Is this our future?

[joefromchicago]

I just read a couple more stories concerning carp:

1. The illegal catch was donated to a rehabilitation clinic for injured mammals and raptors so I guess they made out o.k.

2. The story and accompanying clip of an eleven-year old boy catching a 96 pound 10 ounce carp. The fish weighed more than he did.
The best part of the video was an adult telling him "Where do you go from here, mate? You'll have to take up golf."

 

[Rob Allen]

Haven’t found that to be the case. One lake I fish is private. Grass carp were planted by the community to control aquatic weeds. I’ve been fishing it for years and the bass fishing is excellent. Used to only be LM but now SM are present. Likely planted by a local bucket biologist from a nearby lake that has them.
SF

Silver Lake in Cowlitz County and later Lacamas lake in Clark County both had their fisheries seriously adversely affected by the introduction of grass carp and the consequential loss of milfoil as habitat.

 

[Rob Allen]

I mean, if I lived where you live I'd probably have similar feelings. But here in WA where we don't really have amazing moving water trout fisheries (generally) and the anadromous fisheries are on the way out... I'm kinda all about the warm water opportunities these days. Carp might not be as pretty as trout, and the places they seem to hang out sure aren't, but at least it's something to fish for. And they seem to take a fly, fight hard, and be worth the effort. (Or so I hear, I have yet to fish for carp. I'm just a bass/panfish guy for warmwater)


I can never tell what the story is with this. Is it legit or is it like the opinion people seem to have about whitefish harming trout fisheries? For every comment like yours, I've heard a story like @Stonedfish tells. Maybe it has more to do with how they are introduced, how many (+ if they can breed) and what specific species of carp they are?

It could be an issue of how many were introduced.. as far as I am concerned millfoil is a great thing. Makes lakes less water ski friendly yet very fish friendly

 

[cody-]

They love carp in Europe its all they have anymore! Carp are well thought of enough to get their own calendars, with hot nakid ladies holding them in all kinds of precarious situations.

Maxim has a great - uh - article, or something, about the 2018 erotic carp calendar

 

[joefromchicago]

Silver Lake in Cowlitz County and later Lacamas lake in Clark County both had their fisheries seriously adversely affected by the introduction of grass carp and the consequential loss of milfoil as habitat.

As a young child I lived near the Girl Scout camp on Lacamas. I can remember when the lake was crystal clear and you could see all the way to the bottom. Effluent from nearby pastures really took that lake down.

 

[joefromchicago]

Years ago, I went on a guided trip on the Columbia for sturgeon. The guide told me of a recent client (who had flown in from France) who had booked him for 3 straight days for salmon. Early on the first day, the guide spoke of the fish available on the river, and mentioned carp, and the size they attain on the Columbia. The client reeled in and they proceeded to fish for carp the next two and a half days. It's a prized game fish in Europe.

Early in my career, I worked for a grain export company in Portland, and our loading faciity was at Terminal 5, right where the Willamette and Columbia meet. The carp LOVED the gain spillage, and they milled around the ships docked there waiting for manna from heaven. The longshoremen would fish for them at lunch, and a 30-lb carp was not uncommon. I bet grain-fed carp tastes pretty good, if that's your thing.

Sounds like one of our favorite fishing holes. There was a family that lived in a house with a balcony that hung out over the river. They would buy surplus bread and throw it down to a small group of ducks. The resulting rain of bread crumbs drifting down would bring dozens of carp. We would target fish; the bigger, the better. It was a riot.

 

[Brian Miller]

Haven’t found that to be the case. One lake I fish is private. Grass carp were planted by the community to control aquatic weeds. I’ve been fishing it for years and the bass fishing is excellent. Used to only be LM but now SM are present. Likely planted by a local bucket biologist from a nearby lake that has them.
SF

The local FFI club used to have an annual spring outing at Lone Lake. Then some years back grass carp were planted by the state's "bucket brigade" to control weeds. The carp, along with prior herbicide treatments changed the lake's chemistry resulting in a toxic alge bloom and massive fish kill. Bad story there about mismanagement, but I'm sure there's also a back story about what led to the "need" to control aquatic weeds.

Lone Lake Algae Management

This page will be updated periodically as new information becomes available. The Open Comment Period for the Draft Lone Lake Algae Management Plan has CLOSED.

www.whidbeycd.org

 

[Stonedfish]

The local FFI club used to have an annual spring outing at Lone Lake. Then some years back grass carp were planted by the state's "bucket brigade" to control weeds. The carp, along with prior herbicide treatments changed the lake's chemistry resulting in a toxic alge bloom and massive fish kill. Bad story there about mismanagement, but I'm sure there's also a back story about what led to the "need" to control aquatic weeds.

Lone Lake Algae Management

This page will be updated periodically as new information becomes available. The Open Comment Period for the Draft Lone Lake Algae Management Plan has CLOSED.

www.whidbeycd.org

My response was in regards to Rob’s statement that grass carp kill bass fisheries, which isn’t true in every case.
SF