39 replies to this topic

[novabass]

I know this is probably a strange question, but I have a small lake close to me that is full of Asian Carp. Has anyone ever got these things to take a fly? Will they eat the same as common carp? They call them asian carp here, but I think they are actually silver carp.

[Rocco]

They planted some in our subdivision man-masde lake a few years ago to control weeds. They ate everthing and even could be seen cropping lake-side flora. Lettuce flies?

One guy I know fed them fish pellets off a dock in the evening and they would congregate there. He set a 2lb test class record on a pellet 'fly' made out of brown cheniile. Big devil of a fish too.

Rocco

[Ruffells311]

Yep. Take some dog food, corn, and/or carp balls (dough balls) with matching color chenille and/or spun deer hair fly (even wool should work). Get the carp feeding a good distance away from you. Then set the fly (possibly just corn or a dough ball on a small hook) close in to the feeding frenze you created. Be sure to have a long leader because carp are extremely easy to spook. If possible consider the shadow of you, your rod, and your line. All those will spook the fish and will give them a little lock jaw. If you have the sun on your right hand side, cast to the left side of the feeding carp. If behind you, stay low to the water and give the carp plenty on room but not too far away with your fly. For that matter, always give carp a good lead. Landing the fly in their face while they are feeding or just cruising will be sure to send them the other way. And NEVER cast over their back. For some reason these monster carp think that every little shadow, noise, and little bit of movement is going to kill them.

[Ruffells311]

There is always the much harder and sportsmen like method of using bait-fish and crawfish patterns on cruising and feeding carp.

[steeldrifter]

Ruffells311.. are you talking about common carp and not Asian carp? because the poster asked about Asian carp (aka silver carp) which are a micro filter feeder and I have never heard of anyone being able to catch one on hook & line due to them being filter feeders of microscopic organisms.

Steve

[jhammer]

If only they made size 44 hooks and microscopic chenille.....


I'm sorry, I had to. The only way I've heard of catching asian carp is by netting them or using a bowfishing outfit. I know some buffalo and other sucker species are filter feeders (I think) and they can be caught. I may be mistaken too.

[Rocco]

Steeldrifter,

Sorry, should have specified. These were Amur River carp -- they eat vegetation and when that is all gone?? They are indeed silvery and longer bodied than the common carp.

Rocco

[Peterjay]

The best way to catch them is to rotenone the pond. If you could find a few navy surplus depth charges, they'd do the job as well, but neighbors aren't as tolerant of these kinds of activities as they used to be. Any method anybody can find to kill off nuisance carp is OK by me.

[novabass]

Yes, I was doing some research last night and realized they were filter feeders and are not normally caught with a rod and reel. What a shame, because there are a ton of them.
We need to come up with a microscopic fly!

[Ruffells311]

My bad I assumed most carp had the same diets and were just found different places in the world. Snagging with a fly rod?

[steeldrifter]

My bad I assumed most carp had the same diets and were just found different places in the world. Snagging with a fly rod?

yeah Asian carp are the exception to the rule. They are a VERY nasty invasive species that takes over a river and eats all the micro bio and kills the other species off within a short time there after because of it. Probably the worst/most dangerous species to hit the USA ever. This is how most people 'fish" for them...

[Woodinfliezz]

lol just get to snagging sir

[bluegill576]

This fall I was fishing a little nymph on my tenkara rod and accidentally hooked one. It quickly broke the line off though.

[heavynets]

I find it difficult to believe that the Asian or Bighead Carp are as big of a threat as claimed. It's a common reaction to each new invasive species. However, nature has a way of balancing itself. If they eat all the plankton then they will starve, other fish will eat their eges and young, numbers will drop, plankton will increase until a balance is reached.

There are about 120 species of fish in the Amur River in which the Asian carp has lived for centuraries. How bad can they be? Will they effect the environment into which they are introduced, of course they will. Will they destroy that environment, they haven't in Asia.

Remember, the common carp, brown trout, great lakes steelhead, ring neck pheasant and countless plants and insects are all envasive species that impacted their environment, but didn't destroy it. By the way, the Asian carp are currently being exported back to China for consumption at some high end restaurants. Ours are far less polluted and therefore taste better. They consider them a delicacy. One man's trash is .......

[steeldrifter]

I have to disagree with you heavynets. The Amur river is not something you can base in comparison to any US river because the Amur river is over 2700 miles long (tenth largest river in the entire world) so comparing a river that is thouthands of miles long to a river in the US that may average 10-50 miles in many cases just is vastly different.

The effects of Asian carp are a well proven fact, it's not just fear or concern. I wish it was just being over worried but the truth is that is not the case. If you look them up or watch any TV/read about them. Just check the info on the illions river which is the hardest hit by them and you will see how bad they actually are. The electroshock surveys on the Illinois river and you will see how numbers of game fish during the shocking are almost at zero because 99.9% of the fish that show up are just Asian carp now. The problem is not just that they are filter feeders, but they reproduce so quickly and in so many numbers that other fish do not have a chance to adjust and they end up starving and dying before they even know what happened.