Minnesota for minimum length, before you keep them. But I do love eating Pike and Pickerell. Easy to fillet if you know how to get around the Y-bone.
I eat Suckers that are caught in clean water, they are good eats also.
Carp are not native to North American Continent. European Carp were brought over here by our European Ancestors. Recent year we now have Asian Carp that have be brought over to North America. Both are are aggressive feeders, and they disrupt the Ecological Pyramid that keeps our water healthy, and balanced.
All true. However, Brown Trout are not native to North America. Rainbow Trout are native to only a few watersheds in the American west. I hear very few people talking about removing them from waters where they are now living in a feral state. (oops I guess with trout, one should say “wild” instead of feral, gotta respect the mighty trout).
Largemouth Bass are not native to much of their current range. Crappie and bluegill have a much broader range today than their native range.
Many of us will talk about some invasive fish or another and say it needs to be eradicated from our local waters without ever considering our favorite fish species is also an invasive.
So, how does one determine which non-native species to protect? Or should we be in favor of eradicating all non-native species and returning as many waters as possible to their natural state, which would be removing browns from all water in North America and Rainbows from most water in North America as well as removing largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie from many lakes and streams in North America. The list of what we consider game fish that are in fact invasive species is fairly large depending on where you live (Oacars and Cichlids in Florida, Peacock Bass in Florida are two that come to mind in addition to Browns, Rainbows, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappie are the ones that come to mind right off).
Trust me, I’m no fan of carp. I fish for them from time-to-time and they are fun to catch and grow quite large, but for some reason I don’t particularly like catching them. I’d much rather catch an 8" bluegill on a 3wt.
So, this isn’t a “save the carp” message, but more of an open ended question of where does one stop when picking and choosing which invasive to remove and which to keep?
Just my thought for the day.
Jeff
As a fisheries biologist with 50 years experience under my belt, I don’t know of a single waterbody where carp have, in fact, upset the "ecological pyramid that keeps our water healthy and balanced ". There definitely are waters where carp, and other so-called “rough fish” dominate. In almost every such case, if in fact not all, the original damage was done by man; and carp and the other rough fish, being reasonably tolerant of polluted, low dissolved oxygen waters, became the dominant species present, leading to over population in many cases. Being highly visible, they took the rap for being the “cause” of the “bad water” conditions and the loss of the desirable species.
As far as palatability is concerned, they have been considered a delicacy in Europe for ages; that is why our European ancestors introduced them to this continent. The secret to their quality as table fare lies in knowing how to handle one from the time it is caught until it is ready “for the pot”. Absent this knowledge, they are not fit to feed to the cats. (Been there; done that.)
They are considered by the Ohio DNR to be trash fish and one of the FEW that can be taken by bow & arrow or even giged!
I have to agree on the bluegill on a 3 wgt…but other than that you have to depend on your state Dept of Natural Resources. How can we determine how many deer are allowed to be taken each season? And by what method(s).?? Trapping seasons (if you are so inclined) etc…etc.
I was going to say what aged_saged just said…I read they were introduced to the USA as a food source for the Pioneers.
And the places I have seen and fish for them are not in danger of effecting any other species. Like said, waters already affected by Humans.
But this is good because I do like to fish for them. But I will harvest a few from time to time because they do get thick…not hurting anything other than themselves and smell maybe.
I have caught carp by accident and by design. A lot of fun, big and put up a dandy fight. There are places where they are called Golden Bonz and guides booked just to catch them. As far as eating, my only experience was with smoked carp and it was terrific. We have several articles here on FAOL on catching them, it’s not a joke.
Taken from “The Compleat Angler”, Isaak Walton and Charles Cotton, 1593-1683:…Take a carp, alive if possible, scour him, and rub him clean with water and salt, but scale him not: then open him, and put him with his blood and liver, which you must save when you open him, into a small pot or kettle;then take sweet-marjoram, thyme, and parsley, of each half a handful; a sprig of rosemary, and another of savory;bind them into two of three small bundles, and put them too your Carp,with four or five whole onions, twenty pickled oysters, and three anchovies. Then pour upon your Carp as much claret-wine as will only cover him; and season your claret well with salt, cloves, and mace, and the rinds of oranges and lemons. That done, cover your pot and set it on a quick fire, till it sufficiently boiled:then take out the Carp, and lay it with the broth into the dish, and pour upon it a quarter pound of the best fresh butter, melted and beaten with a half dozen spoonfuls of the broth, the yolks of two or three eggs, and some of the herbs shred: garnish with lemons, and serve it up, and much good do you!
Kenstah, give the book a read you’ll be fascinated with what you find. An oldie but goody.
I have a lot of trouble killing anything just because some government agency says to.
I fish a lake all summer in Colorado that has a nice population of pike. Apparently, the pike eat the stocked trout. Notices everyplace advising that pike caught should be killed rather than returned to the water.
If I’m going to eat the fish, or someone I know wants to eat it, then I’ll kill it. Otherwise, I release it alive back into the water from whence it came. If someone wants to kill them, for whatever reason they choose, they can do so themselves.
Personally, I’d rather catch the pike than the trout anyway. Harder to fool, and they get bigger and fight harder.
I feel the same way about carp. If it’s not going to be eaten, I’m letting it go. I don’t think any fish is a trash fish.
Buddy
I and a number of my friends that live in Ca,( where I’ve joined them to sightfish for carp), would have to approach this very cautiously. I know they can harm gamefish and cause some ecological damage. They do tend to uproot vegetation and create turbid conditions on some flats. However as others have said, they are a blast! I wouldn’t be alarmed at people keeping them to eat in certain lakes that are very bass friendly. I hate to think of them as being wasted. In my area many people are catching them as a prime food source. I’m having too much fun with them excersizing my drag!!! Best this year was 21 lbs. on a six wt.
Charlie
I have never caught a carp on a fly rod before, but i will when it warms up a bit, I have caught them on an ultralight rod and my heavier catfishing rigs. They put up a heck of a fight and are a blast to catch. I find them very ugly, but cooked just right(usually fried) is one of my favorite eats. it is a very bony fish, but fried right, the small bones chew up just fine. they may be bad for the ecosystem, but they do a lot less damage than humans, should we eradicate everyone that is not native american?
Grew up in Big River Country. We not only eat them - we like them.
Give me a nice female out of cool, clean water and and I’ll put a plate of fried fish in front of you that I think most would find plumb palatable. Good smoked and canned too.
I think I have a short description I penned of preparing them somewhere. Maybe I should send it to the “recipe” section. 
Something sounds fishy about that. DFG would not ask people to violate state fishing regulations unless there is a specific regulation in place for a specific water. Bass and bluegill also eat carp fry. Some of my local lakes have thriving populations of bass, bluegill, crappie, and carp.
From the CA freshwater sportfishing regulations, section 1.87
“It is unlawful to cause or permit any deterioration or waste of any fish taken in the waters of this state.”
wow! nice information everyone!
here’s the original post(fish report) if anyone is interested~
that guy is NOT me! and thisis NOT one of my post!
Bingo!
Here! Here! I agree, Buddy.
I’m surprised any fly angler would call any species a trash fish.
Not in my estimation but i’ve run into an awful lot of salmon/steelhead fishermen that consider (vehemently at that) smallmouth bass to be ‘trash fish’ and when they catch them, they toss them on the bank to die, claiming that there will be one less intruder to displace a salmon or steelhead and also to eat same’s progeny. The smallmouth bass is not indigenous to Oregon but is protected in the fishing regs.
No cheers,
MontanaMoose