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.
If you have a question, please feel free to contact me.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor
105 W. Cherokee Dr.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Phone: 970-577-1584
Email: streamdoctor@aol.com
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
at streamdoctor@aol.com.
Originally published December 20th, 2004 on Fly Anglers Online by Robert Younghanz.