07-18-2003, 03:24 PM
[cool]Yo, cat_man, if you wanna use carp meat, and it works for you, then go head on til your head hurts. Heaven knows there is an unlimited supply. I have never had nearly as much luck with carp meat, on a side by side comparison basis, as I have with white bass, sucker or chub. I have never tried fixing it as I suggested with the smaller fishes, but I'm betting that it would improve the attractiveness. Salt and additional fishy scent couldn't hurt.
After saying that, I will amend it by mentioning that I have used carp meat quite a bit on Yuba. There are a lot of the "mirror" carp in there, with only a few scales and smooth skin. Whenever I caught/snagged one, while fishing jigs or spoons for perch or walleye, I filleted them and uses small strips for flavoring...but I never just soaked chunks for whatever wandered by. For making into jig strips, I sliced most of the meat away from the skin and used a two or three inch trailer strip. They both fluttered enticingly and gave off a flavor trail that resulted in some nice perch, walleyes and channels. Also caught a couple of decent northerns on them too.
I know of quite a few big cats that have succumbed to carp meat. And, why not? Carp are a big part of the food chain from the time they are small fry until they get too big to swallow. They grow fast, but that is still several months each year. I used to seine a bunch of carp minnows out of the lower Provo when they were still schooled up and only two or three inches long. I froze them in dozen packs and used them all year for just about everything in Utah Lake. They worked especially well on big white bass in the early fall when they moved up into the holes in the lower Provo. I fish them with a size 4 or 6 hook, with no weight, and just let them float naturally to the bottom. That also works while drifting out in the open lake, from a small boat or float tube...unless the wind comes up.
Just be careful you don't kill too many carp in your quest for bait. You wouldn't wanna deplete the resource. (Tee Hee)
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After saying that, I will amend it by mentioning that I have used carp meat quite a bit on Yuba. There are a lot of the "mirror" carp in there, with only a few scales and smooth skin. Whenever I caught/snagged one, while fishing jigs or spoons for perch or walleye, I filleted them and uses small strips for flavoring...but I never just soaked chunks for whatever wandered by. For making into jig strips, I sliced most of the meat away from the skin and used a two or three inch trailer strip. They both fluttered enticingly and gave off a flavor trail that resulted in some nice perch, walleyes and channels. Also caught a couple of decent northerns on them too.
I know of quite a few big cats that have succumbed to carp meat. And, why not? Carp are a big part of the food chain from the time they are small fry until they get too big to swallow. They grow fast, but that is still several months each year. I used to seine a bunch of carp minnows out of the lower Provo when they were still schooled up and only two or three inches long. I froze them in dozen packs and used them all year for just about everything in Utah Lake. They worked especially well on big white bass in the early fall when they moved up into the holes in the lower Provo. I fish them with a size 4 or 6 hook, with no weight, and just let them float naturally to the bottom. That also works while drifting out in the open lake, from a small boat or float tube...unless the wind comes up.
Just be careful you don't kill too many carp in your quest for bait. You wouldn't wanna deplete the resource. (Tee Hee)
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