How do you all feel about Carp

[FlyFishingMoose]

Yeah thats right that old garbage fish. This fish even has its own web-site er lots of them. Carp.com to name one. I even looked up recipies for cooking carp. In a matter of minutes I had some 30 odd pages of different ways to cook it not what I expected. Thought I would come across a thousand ways to use it as bait.
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[icthys]

mmmm, carp on a fly, I had fun with 'em down at Powell. Those guys are hard to catch.
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[fishfather]

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=69975;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=69975;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread[/url]

This is a thread which alot of people responded too[]
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[bigbluegill]

I must admit, The tastiest fish I have ever eaten was a carp. I was in Argentina and everyone who catches them eats them. I of course, was always told to cut em up for bait or throw them back but they are a tasty little bite. As far as fishing them goes, it has been my experience that they are poor fighters and are as easy to land as a chihuahua is easy to walk on a leash. Don't get me wrong, they are still a fish and deserve to be fished. Last week when I was on the south end of Willard Bay the carp were laying up on the surface and are very nice in size. I was out there taking catfish but maybe I will have to get some dough balls and throw my line out a bit further for the carp.
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[cat_man]

I love fishing for carp. And they do put up a good fight, just not every time. I've had 5 or 6 pound carp really give me a fight on medium or medium light tackle. They don't usually jump, they just take off like a rocket. Sometimes, though, you catch one and it feels like you're dragging in a log instead of a fish. No fight, just weight behind it. So maybe it just depends on if they're lazy that day or not.
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[Theekillerbee]

Fun to catch, and even funner to shoot with high powered rifles! Wouldn't eat one if my life depended on it. They do make excellent fertilizer though.
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Anybody who thinks a big old brown trout is a finicky feeder should try catching "bugle mouth browns" on flies. Unless you find a situation where they are sucking in floating flowers, berries or even bugs, you will have to fish with nymphs...usually sight-fishing.

Some places around the country, carp and catfish are tuned into the seasonal fall of flowers and later the berries from some kinds of overhanging trees. If you can toss a fly that resembles what they are eating, in size and color, you will usually get bit.

I have taken lotsa carp in city park ponds or ather places where they get used to a diet of popcorn, bread bits and other whitish foodstuffs. I make a big white bivisible type "Wonder Bread Hackle"...either with white palmer tied hackle feathers or clipped deer hair. Cast them ahead of slurping carp and they will often suck it in to check it out...long enough for a hookset. Those also work along the edges of Deer Creek or other lakes where folks bait trout with marshmallows. Only you catch more rainbows than carp.

You almost need a quiet boat for sight fishing carp in shallow water, and the water has to be clear enough to both see your fly and the take of a cooperative carp. They can suck it in and spit it back out without your feeling a thing. No hard strikes on flies.

I have talked to more than a few worldly anglers over the years that claim they enjoy hanging a big carp on light tackle as much as they do going after bonefish. The airfare and accomodations are usually a heck of a lot cheaper too.

One of the best lures I have ever used for carp is a 1 1/2 inch clear sparkle tube jig...colored red with a permanent marker. I fish it on a 1/32 oz head and 4# line...casting a few feet ahead of singles or small groups of carp. When they get close enough to see it, I hop it across the bottom and they usually climb all over it. When hooked in shallow water, carp will make some outrageous first runs. After that, it is often just slugging it out or rolling over and giving up. Depending on water conditions and their physical condition, they can put up a good fight...or not.

Oh yeah, channel cats like that customized red jig too. That's how I discovered that carp liked it...while fishing for springtime channel cats in shallow water at Willard. I found a big shallow area full of carp soaking up the midday sun and had a ball...until I got the sunburn of my life.
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[leaky]

Ok,

My 2 cents. Years ago I was bow hunting them at the Gorge when relaxing from smallies. I got to feeling guilty about "waste" and took a 20 pounder back to the tent trailwer an filleted it. I enjoyed it every bit as good as most any other fish. Ever since then I don't kill any I don't eat. At home I steem the fillets and pour over a white sauce with spices to your taste.

Two basic requirements - fresh water carp and large, they have a difficult bone, worse than pike and are a lot easier to remove after cooked if large.

Don't knock it until you try it you gutless wonders!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!

[crazy][crazy]Leaky

[FlyFishingMoose]

Leaky & TubeDude, Thanks a lot. I've been thinking about them carp for a while. Then looking for some boat sites I found a carp recipe site got my curiosity up, looks like I'll looking for some big carp soon to try something on.

