riverman wrote:
:: Yeah, you got it: I'm an American, but in the UK for the summer. The
:: concept of Carp Ponds is very new to me.
::
:: So you leave them in that big net while you fish, but release them
:: when you leave? I suppose the net must hang out in the water, then.
:: I hadn't thought of that, as in the pictures I've seen, the nets
:: were up on land and the fish didn't seem to be flopping. Then the
:: purpose of the net really IS just for bragging rights?
::
If it's a keep net, then it's probably a match, where all the days catch is
weighed at the end and the winner takes the prize.....most commercial
fisheries don't allow keepnets unless there's a match on.

:: In the US, I don't know of anyone who keeps carp. They are usually
:: considered a 'trash fish', which is a rather prejudicial term, but
:: they aren't fished for sport by anyone over the age of about 9. I
:: suppose when they get into the 40 pound range, they must put up a
:: serious fight, and fishing for them sure has gained in popularity
:: over here. I dunno, different strokes for different folks.... I like
:: flyfishing for brown trout, myself, but YMMV.
::
:: And in the US, I believe (at least for trout) there is a much
:: stronger trend to C&R than here. I am constantly suprised at the
:: local fishermen who keep the large trout they land. As for other
:: fish, it really depends on whether you are fishing for dinner, or
:: sport. I won't disagree that there are a lot of folks who keep
:: everything they catch, but there's also a lot of us who release
:: everything we catch.
::
As a general rule, I keep and eat trout if they are a decent table weight,
anything too small goes back, as does any other fish i catch.

:: Thanks for the clarification on the carp thing.
::
NP!