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Carp fishing
From Wikipedia,
Carp is a common name for various species of freshwater fish of the family
Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. They have been
introduced to various locations around the world, though with mixed results.
Izaak Walton said about carp in The Compleat Angler, "The Carp is the queen of
rivers; a stately, a good, and a very subtil fish; that was not at first bred,
nor hath been long in England, but is now naturalised.
Carp fishing around the world
Carp are variable in terms of angling value.
In Europe, even when not fished for food, they are eagerly sought by anglers,
being considered highly prized coarse fish that are difficult to hook. The UK
has a thriving carp angling market. It is the fastest growing angling market in
the UK and has spawned a number of specialised carp angling publications such as
'Carpology', 'advanced carp fishing', 'carpworld' and 'TotalCarp' also many an
informative carp angling web site such as Carpfishing UK.
In the United States, the carp is also classified as a rough fish as well as
damaging naturalized exotic species but with sporting qualities. Many states'
departments of natural resources are beginning to view the carp as an angling
fish instead of a maligned pest. Groups such as the Carp Anglers Group and
American Carp Society promote the sport and work with fisheries departments to
organize events to introduce and expose others to the unique opportunity the
carp offers freshwater anglers.
The sport is well respected across the continent of Europe and has spawned carp
angling holiday companies and a multimillion-pound market.
In New Zealand Koi Carp are regarded as noxious fish, and while recreational
fishing is permitted in some areas, koi must be killed when caught.
Leaders in the manufacture of carp angling equipment include Gardner Tackle ,
Fox International , Shimano and Daiwa.
Tournaments
C.A.R.P. (Catch and Release Professionals) Tournament Series is a growing
angling circuit in the United States. The American Carp Society held a
tournament in March 2006 in Austin, Texas that paid out $275,000 to the winners.
Managing recreational carp
Good carp fishing can be found in many different types of water. Many find
rivers to provide some of the most challenging, but rewarding fishing. Being
that many rivers connect directly with the ocean, it has been said that perhaps
the largest carp in a given river may reside in the stretch between the
beginning of the tidal influence and where the salinity becomes intolerable to
the carp (exactly where this is is unknown, but some state water that is roughly
half fresh and half salt is likely the limit). For example, a carp of 42.03
pounds was caught from the tidal stretch of the lower Connecticut River in
southern Connecticut. This fish was a confirmed, documented state record.
Without the hard work and know-how of a group of local carp anglers, it has been
said that the proper documentation of this fish would not have occurred.
Bowfishing for carp is a fast growing sport. When properly used as part of a
integrated management plan it may help limit the negative impact of carp. Dr.
Sorenson U of Minnesota is completing the common carp management plan which also
will advocate catch n keep carp sport fishing as part of overall plan to limit
carp.In the US, Texas is the only state with any managed carp waters (Lady Bird
Lake). Its designation came after lobbying from members of the Carp Anglers
Group who put on euro style events on the lake.
Eating habits
Popular baits include canned corn and homemade doughball concoctions in the USA.
In the UK and Europe anglers commonly use a bait known as boilies, which are
made from milk proteins, eggs and artificial flavors, these are then boiled in
water hence the name boilies and in south africa the most popular form of carp
fishing is using a "mielie bomb", it is a spring shaped frame whith crushed corn
and maize pressed onto it.
However, in some countries, due to their habit of grubbing through bottom
sediments for food and consequential alteration of their environment, they
destroy, uproot and disturb submerged vegetation causing serious damage to
native duck and fish populations. In Australia there is anecdotal and mounting
scientific evidence that introduced carp are the cause of permanent turbidity
and loss of submerged vegetation in the Murray-Darling river system, with severe
consequences for river ecosystems, water quality and native fish species.
Common carp
The common carp, or European carp, are native to Asia and Eastern Europe. They
have been introduced, sometimes illegally, into environments worldwide, and is
often considered an invasive species.
Common carp are very tolerant of most conditions, though they prefer large
bodies of slow or standing water and soft, vegetative sediments. They can
typically be found in small schools, although larger carp often lead a solitary
existence.[14] They natively live in a temperate climate in fresh or brackish
water with a 7.0 - 9.0 pH, and an a temperature range of 35.0 - 85.0 °F.
