Tag: Carp

Bass fisherman reels in colorful surprise at Texas pond

The colossal fish caught by Jose Naranjo was a type of carp commonly used to decorate residential and community ponds.

A Texas angler was hoping to catch bass recently at San Antonio pond, but instead hooked and landed a giant koi.

“I’ve seen it there before and have wondered if anyone’s caught it before,” Jose Naranjo told My San Antonio. “It’s actually one of three that are in those ponds.”

Koi are a type of domesticated carp, considered ornamental because of their bright coloration. They’re used to decorate residential or community ponds and in Japan the fish represent love and friendship.

Naranjo theorized that the koi he caught on April 5 had been released there by somebody who no longer wanted the fish.

Naranjo was practicing catch-and-release fishing and set the koi free after posing for a photo. He estimated the koi’s length at 30-plus inches.

Interestingly, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department raises koi as forage for largemouth bass brood stock in hatcheries.

“They are easy to raise, grow fast, and lack sharp dorsal spines, making them easy for the bass to eat,” the agency explains on its website. “In an average year, the hatcheries will produce 15,000 to 20,000 kilograms of koi.”

Oklahoma angler lands enormous carp for state’s first record

An Oklahoma angler is the state’s first record holder for bighead carp after landing a 118-pound, 3-ounce carp recently at Grand Lake.

An Oklahoma angler is the state’s first record holder for bighead carp after landing a 118-pound, 3-ounce carp recently at Grand Lake.

Bryan Baker of Spoonbill Wreckers, a paddlefish guide service, is credited with the capture and removal of a bighead carp that was nearly 30 pounds heavier than the world record, set in Tennessee in 2005.

Baker’s carp was snagged instead of baited so it won’t qualify for an IGFA record. (Snagging is the most effective way to hook paddlefish.)

But his catch sets the bar extremely high as a new state record.

Oklahoma added bighead carp, an invasive species, for record consideration to encourage their capture and removal.

In announcing Baker’s record catch, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation explained via Facebook:

“Bighead carp consume large quantities of zooplankton, aquatic insect larvae and adults. Because of their feeding habits, bighead carp are a direct competitor with our native species like paddlefish, and bigmouth buffalo; as well as all larval and juvenile fishes and native mussels.”

The ODWC added: “If you catch this invasive species DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE WATER. Please report any caught bighead carp to our Porter Office at 918-683-1031 or 918-200-4815.”

Catch of record-size carp ‘like pulling the plug out of the river’

An Oklahoma angler hoping to snag a giant paddlefish on Saturday instead hooked and landed a bighead carp that weighed 20 pounds more than the existing world record.

An Oklahoma angler hoping to snag a giant paddlefish on Saturday instead landed a bighead carp that weighed 20 pounds more than the existing world record.

The 110-pound carp was caught by Gabe Brannick during a High Water Guide Service expedition on the Neosho River.

“These fish pack a lot of fight and this one was like pulling the plug out of the river,” High Water Guide Service exclaimed on Facebook.

The International Game Fish Assn. lists as the world record a 90-pound bighead carp caught at Tennessee’s Guntersville Lake in 2005.

Brannick’s carp won’t qualify for a world record because it was snagged instead of baited. (Snagging is the common method for catching paddlefish.)

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But Zach Fort, owner of High Water Guide Service, told FTW Outdoors that he’s trying to persuade the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to have Brannick’s carp listed as a state record.

Bighead carp, native to eastern China, are an invasive species. At present, they are not included on Oklahoma’s list of fishing records.

However, Elaine A. Gainer, Aquatic Nuisance Species/Fish Kill Coordinator for the ODWC, confirmed to FTW Outdoors that she’s “working with higher-ups to see if I can get the green light to recognize bighead carp in our state records.”

Gainer said her team receives sporadic reports of bighead carp catches at this time of year, mostly from anglers who were targeting paddlefish. (Anglers are asked not to release bighead carp because they compete with and threaten paddlefish and other native species.)

If Oklahoma did recognize bighead carp records, Gainer added, “the 110-pounder from this weekend would absolutely take the cake for the record here in Oklahoma.”

