Nothing makes me more
than to see an angler catch a Gar and break off his beak, or catch a Mudfish and sling him up on the bank to a curtain death. The "trash fish" species that most people frown apon sniffing their bait are the species that I target when the more desireable fishing isn't availible. I say more desireable, but what could be more desireable than seeing a 3 foot long gar leap into the air, or watch a Bowfin strip 20 yards of line off of your reel. I think alot anglers over the years have forgoten what the sport really is all about. It's not about the destination, it's about the ride. Especially if you have kids, don't forget about the trash fish, they can help in adding fishing to your child's list of things they can't live without doing. Gar are about the fastest thing in the local rivers around my area. And with spectacular leaps in the air and blistering fast runs, they are a thrill to catch. Bowfin(mudfish) are equally as brilliant, as they also get airborne and pound for pound out fight any flathead catfish i've ever caught.(keep in mind, "pound for pound") They are both very easy to catch, using a decent sized chunk of fresh cut bait, either on top with a cork and a 5/0 hook, or on the bottom with a carolina-style rig. Are there any "trash fish" in your local area's that are your "next best thing" to catch? What are they and how do you catch them. Tell us what area or what body of water so we can all go "trash fishing" there sometime when our regular hotspots aren't producing. And don't forget to take your kids!
[signature]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]Tarpon4me, I couldn't agree with you more. Most people around here (Utah) tend to frown upon the carp. I have found that carp are a blast to catch. They will take worms and even some different type of doughbait. With light tackle you can't really beat the way they fight. [/#ff4040][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]I have been lucky enough that my parents taught me to fish at a young age. One of the fish that got me fishing was carp. They were abundant and easy to catch. I had a blast catching a ton of carp, and was hooked on fishing at and early age.[/#ff4040][/font]
[signature]
I always love the Carp fishing in UT. So much fun on 2lb test.
We used to go Crappie fishing at Willard and end up catching more Carp than Crappie.[cool]
[signature]
In my area..Yellow Perch are trash.Growing up I was taught that they are a trash fish.Untill recently I used to believe it true.
Now, I love ' em eating and catching..agreesive little buggers [
]
[signature]
It's funny how one mans trash is another mans treasure! I used to feel the same way about perch. I sure know better now!
[signature]
I'd say in Utah carp would be the biggest "trash" fish. When I say biggest, I mean it. I caught one today while fishing for walleye and had a blast reeling it in, just when I thought I had him he'd start strippin' line. If only a trout could fight like that....
[signature]
what did you use to catch that monster? ive caught them before on dough balls. youre right- they are amazing fighters...and they get huge!
[signature]
I wonder how well those Berkely Carp baits work. I bought a pack of the strawberry and still haven't tried it yet. I was kind of surprised, I figured that stuff would smell pretty foul, but the little pink balls in the pouch actually smell just like strawberrys. [sly] I almost tried one.
[signature]
Most of your carp baits are generally on the sweet side. I wouldn't go around eating them off of the shelf though because they put some other stuff into it.
I have a collection of carp baits submitted by BFT members on the recipe board. There are many in there for carp and the majority of them have some kind of sugar, mollasses or maple syrup in them. A couple of them even list "Kool Aid" as an ingredient. You know how much sugar that stuff has in it![cool]
[signature]
i also target gar and bowfins but for the fight and i release them to the compants of area fisherman that dont like to hook them .
[signature]
Here in utah as mentioned the carp are concidered a trash fish but so are black bullhead catfish and perch.
[signature]
man, there are a lot of crazy doughball recipes out there...i did a bit of research last year and all the stuff that different people use makes you scratch your head hurt.
The most effective simple bait that i used was easy to conjure up.
Go to Albertson's (or whatever your favorite grocery store is) and buy a small box of that Jiffy Cornbread mix. Follow the directions and make it just like the box says. Let it cool off a bit and then after you eaten whatever amount ( I love fresh cornbread, still warm with butter on it..YUM!) just break off some hand-sized pieces and throw them in a ziploc bag.
Whenever you want to go tussle with some carp grab one of your baggies and head to the water. I used a size 12 hook, nothing to big, a small treble works well too.( I guess if the carp in your area are over 20#, you may want to use a larger hook) grab a chunk of cornbread and starting crushing it in your hands. takes a few minutes, but keep crushing and squeezing it and you will eventually have a dough ball.
take some and squeeze it on your hook, cover it completely, and then gently sling (not too hard..you can throw the doughball off) your bait out in to an area where you suspect they are. reel in just enough to get the slack out and then open your bail and wait. They ALWAYS seem to nibble on it a bit and then they take off.
Biggest one i've caught was 18#...it's a lot of fun and cheap too.
cyas
rc
I'm from Utah, and I don't know ANYONE who considers perch a trash fish. They're great to eat, and fun to catch through the ice (so long as you catch a lot ha ha). Bullheads, YES. Trash fish. Nothing is more annoying when fishing for cats than have your bait constantly toyed with by these little menaces.
[signature]
i used to consider perch here in utah as trash fish. then i ice fished for them and grew to really like them. now there not trash to me! my grandpa still thinks they are good for nothing. he used to fish deer creek in the 60's and 70's and grew to hate the perch. when they would catch a perch they'd pull in the lines and hurry to another spot to get away from those "no good suckers". perhaps i'll try and get him out ice fishing sometime!
[signature]
Hi there Tarpon-4me,
Well said! I can't think that a true sportman, sportswonan angler would show such disrespect for their quary or any fishy... let along nature and the natural order of things.
As scarry as animals are .... most don't display the wanton harm that the human animal seems to be able to display towards themselves and fellow creature.
JapanRon
[signature]
Before I left UT in the late 70s, we used to catch some nice sized Perch at Deer Creek. My family was one of few that knew how good the Perch were. Broiled, Baked, Fried, Chowdered.......[cool]
[signature]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]I'm pretty sure your family could've turned mud into a delicasy[
] You tubers sure know how to cokkem up![/#ff4040][/font]
[signature]
Mud was one of our favorite toppings for Perch Jubilee. It would also serve as a great dipping sauce for a nice Catfish Fondue.[cool]
[signature]
I always thought mud made a good "pie" [sly]
[signature]
Here in UT, carp, suckers, and mud cats are the "trash fish" nobody likes to deal with. Some people like using them for cat bait or lakers, but i won't even touch them because they stink and/or hurt(the little [url "mailto:%@^(*%"]%@^(*%[/url] mud cats). anyway that is my opinion. I had a friend in carthage Il. that talked about the alligator gar and how people just threw them on the bank. I have had people say that sturgeon are trash fish, but they are oh so wrong. Have you ever caught or eaten them? They are the second best eating fish on the planet(besides walleye) and a 9' sturgeon will tear off your arms and drag them down river. LOL
[signature]