The Truth About Carp

http://www.texasfishingforum.com/.ub...1;t=008041;p=1

The "Trash Fish Label" is a bit of mistaken Cause and Effect.

Back during the industrialization of America, natural water ways were
being diverted, dammed, drained, and polluted. This coupled with
freshwater commercial fishing lead to the not so surprising situation of
declining natural fish stocks. The US goverment was well aware of the
problem. After much research, they decided that one solution to the
problem was to import and stock Cyprinus Carpio - aka Carp.

There reasoning was that carp were hardy enought to survive the less
than ideal conditions men had created. Additionally, carp could produce
plenty of protein on very little sustenance. Finally, the large
immigrant communities were hungry for a taste of home.

So, the US government set about on one of the most successful stocking
programs in history. In the 1890's German fish were imported and stocked
as brood stock in ponds near Washington DC and MD. From there shipments
were made upon request to virtually every congressional district in the
USA. People asked, and the gov't provided.

Then a couple of things happened. Water quality due to pollution,
fertilizers, and altered water ways continued to decline. People began
to notice that in some cases the only survivors were carp. Instead of
admiring the carp's tenacity and mending our own ways, Americans began
blaming carp for the problem of declining native fish stocks. Not too
logical since carp were a response to the problem rather than the cause
of the problem.

A second event deepened the perception. The invention of refridgerated
shipping. Before this event, fish were mostly a local fresh food item.
After this invention, salt water species could be caught hundreds of
miles away and provided to the country's interior in an edible state.
Needless to say, the freshwater commercial fisheries took a huge hit as
diets turned from local fresh water fish like carp and buffalo to tasty
sal****er products like salmon, flounder, etc.

It was not long before a stigma was attached to carp. Being nearly the
sole survivor of man's abuse, they were blamed for displacing more
desireable species. It mattered not that the waters in question were
often incapable of now supporting the favored species.

Those who could not afford fancy fish shipped from the sea, would
continue to eat local fare like carp. It was not long before folks began
using carp consumption as yet another racial stereotype.

Politicians being quick to recognize a scapegoat, were more than happy
to decry the evil carp, especially since it helped avoid blame for
industrial pollution, agricultural run off, excessive irrigation,
channelization, etc. etc.

Without an advocate to defend her, the Queen of the Rivers (as noted by
Izaak Walton) came to be regarded as a scourge, a pest, a "TRASHFISH."

Once ingrained in the culture, such labels are hard to shed. I see it
continuing yet today...
A man and his son are enjoying a warm spring afternoon fishing worms for
bass or catfish or walleye or whatever. Suddenly, the little boy's pole
doubles over. For about 10 minutes all is joy. Dad smiling, Jr.
squealing with glee. Then a large golden flank roles near the surface
and a pair of fleshy orange lips poke above the water.

Father's face falls. F'ing carp. Too bad. It's so ugly. Junior now
doesn't know whether to be happy or sad about this, the grandest fish he
has ever caught. Taking his cues from dad, he spits on the fish and
curses it. Dad tells him to throw it in the bushes and they get back to
catching their intended, smaller fish. Lesson Learned.

Scroll forward a few years and Jr. signs on the a place like the TFF.
Carp are mention and Jr has a visceral negative reaction.

Such a scenario will not quickly change. However, there are an
increasing number who have discovered that all is not as it appears.
Join the fun, become a part of the "Carp Brigade."

--------------------
Brian "Carpaholic" Nordberg

Super_Duper wrote:
http://www.texasfishingforum.com/.ub...1;t=008041;p=1


The "Trash Fish Label" is a bit of mistaken Cause and Effect.

Crap are still trash fish, regardless of the tale told, true, or not.

Catching a 25# Carp, is not the same as a 10lb bass, the main reason is
there are hundred's of thousands, maybe millions of 25# + carp, and the
are easy to hook. There are less than 10,000 10# plus bass around, and
most have been caught quite a few times before they get that big, making
them a much smarter fish to hook. Most bass fishermen (unless they go to
one of those pay lakes) will never catch a 10+ bass, although there are
a few fishermen that target such bass that catch many of them, the
average guy might once in a life time.