–Top image shows Gabe Brannick posing with his 110-pound bighead carp 

Anglers praised for removing massive carp from Oklahoma lake

An Oklahoma charter-fishing business was lauded by the state this week for snagging and removing a “massive” bighead carp from Grand Lake.

An Oklahoma charter-fishing business was lauded by the state this week for snagging and removing an enormous bighead carp from Grand Lake.

“Shout out to High Water Guide Service for reeling in this massive 63.7-pound male bighead carp!” the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation exclaimed Wednesday on Facebook. “They’ve gotten us a few now and we simply can’t appreciate it enough. Bighead carp captured out of this system will be used for ongoing research on this population.”

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Bighead carp, native to southern and central China, are highly invasive and threaten native species in U.S. lakes and rivers in which they’ve established a presence.

Bighead carp were brought to the United States by an Arkansas farmer in 1973 to improve water quality and increase fish production in aquaculture ponds. But they began to spread into public waters in the early 1980s.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they are” currently spread throughout the Mississippi River, Missouri River and Ohio River systems within or along the border of 23 states.”

The ODWC pleaded with anglers, “If you find a bighead carp in the Grand Lake system, DO NOT RETURN IT BACK INTO THE WATER and REPORT IT [to the agency].”

High Water Guide Service, which specializes in paddlefish expeditions, on Wednesday posted video footage showing the carp alongside the boat and being muscled over the rail.

“What a blast to be able to land this fish,” the company exclaimed on Facebook. “The best way to describe this fish is its like a giant shad. They are disgusting, but a hell of a fight!”

Bighead carp are targeted by anglers around the world. The all-tackle world record is the 2005 catch of a 90-pound bighead carp at Guntersville Lake in Tennessee.

Watch: Huge carp wrestled from flooded California street

Video footage has surfaced showing two men wrestle a giant carp from a flooded street in Watsonville, Ca.

During extensive flooding, streets can resemble rivers complete with fish that have been swept over the banks of actual rivers and lakes.

The accompanying footage, featured Tuesday by KSBW Action News 8, shows two men wrestling what looks like a huge carp from a flooded street in Watsonville, Ca.

Laughter abounds as one man uses his body and arms to trap the carp against a curb before the other man plucks the fish from the water.

“We received more videos of people fishing in the flood waters around Watsonville,” the network tweeted. “This catch took a little more dedication than the first one.”

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That was a reference to the March 11 capture of a large carp on College Road in Watsonville. The fish apparently became dinner.

Watsonville is in Central California, a region battered by atmospheric rivers, which have prompted flood warnings and caused levee failures.

–Image courtesy of KSBW Action News 8

Massive carp named Carrot strikes again at French lake

A 67.4-pound carp named Carrot, because of her striking coloration, has been caught again at a lake in France.

It was not the largest carp to have been caught at Bluewater Lakes this week, which is remarkable. But the bright-orange behemoth reeled in by Andy Hackett on Thursday was definitely the most striking.

The 20-year-old female carp, which resembles a giant goldfish, weighed 67.4 pounds before she was released to fight another day.

Bluewater Lakes, located in the Champagne region of France, is billed as the country’s premier carp fishery. It’s so popular that guests have to book well in advance.

The carp caught by Hackett, nicknamed Carrot, is prized among anglers because of her coloration (most giant carp are pale or brownish).

Carrot was stocked 15 years ago “as something different for the anglers to try to catch,” Jason Cowler, a spokesman for Bluewater Lakes, told FTW Outdoors. “Its’s not the biggest resident in the lake, but by far the most outstanding.”

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Cowler said Carrot last season was caught “around nine times” and on Feb. 22 she broke the 60-pound mark for the first time, weighing 61.5 pounds.

Angler poses with 92-pound carp caught this week at Bluewater Lakes

She eluded capture until Thursday, when she tipped the scale at 67.5 pounds.

The Bluewater fishery boasts a substantial population of carp weighing 50-plus pounds. Since Hackett’s catch, anglers have caught carp weighing 92 pounds (named Miggsys) and 85.5 pounds (Peaches).

