Carp...a varmint?

[npm352]

I say yes....here is one I got today on a quick stop running some errands with one of my kiddos.

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[durangobrad]

What do you do with the dead carp? I have always released them after catching. They are really fun on a fly rod when you can sigh fish for them.

 

[Beendare]

We give them to the shore fishermen catching those dinks, they can't believe it when we hand over a whole garbage can of bloody carp.

 

[MallardSX2]

I have shot a few.


View attachment 73214

 

[NYSKIER]

What do you do with the dead carp? I have always released them after catching. They are really fun on a fly rod when you can sigh fish for them.

Carp fishing with light tackle is definitely underrated

 

[boom]

i think Carp just needs a better Public Relations office.

they taste pretty good. my stepdad cooked one that fooled everyone. i was just shoveling in when he told it was a carp.

 

[Beendare]

Someone told me its the #1 consumed fish in the world....

I just can't get past eating them after them being in 1/2 full garbage can all bloody with slimy eggs all over....yuch!

We were in the Delta years ago and found these asian guys in a tiny inflatable up against the tules in a back channel. They didn't speak a word of English. My buddy holds up a carp.....trying to tell them, "Do you want these?" Finally I just nosed in close [had to be careful, the water was about 3" from the top of their inflatable rail]

My one buddy was handing them off one at a time but the wind was fighting us....suddenly the other guy just dumps the garbage can full of 10#- 18# carp right in on top of them. They were laughing....happy as a clam.....with a couple hundred pounds of fish vs the tiny bluegills they were catching.

I was worried they wouldn't make it across the slough as now the water was right at the rail.....not to mention they were covered in blood and slime.

Some things just stick in your mind....dang, that was one of them.

 

[Mt Al]

Excellent post! Definitely a varmint! Non-native, invasive but a blast on light tackle, as stated above.

A great trip is to go to Yellowtail Dam south of Hardin, MT. Beautiful lake. Many, many carp. Used to huck a treble hook over ones surfacing, snag (sometimes) and haul them in. They fight like crazy, lots of fun.

Someone, not me, should start a conservation group "Carp Forever" "National Carp Foundation" or "Carp Unlimited" and swindle people out of their money and time to protect this valuable resource.

 

[Lawnboi]

Very destructive fish. I used to shoot them but haven't in years. Too much mess and hassle for something that will end up rotting in a farmers field.

I don't know a person who eats them. They are in most river systems around here and are harmful to a lot of native fish in regards to spawning. Fun to catch and shoot yes. Don't let them go, bury them in the garden.

 

[awaldro7]

View attachment 73743

I am a fan. This is a picture of my bowfishing boat. We shoot tournaments a lot.

 

[boom]

it's the stigma attached to them. junk fish.

they eat mostly plantlife, so the flesh is actually super firm. way firmer than a blackbass. no bonier than a bass. i agree the flesh will have an occasional vein..you can avoid them easily.

there are some uglyass fish out there that we eat. (chilean sea bass comes to mind) just good PR and marketing. if people would turn it around, it is a very sustainable food source. hell, it might solve even a few problems.

but i get it. we love our chicken nuggets and stuff food that quit looking like the animal it came from.

 

[boom]

my stepdad passed away..i dont know how to cook a carp. jus saying. but he did.

 

[Genograusam]

Like anything... Meat prep... In Illinois during the early spring when the grass carp were up, I'd take a cooler of ice and cut the fillets out for smoking. 90% of the carp I shot went into a farmer's ditch where the coyotes, coons, and crows would feast. But carp, especially the grass carp and silver carp (flying carp) are very good smoked or deep fried if prepared correctly.

 

[Genograusam]

I say yes....here is one I got today on a quick stop running some errands with one of my kiddos. View attachment 73106

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That's a great mirror carp!

 

[LongWayAround]

Grass carp are very good eating. The flesh on the jumpers is even better.

All the common carp I ever stuck fed the turtles or coons.