Anyone can chum up, and catch huge carp

Ever seen a mounted carp, then look at a mounted L M, Carp are just
ugly, and the taste like crap :-)
--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Long Shot "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread
Boomerang Fishing Pro. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, Decoy Activator
and the EZKnot http://www.ezknot.com

Bass season didn't open in New York until June 18. In mid-May I started carp
fishing almost daily while waiting for bass season. I used to fish for carp,
but hadn't done it in over ten years.

The truth about carp is that they're loads of fun; strong, drag-ripping
freight trains. They don't get a lot of respect, but I consider them a fine
sportfish.

"Super_Duper" wrote in message
ink.net...

http://www.texasfishingforum.com/.ub...1;t=008041;p=1

The "Trash Fish Label" is a bit of mistaken Cause and Effect.

Back during the industrialization of America, natural water ways were
being diverted, dammed, drained, and polluted. This coupled with
freshwater commercial fishing lead to the not so surprising situation of
declining natural fish stocks. The US goverment was well aware of the
problem. After much research, they decided that one solution to the
problem was to import and stock Cyprinus Carpio - aka Carp.

There reasoning was that carp were hardy enought to survive the less
than ideal conditions men had created. Additionally, carp could produce
plenty of protein on very little sustenance. Finally, the large
immigrant communities were hungry for a taste of home.

So, the US government set about on one of the most successful stocking
programs in history. In the 1890's German fish were imported and stocked
as brood stock in ponds near Washington DC and MD. From there shipments
were made upon request to virtually every congressional district in the
USA. People asked, and the gov't provided.

Then a couple of things happened. Water quality due to pollution,
fertilizers, and altered water ways continued to decline. People began
to notice that in some cases the only survivors were carp. Instead of
admiring the carp's tenacity and mending our own ways, Americans began
blaming carp for the problem of declining native fish stocks. Not too
logical since carp were a response to the problem rather than the cause
of the problem.

A second event deepened the perception. The invention of refridgerated
shipping. Before this event, fish were mostly a local fresh food item.
After this invention, salt water species could be caught hundreds of
miles away and provided to the country's interior in an edible state.
Needless to say, the freshwater commercial fisheries took a huge hit as
diets turned from local fresh water fish like carp and buffalo to tasty
sal****er products like salmon, flounder, etc.

It was not long before a stigma was attached to carp. Being nearly the
sole survivor of man's abuse, they were blamed for displacing more
desireable species. It mattered not that the waters in question were
often incapable of now supporting the favored species.

Those who could not afford fancy fish shipped from the sea, would
continue to eat local fare like carp. It was not long before folks began
using carp consumption as yet another racial stereotype.

Politicians being quick to recognize a scapegoat, were more than happy
to decry the evil carp, especially since it helped avoid blame for
industrial pollution, agricultural run off, excessive irrigation,
channelization, etc. etc.

Without an advocate to defend her, the Queen of the Rivers (as noted by
Izaak Walton) came to be regarded as a scourge, a pest, a "TRASHFISH."

Once ingrained in the culture, such labels are hard to shed. I see it
continuing yet today...
A man and his son are enjoying a warm spring afternoon fishing worms for
bass or catfish or walleye or whatever. Suddenly, the little boy's pole
doubles over. For about 10 minutes all is joy. Dad smiling, Jr.
squealing with glee. Then a large golden flank roles near the surface
and a pair of fleshy orange lips poke above the water.

Father's face falls. F'ing carp. Too bad. It's so ugly. Junior now
doesn't know whether to be happy or sad about this, the grandest fish he
has ever caught. Taking his cues from dad, he spits on the fish and
curses it. Dad tells him to throw it in the bushes and they get back to
catching their intended, smaller fish. Lesson Learned.

Scroll forward a few years and Jr. signs on the a place like the TFF.
Carp are mention and Jr has a visceral negative reaction.