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Massive flying carp frenzy triggered by researchers

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday shared a striking image showing silver carp leaping en masse during a scientific electrofishing operation.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday shared a showing silver carp leaping en masse during a scientific electrofishing operation.

The Facebook description begins, “Oh carp, we’re going to need a bigger boat!”

The agency explained that silver carp can leap as high as 10 feet when startled by a boat’s motor or, in this case, an electric current used during population assessment studies.

The electrofishing survey was conducted on the Fox River in Illinois.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Silver carp are an invasive species throughout their U.S. range, which includes much of the Mississippi River basin, the Ohio River basin, and other basins.

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Aside from threats they pose to native species – they feed on phytoplankton and can out-compete native fish – they’re dangerous to boaters because of their tendency to leap.

Mature silver carp typically weigh about 20 pounds, but they can weigh as much as 80 pounds.

Other species of invasive carp in the U.S.: Bighead carp, black carp, and grass carp.

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Angler fishing for bass shatters 44-year-old carp record

A Maryland angler on Sunday reeled a 49-pound common carp from Chesapeake Bay, shattering a state record that had stood since 1978.

A Maryland angler on Saturday reeled a 49-pound common carp from Chesapeake Bay, shattering a record that had stood since 1978.

Logan Kurhmann, 24, was targeting bass in the Susquehanna Flats area when the massive carp struck the plastic worm he had been casting.

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“We’ve seen some really big ones up in the Flats but we’ve never seen one this big,” Kurhmann told the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which announced the new record on Tuesday. “The bass fishing wasn’t great but this made my week.”

Kuhrmann’s fish was weighed on a certified scale at a nearby bait and tackle shop, where the catch was verified by a DNR biologist.

The previous record of 44.4 pounds was established by an angler named Jimmy Lake at Morgantown Beach in 1978.

Maryland lists state records under several divisions. Kurhmann’s record is in the Chesapeake Division. (Maryland also keeps carp records under a Non-tidal division.)

For the sake of comparison, the all-tackle world record for common carp stands at 75 pounds, 11 ounces. That fish was caught at Lac de St. Cassien, France, in 1987.

–Image courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Anglers fined thousands for ‘over bagging’ on trophy carp river

Three men were ordered to pay fines totaling more than $4,200 for glaring fishing violations that occurred this past weekend on the Connecticut River.

Three men were ordered to pay fines totaling more than $4,200 for glaring fishing violations that occurred this past weekend on the Connecticut River.

According to the Connecticut State Environmental Conservation Police, an officer responding to a tip out of Cromwell found the men to be in possession of gross over limits.

Additionally, the men did not possess valid fishing licenses and exceeded the number of rods and reels allowed by law.

A photo released by the agency shows 32 carp laid out on a lawn. The Connecticut River is a designated “trophy carp body of water.” The daily creel limit is one carp per angler, measuring less than 26 inches.

In a news release issued Monday via social media, the CSECP stated that the officer was acting on a report of three males were “over bagging on carp.”

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“Upon arrival our Officer observed a large carp hanging out of a cooler in the area of the 3 men fishing,” the agency explained. “Upon further inspection another cooler was checked which was filled to capacity.”

The dead carp were donated to a nearby rehabilitation center for injured mammals and birds of prey.

Angler lands record carp while fishing for smallmouth bass

An Idaho angler fishing for bass has landed a 46.7-pound grass carp, shattering the state record by seven pounds.

An Idaho angler has landed a 46.7-pound grass carp, shattering the state record by seven pounds.

Cris Endicott of Meridian caught the 50-inch carp Oct. 10 while casting a twin-tail bass jig on the Snake River.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced the new record Monday, stating in a news release that Endicott had been targeting smallmouth bass.

Grass carp eat mostly plants, so the catch was a surprise.

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Grass carp are native to Asia but have been introduced around the world, primarily for weed control and aquaculture purposes.

According to the International Game Fish Assn., the all-tackle world record grass carp stands at 87 pounds, 10 ounces. That fish was caught at the Piasuchnik Dam in Bulgaria in 2009.

–Top image is generic; second image showing Cris Endicott with his record carp is courtesy of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game