Carp

[cotton]

I've caught two of these by accident this year. They sure are fun.



How do I catch them on purpose?

[mjsigns]

Where did you catch that Carp ?

[J Holden]

Saw a bunch that size up around Piney Z, things were massive. I've heard you can chum em up with corn or bread crumbs and hook them on dough balls.

[mjsigns]

How did you cook em? Smoke em? What do they taste lI ke?

[KyTrkyHntr]

Man, that's awesome!! They're a fun fish to target!

[cotton]

I've seen carp in all the area lakes. They seem to be abundant in Jackson, Piney Z, Talquin, and Carr. This one 37", like all the big fish I catch, was released. I wouldn't begin to try to cook one. But, I really would like to catch them regularly. I tried corn this weekend and had no luck. The two I caught this year were caught on topwater lures.

If you truly enjoy a challenge, a carp of this size is truly a challenge. This one fealt very similar to a 30+ inch redfish. Landing him in the yak, just made it more special.

[JeffB]

You can bait them with cow pellets or hog pellets or something like that and catch them with whole kernal corn, dough balls or even little red wigglers.
They aren't very good to eat. They are very bony and strong tasting to me. Some people boil them or pressure cook them and then make patties out of them like you would salmon patties.
Lots of fun to catch though.

[mjsigns]

Just an FYI -
Age and Growth:
The largest triploid grass carp taken in Florida was 15 years old, 56" long and weighed 75 lbs. In China, grass carp are reputed to live up to 21 years and reach sizes of 5 feet and 100 pounds.
Sporting Quality:
Sometimes taken by anglers, especially those fishing for catfish or tilapia, but they must be released immediately and unharmed since those found in Florida were stocked deliberately for aquatic plant control purposes. Bow-anglers are especially adept at taking grass carp and are sometimes given permits to remove excess grass carp.
Edibility:
In some countries, the grass carp is an integral part of fish culture, and fish flesh forms an important source of protein for human consumption. The fish have flaky white meat that is not too strongly flavored but tend to be very bony.

Copied this from the FWC site @
http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profi ... rass-carp/