Such a scenario will not quickly change. However, there are an
increasing number who have discovered that all is not as it appears.
Join the fun, become a part of the "Carp Brigade."

--------------------
Brian "Carpaholic" Nordberg

Excellent History lesson. My issue with them is basically I don't know
how to prepare them. Are there tricks to cleaning them? Some fish have
a "mud" vein for instance.

Super_Duper wrote:
http://www.texasfishingforum.com/.ub...1;t=008041;p=1


The "Trash Fish Label" is a bit of mistaken Cause and Effect.

Back during the industrialization of America, natural water ways were
being diverted, dammed, drained, and polluted. This coupled with
freshwater commercial fishing lead to the not so surprising situation of
declining natural fish stocks. The US goverment was well aware of the
problem. After much research, they decided that one solution to the
problem was to import and stock Cyprinus Carpio - aka Carp.

There reasoning was that carp were hardy enought to survive the less
than ideal conditions men had created. Additionally, carp could produce
plenty of protein on very little sustenance. Finally, the large
immigrant communities were hungry for a taste of home.

So, the US government set about on one of the most successful stocking
programs in history. In the 1890's German fish were imported and stocked
as brood stock in ponds near Washington DC and MD. From there shipments
were made upon request to virtually every congressional district in the
USA. People asked, and the gov't provided.

Then a couple of things happened. Water quality due to pollution,
fertilizers, and altered water ways continued to decline. People began
to notice that in some cases the only survivors were carp. Instead of
admiring the carp's tenacity and mending our own ways, Americans began
blaming carp for the problem of declining native fish stocks. Not too
logical since carp were a response to the problem rather than the cause
of the problem.

A second event deepened the perception. The invention of refridgerated
shipping. Before this event, fish were mostly a local fresh food item.
After this invention, salt water species could be caught hundreds of
miles away and provided to the country's interior in an edible state.
Needless to say, the freshwater commercial fisheries took a huge hit as
diets turned from local fresh water fish like carp and buffalo to tasty
sal****er products like salmon, flounder, etc.

It was not long before a stigma was attached to carp. Being nearly the
sole survivor of man's abuse, they were blamed for displacing more
desireable species. It mattered not that the waters in question were
often incapable of now supporting the favored species.

Those who could not afford fancy fish shipped from the sea, would
continue to eat local fare like carp. It was not long before folks began
using carp consumption as yet another racial stereotype.

Politicians being quick to recognize a scapegoat, were more than happy
to decry the evil carp, especially since it helped avoid blame for
industrial pollution, agricultural run off, excessive irrigation,
channelization, etc. etc.

Without an advocate to defend her, the Queen of the Rivers (as noted by
Izaak Walton) came to be regarded as a scourge, a pest, a "TRASHFISH."

Once ingrained in the culture, such labels are hard to shed. I see it
continuing yet today...
A man and his son are enjoying a warm spring afternoon fishing worms for
bass or catfish or walleye or whatever. Suddenly, the little boy's pole
doubles over. For about 10 minutes all is joy. Dad smiling, Jr.
squealing with glee. Then a large golden flank roles near the surface
and a pair of fleshy orange lips poke above the water.

Father's face falls. F'ing carp. Too bad. It's so ugly. Junior now
doesn't know whether to be happy or sad about this, the grandest fish he
has ever caught. Taking his cues from dad, he spits on the fish and
curses it. Dad tells him to throw it in the bushes and they get back to
catching their intended, smaller fish. Lesson Learned.

Scroll forward a few years and Jr. signs on the a place like the TFF.
Carp are mention and Jr has a visceral negative reaction.

Such a scenario will not quickly change. However, there are an
increasing number who have discovered that all is not as it appears.
Join the fun, become a part of the "Carp Brigade."