Common carp are extremely popular with anglers in many parts of Europe, and
their popularity is slowly increasing among anglers in the United States (though
destroyed as pests in many areas). Carp are also popular with spear and bow
fisherman. They can grow to a length of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) and the oldest
recorded age of a wild fish is 38 years. The largest recorded carp, caught by an
angler in 2007 at Rainbow lake near Bordeaux, France, weighed 40.1 kilograms
(88.4 lb).[16] The wild, non-domesticated forms tend to be much less stocky at
around 20% - 33% the maximum size. In captivity, Cyprinus carpio have lived as
long as 47 years.
Silver carp
Silver carp are filter feeders, and thus are difficult to catch on typical hook
and line gear. Special methods have been developed for these fish, the most
important being the "suspension method" usually consisting of a large dough ball
that disintegrates slowly, surrounded by a nest of tiny hooks that are not
embedded in the bait. The entire apparatus is suspended below a large bobber.
The fish feed on the small particles that are released from the dough ball and
will bump against the dough ball, with the intention of breaking off more small
particles that can be filtered from the water, eventually becoming hooked on the
tiny hooks.
In some areas, it is also legal to use "snagging gear" in which large, weighted
treble hooks are jerked through the water, to snag the fish. In the United
States, silver carp are also popular targets for bowfishermen; they are shot
both from the water and from the air. In the latter case, boats are used to
scare the fish and entice them to jump, and the fish are shot from the air when
the fish jump.
Bighead carp
Although bighead carp reach large size, they are difficult to capture with a rod
and reel because of their filter-feeding habits. They may be captured by the
"suspension method" used to catch silver carp, or, where legal, by snagging them
by jerking a weighted treble hook through the water. Bighead carp cannot be shot
from the air like silver carp, because, unlike the silver carp, they do not jump
from the water in response to moving boats. However, they often feed near the
surface where they can be shot by bowfishers. The bowfishing record, captured in
the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois in May 2008, is 92.5 lb (42 kg).
Grass Carp
The grass carp grows rapidly, and young fish stocked in the spring at 20
centimetres (7.9 in) can reach 45 centimetres (18 in) by fall. Adults often
attain nearly 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in length and over 18 kilograms (40 lb) in
weight. According to one study, they live an average of 5–9 years with the
oldest at 11 years. They eat up to three times their own body weight daily. They
thrive in small lakes and backwaters that provide an abundant supply of fresh
water vegetation. Adults of the species feed primarily on aquatic plants. They
feed on higher aquatic plants and submerged terrestrial vegetation, but may also
take detritus, insects, and other invertebrates.
The species was deliberately introduced to control aquatic weeds in the United
States in 1963 and in the Netherlands in 1973. It was also introduced into New
Zealand along with stocks of goldfish but the distribution is carefully
controlled to prevent it from becoming a more widespread pest. Grass carp
require long rivers for the survival of the eggs and very young fish, and they
have become very abundant in the large rivers of the central United States.
Grass carp are strong fighters on a rod and reel, but because of their
vegetarian habits and their wariness, they can be difficult to catch. Chumming
with corn adds to success. Canned corn, cherry tomatoes, and, despite their
primarily vegetarian habits, worms can sometimes be successful baits. They are
popular, but wary, quarry for bowfishers where bowfishing for grass carp is
legal.
Crucian carp
Crucian carp inhabit lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers throughout Europe and
Asia. They rarely exceeds a weight of over 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg). They are often
caught as a sport fish: the British rod-caught record for largest crucian is
four pounds, nine ounces, caught by Martin Bowler in a lake in southern England
in 2003. There have been various bids for a breakage of this record since, but
they have been passed off as the specimens have not been said to have been
"true" crucians, but hybrids between the carp and one of its relatives, such as
the goldfish, which are not native to the British Isles. These hybrids often
exhibit hybrid vigour or heterosis, being much more adept at finding food and
evading predators than either of their parents, and thus pose somewhat of a
threat to the native carp population, and to other native aquatic animals.
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