Only in America

[bignose]

European (Common-Cyprinus Carpio) Carp were originally introduced by Dr. Spencer F. Baird head of the US Commission of Fish and Fisheries and raised by T.B. Ferguson, Head of Maryland's Fish Commission in 1877. They were raised in a couple of small ponds in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore. Some of these were transferred to the Washington D.C. area the following year and fingerlings distributed to 24 states.

They were also introduced in California by Julius A. Poppe five years earlier, who took matters into his own hands.

They were introduced as a cheap food source, and were popular with the European immigrants.

This from the americancarpsociety.com

"Midwestern fisheries managers didn't need to hear much more than that to be convinced carp were the best thing to arrive from Europe since the brewery."

I remember my Grandfather bringing a couple home and letting them swim in the bathtub for a day or two to clear the "mud" out.
I also remember that they were a bloody, miserable pain in the butt to clean.
Like CNRs a perfect fish to catch and release!

BIG_Carp.jpg
Yeah and you're not gonna pull that over the side of the kayak!
The Maryland State record is 47+ pound fish caught from a pond.

[HJS]

Another carp story -- A friend of mine, (I did not witness this) told me he caught carp on fly rod poppers during a 17 year locust hatch.

Mark - During the last cicada hatch in Maryland (2004) I stopped in Prettyboy Reservoir and cicadas were thick everywhere at waters edge. Carp were feeding on the surface for them. I caught several carp by hooking cicadas on a smallish hook adding a weighted bobber for distance. Carp would race over and slurp them in. After catching about 3 of them the rest of the school wised-up and wouldn't hit. It was fun while it lasted.

[yakscientist]

Before I got my kayak, I would always fish for them in liberty reservoir with a simple trout-size hook (small) and a couple kernels of corn. Just set that out and wait, and fish for whatever else while you wait. Make sure to leave the drag fairly light because once they suck that corn down and start running, they'll easily pull an unattended rod into the water (happened to my friend Jon). The best spot I've ever seen for carp, and I will let you all in on it, is the Anacostia River not far from the community boathouse. We did a lot of work there, and we electroshocked a ton of 10-20 pound carp pretty much everywhere upriver from there, particularly along the train bridge and along the shorelines close to it. I doubt I will ever fish the anacostia, due to what I know now about it, but it's honestly loaded with fish. In a single half day shocking excursion, we got striper, snakehead, tons of sunfish species (pumpkinseed, green, etc), largemouth, blue cats, carp, etc...I think we routinely encountered 15 species per day at least. If any of you are looking to fish it, I recommend a good pair of latex gloves to be worn at all times haha

[Mark]

Mark - During the last cicada hatch in Maryland (2004) I stopped in Prettyboy Reservoir and cicadas were thick everywhere at waters edge. Carp were feeding on the surface for them. I caught several carp by hooking cicadas on a smallish hook adding a weighted bobber for distance. Carp would race over and slurp them in. After catching about 3 of them the rest of the school wised-up and wouldn't hit. It was fun while it lasted.

Thanks for sharing. Looks like we'll be able to try that technique again in three years...and that may be my last opportunity to do so!

[ronaultmtd]

Thank goodness we don’t know our expiration date, Mark...I say we live until we die...there are no guarantees...for all we know today maybe our last day on Earth...if you have ever watched the show Doomsday Clock...so many ways for the world to end from a global pandemic, Yellowstone Super Volcano eruption, giant asteroid striking the Earth, nuclear war, global warming...you name it...but until the sand runs out of the hourglass for me, I think I’ll go fishing...

[Mark]

Thank goodness we don’t know our expiration date, Mark...I say we live until we die...there are no guarantees...for all we know today maybe our last day on Earth...if you have ever watched the show Doomsday Clock...so many ways for the world to end from a global pandemic, Yellowstone Super Volcano eruption, giant asteroid striking the Earth, nuclear war, global warming...you name it...but until the sand runs out of the hourglass for me, I think I’ll go fishing...

You're right on that, Ron. I plan to keep fishing for as long as my health allows given I have no control over the rest of what's going on.

This thread has certainly taken off in many directions. It has been good. Thanks for starting it.

In fact, I have a new resolution for 2018. Catch a carp. But it will have to be with an artificial. The sand in my hourglass is running too fast to patiently wait on a shoreline with dough-balls and corn.

[silasvirus82]

Before I got my kayak, I would always fish for them in liberty reservoir with a simple trout-size hook (small) and a couple kernels of corn. Just set that out and wait, and fish for whatever else while you wait. Make sure to leave the drag fairly light because once they suck that corn down and start running, they'll easily pull an unattended rod into the water (happened to my friend Jon). The best spot I've ever seen for carp, and I will let you all in on it, is the Anacostia River not far from the community boathouse. We did a lot of work there, and we electroshocked a ton of 10-20 pound carp pretty much everywhere upriver from there, particularly along the train bridge and along the shorelines close to it. I doubt I will ever fish the anacostia, due to what I know now about it, but it's honestly loaded with fish. In a single half day shocking excursion, we got striper, snakehead, tons of sunfish species (pumpkinseed, green, etc), largemouth, blue cats, carp, etc...I think we routinely encountered 15 species per day at least. If any of you are looking to fish it, I recommend a good pair of latex gloves to be worn at all times haha

lets go

[yakscientist]

lets go

Ha yeah you want to? Maybe this summer.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[baitball]

Bonefish are carp with better PR

kind of like the CNR of freshwater.

I think this Forum needs a "Quote Board": a collection of funny, witty, and whimsical musings posted by it members.

These two entries certainly get my vote :-)