TD, we kind of had this conversation a while back remember the carp being pulled from the Prove? Thats anoter thing that brought this up, still thinking about canned Carp....gonna have to give it a try...I think

Thnks all for your input....very interesting.
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[icefool]

When it comes to eating Carp I will pass but I don't eat fish anyway.But when it comes to catching them, I have had the best fight of my life with some of those.I really enjoy fishing for them.
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[TubeDude]

[cool]As I have mentioned before, carp are great candidates for the smoker. They have firm flesh and it really takes up the flavor or the brine and smoke. I seldom go through the whole brining process when I smoke fish. I usually do the fast prep and smoke routine...sprinkling sugar, salt and spices on the fresh fillets and letting them sit for an hour or so before going in the smoker. But, I once had a smoked carp specialist tell me that he freezes the fillets and then thaws them before brining. Something about the cells opening up even more to the flavoring.

I have eaten carp fixed a dozen different ways and while I do not rate it as high as walleye, I find it quite acceptable. Much of it has to do with the method of preparation (bone removal) and cooking...with seasonings and sauces. But, that is true of all fish.

If only those things weren't so ugly, I'm sure they would have a bigger fan club. The fact remains that pound for pound, they can outslug a lot of our more popular species. And, there is no better fish to introduce kids to fishing and to teach them how to fight larger fish on light tackle. So what if they pop off a big old buglemouth. There are plenty more where it came from. Then, when they hang that ten pound brown, the battle will go much better if the kids are familiar with the tackle and know how to set the drag and use the rod to fight the fish.

Carp are kinda like the homely girls you get on blind dates. Even though they may have "great personalities", it's difficult to fall in love with them when you get a good look at them.
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[southernman]

first and foremost asian carp are an invader species, they ruin good sport fishing everywhere they go, if theyre not controlled you usually end up poisoning a lake to get rid of them . . sure they can be fun to catch, when i was a kid they were my first fish over 5 lbs i ever caught . . .

heres a report from the last issue of field and stream . .

asian carp have nearly reached chicago via the illinois river, if they were to breach a single traffic lane, they could wreak havok on the 4.2 billion dollar great lakes sport and commercial fishery . . .

so dont feel bad about killing some carp . . hell i say kill em all . . . .

sm
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[fishnate]

In my recent posts concerning taking kids, I don't think there is a better fish around than carp to enjoy with kids. I fish on the Little Bear, and Cutler in Cache Valley and the fish are big (not too big 2-10 lbs), plentiful and usually receptive to a worm. I love watching a carp take off with the worm and hit the end of the line. We use circle hooks so the kids don't have to set the hook. My kids like catching a dozen big tough fish lots better than catching a bunch of smaller panfish. We've never eaten one but thought has crossed my mind.
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[tightline]

SM I am with you on this one. I don't have anything against carp in some waters like communty ponds or what not. But they are murder on spawns. You should see the lakers at Bear Lake drop there eggs and littlerly within a minute you can see 5 to 10 carp going nuts for about 5 to 10 minutes right where the eggs were dropped. This process goes on over and over until the spawn is over. Hmmm maybe that has something to do with why they don't reproduce well over there.

I have seen the same thing on the Rainbow spawn at East Canyon. If someone wants some carp out of clean water for eating. Go to Bear Lake. I would love to see a few go away. And you don't find Carp in any cleaner water than the Bear.
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[nathan]

The U.S. is the only place the Carp is considerd a trash fish.Tests have been done,and it was found that Carp are one of the most intelligent fish.They scored far higher than Trout,and Bass.Their sense of smell,and lateral line are extremely sensetive.I've love to flyfish for them.A small crawdad pattern cast in front of them usually does the trick.But don't get me wrong..they aren't always easy to catch.As for eating,they are like about any other fish...good clean, cool, water makes for better taste..Nathan
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[fishnpro40]

I personaly love the feel of a 10 to 15lb carp on the end of my line. they are one of the best fighting fish i know.[cool]
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[tightline]

Carp, Coyote, and Jackrabbits. I put them all in the same catagory. All very intelligent. Hard to catch or shoot if you are talking Coyote and Jackrabbits. All get way out of control and do alot of damage if we don't do something about controlling there numbers. Whether that be by keeping decent #'s of natural predators or eliminating them ourselves.
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[polokid]

Tightline- I am with you completely!!!! I feel carp are a nuissance, they are bad for the spawn, they are extremely ugly, and as for eating, I guess I cant knock it till I try it!!! But I am doing ok with out it. They seem to be way out of control in too many place!!!! I might get scrutinized by some, but many of them that I catch end up in a dumpster or in my garden!!!
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[FlyFishingMoose]

I heard ya polo, I've done the same thing. Catch a carp throw it into the bushes and let the critters get it. Come back in a couple hours and it gone just bones, or else it stinks the place up for a month.
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Shame on you guys...wasting a valuable resource. Big fish are too valuable to be caught only once. You should release all carp unharmed, so that others may enjoy the sport.

The one below was handled a bit roughly and may not have survived.


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