CARP PLAY

[Cor]

A little personal story.
When I was very young we were not very well off and my mother forced me to eat Carp a few times.   Just thinking of it now or smelling those fish makes me want to be sick.
Just down the road from where I live is a very small pond with clear water where kids sometimes sit and fish and I could see the Carp in it when walking past.


So one day I was reading an article on how clever Carp were and what Carp anglers all did to outwit those wiley fish and decided to sneak down to see if I could catch one.   I love sight fishing and here I sat on a terrible overcast stormy rainy day at a kiddies pond feeding some carp with bread.   It was actually peaceful and tempting the fish to eat my pieces of bread was a very interesting experiment to me.   As I could see them, they could see me in that clear water and my arm movement would scatter when.    I would throw a piece of bread where I knew they were and soon one would come to look and swim away and only after many "looks" and slowly coming closer would one eventually eat it.    I could even tempt them closer by slowly tossing the bread in to shallower water and keeping still or hiding behind a shrub or even lying down on the ground.

Just as well there were no kids or cops around to see what this old guy was up to.

So the next part of the experiment took place a few days later with a old toy rod, a very cheap reel that I used to catch small squid on, some bread bait balls and tinned maize tiny sinkers and hooks.   I remember I had great fun watching those fish at my bait.   That was the fun bit, they quite quickly become aware of the bait, look at it and dart away.    Then come back slowly after a minute and have another look.    Eventually one would pick it up, but not a chance that you would hook it.



I probably caught two the first time I tried that.    You only catch them when they pick up the bait with meaning and then they dart of with great speed and strength and are in the reeds on the opposite side of the pond in less then a second.   The average size was about 3 or 4 lb and I must have caught 15 during a one month period, never to do it again.
Then one day I saw a Bass in that dam as well, now that became another part of a story, but will leave it for another day.


This morning I came across some photos and thought of this event and how some simple things in life can cause much pleasure.

[Crow]

They do have lots of "go power"! And can be pretty finicky about what they hit....I guess you would call that "cunning". Our area of the midwest is 'loaded' with carp, and , growing up, was what almost everyone "fished for"...lots of fun, and, in most homes, a welcome addition to the table, as well. We ate it "fried" (the bigger ones, so all those bones weren't quite as big a problem!), smoked , Baked (again, the big ones...bones were easier to pick out of the meat), and my favorite...."canned". Gramma would put them up in jars, with a chunk of red pepper...not to change the taste, but to help "color" the meat...and we all thought it was as good as the canned salmon that we DIDN'T get...mostly because we could get the carp "for nothing" .

[Keta]

When I lived in Iowa we called them cedar salmon.  Hard fighters but I would never eat fish from the Cedar River downstream from Waterloo or Cedar Rapids.

[Midway Tommy]

There's a restaurant in Omaha called Joe Tess Place that's famous for it's carp. https://joetessplace.com/  Check out their reviews. People drive a couple hundred miles just to eat their fish sandwiches, a scored tail or rib section of carp on a single slice of rye bread. I order the Double Rib Sandwich. They do know how to cook carp, it's delicious!  I once saw Bob Kerry, Debra Winger and Tom Brokaw eating there together.

[foakes]

Thanks for sharing your story and photos, Cor —

Good stuff!

Best, Fred

[Riy2018]

in Easter Europe, Russia, Central Asia carp is very famous.

[Benni3]

Nice size carp,,,,, they put up a big fight,,,,,,,,

[Swami805]

Nice report and great pictures!
Here they sight fish them with a bow and arrow, looks fun

[Cor]

Look at the picture second from the top, that Carp has twisted its eye downward to see what is holding or hurting it in the corner of its mouth.

To me its got a sad but intelligent look on its face accepting whatever fate is to come.

Perhaps its still swimming round and round in the little pond ..... this sounds like a story I would read the Grandkids

[steelfish]

nice story amigo, every fish count and every fish is fun to catch

[Riy2018]

popular fishing places in Uzbekistan



fishing tours



fish market


WILDERNESS COOKING huge grass carp

this places still have natural water reserves with wild fish not farm raised
next my vacation places

[Bill B]

Old thread but I will comment.  It's fun to target a particular species and succeed.  Lake Elsinore in SoCal has an abundance of carp.  The smelly green type.  It's fun to go and catch 'em.  One day a friend and I went and probably caught 18.  Estimated combined weight of 40 lbs.  I keep a couple to see if they were edible, even the dogs wouldn't eat them. One year the lake hired professional gill netters to lessen the population, I think they stopped after 3 million pounds and the carp fishery is better than ever.

[Wompus Cat]

Great CARP RECIPE

[Gobi King]

I was out on the channel in Muskegon next to the Sub, grandma and I were going after some cow bluegills and right around sunset a truck/camper pulled in with IL lic plates, father and son team came from Chicago to CARP fish, they had all the pro gear, electric bite detector rod holders etc.

The son chummed with corn, I never knew carp fishing had a good following. The son reported a bunch of guys show up to carp fish that spot.

My first fish of 2022 was a carp, caught it on a hopkins jig.

[Mjg378]

Growing up in Missouri, I would target carp with a homemade bait of crushed Wheaties cereal (had to be wheaties)  with vanilla or anise added.  as I got a little older, I sometimes would add bit of whiskey.
Kept one ONE TIME. My buddy and I thought let's try it.   His mother was not to happy with us after we stank up her kitchen.  Ended up throwing it out. Still remember some of those battles with my zebco 202