--------------------
Brian "Carpaholic" Nordberg

Carp's are a beautiful thing! As stated, they pull like a freight train,
rip drag like there's no tomorrow and you've gotta respect them! They do
break up the work of taking the rig to the lake, loading and unloading,
rigging and battling jetski's and the like. You just find you a nice chunk
of river, take a pole and a can of corn and you are set. The rivers around
me anyway, are really nice and scenic depending on where you go. The St.
Joseph, Michigan, or St. Joe Here, the Wabash River for example. Not to
mention that's is a GREAT way to introduce fishing to kids because it is an
easy way to fish. My step daughter (8) just caught her 1st 9 pound carp
about 5 or 6 days ago and she just short of harasses me now to go fishing
for them now! It's GREAT!

There are many tournaments popping up for carp fishing too lately,
personally, I just fished one yesterday here in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area
and had a blast. This one in particular is basically a large circle of
friends and gives us a reason to hook up and shoot the breeze and drink some
beer. Followed by a hog roast, horseshoes, and prize giveaways and T-Shirts
to the members! Approximately 150 guys fish it and around 300 attend the
after party.

The trophy ceremony is the best, trophy's for the wimpiest carp, carp with
the biggest lips, the Schlep Rock award and others.

Bottom line, carp provide a great sport for young and old and they have
gotton a bad wrap over the years, but that's changing now I think...

Regards,

Doug


"Marty" wrote in message
news
Bass season didn't open in New York until June 18. In mid-May I started
carp
fishing almost daily while waiting for bass season. I used to fish for
carp,
but hadn't done it in over ten years.

The truth about carp is that they're loads of fun; strong, drag-ripping
freight trains. They don't get a lot of respect, but I consider them a
fine
sportfish.

"Super_Duper" wrote in message
ink.net...

This was a good posting when I read it in the Open Freshwater section
of the TFF. But this isnt rec.outdoors.fishing.CARP, or
rec.outdoors.fishing. I notice you didn't post it on TFF in the bass
fishing section. Or did the moderators move it for you?

Henry Hefner aka "Ornery" on TFF

Well, it could be worse, he could be trying to sell us realestate or viagra
in here. I don't mind the occasional post as long as its related to fishing.
An OT: beginning would be nice though.

Doug


"Henry Hefner" wrote in message
oups.com...
This was a good posting when I read it in the Open Freshwater section
of the TFF. But this isnt rec.outdoors.fishing.CARP, or
rec.outdoors.fishing. I notice you didn't post it on TFF in the bass
fishing section. Or did the moderators move it for you?

Henry Hefner aka "Ornery" on TFF

No trick at all. Just cut them along the belly and remove the innards. Do
not skin. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet of Aluminium foils put
the carp and fill the cavity with tomatoes and onions and liberal amount of
butter, 1/2 pound should do it. Cover and create sealed bag around the carp
and fold over the edges of the foil. Into the oven for twenty minutes.
Remove the Carp and flip it over and replace in oven for ten more minutes.
Remove Carp from oven open foil and remove the onions and tomatoes with
savoury butter onto cookie sheet. Take the entire contents of the carp
along with the carp to the garbage can and throw in.
Eat the foil, yummy!
--
Steve

I'm still waiting for the needle to move on my GIVE-O-SH*T Meter.

I know it's working. I just replaced the batteries.

Dave V

Actualy smoked carp is pretty good. Remove the mud line on the side, all
the brown stuff, that makes any fish taste like crap. There is a carp bow
fishing derby in the spring at Clear Lake, CA. The carp mess up the bass
spawning beds and eat the bass eggs. They are not endangered as they
produce a couple of hundred thousand eggs each. And they are hard to kill,
with even an arrow in them.
Bill


"Steve & Chris Clark" wrote in message
...
No trick at all. Just cut them along the belly and remove the innards. Do
not skin. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet of Aluminium foils put
the carp and fill the cavity with tomatoes and onions and liberal amount
of
butter, 1/2 pound should do it. Cover and create sealed bag around the
carp
and fold over the edges of the foil. Into the oven for twenty minutes.
Remove the Carp and flip it over and replace in oven for ten more minutes.
Remove Carp from oven open foil and remove the onions and tomatoes with
savoury butter onto cookie sheet. Take the entire contents of the carp
along with the carp to the garbage can and throw in.
Eat the foil, yummy!
--
Steve