Carp – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Angler fishing for carp lands pending world-record catfish

A Connecticut angler has shattered the state record for white catfish and Ben Tomkunas’ catch also is a pending world record.

“This was a tough one to verify as Channel Cats and White Cats, especially when so large, look very similar,” Connecticut Fish and Wildlife stated last week on Facebook. “With multiple sets of expert eyes, we confirm the new state record.”

Tomkunas, 25, was night fishing for carp earlier this month at Coventry Lake when the 21.3-pound white catfish ingested a boilie bait and ran “like a 30-inch striper,” Tomkunas told Field & Stream.

https://www.facebook.com/CTFishAndWildlife/posts/4180167865353603

“It was the craziest fight. When we got it on the shore, we said ‘Holy moly!’ ”

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The previous state-record white catfish weighed 12.75 pounds. The current all-tackle world record, set in Oakdale, Ca., in 2005, stands at 19 pounds, 5 ounces.

The International Game Fish Assn., which keeps world records for most species, typically waits weeks or months before announcing a new record.

–Images courtesy of Connecticut Fish and Wildlife

Bow fisherman shatters carp record; ‘A straight-up monster’

A Missouri bow fisherman has shattered the state record with the recent catch of a 125-pound, 5-ounce bighead carp at Lake Perry.

Matt Neuling and a friend shot the fish simultaneously on the morning of July 24, initially thinking it was a much smaller grass carp. But only Neuling’s arrow stuck.

When they saw more of the fish they realized that it was a colossal bighead carp, an invasive species in Missouri.

“We just couldn’t believe it,” Neuling told the Missouri Department of Conservation. “We knew what type of fish it was, but we had never seen one that size.

“This thing is a straight-up monster. A five-gallon bucket could easily fit in its mouth. If my buddy wasn’t with me, there was no way I could have pulled it out of the water.”

The previous Missouri record bighead carp caught via alternative methods weighed 104 pounds, 15 ounces. (Alternative methods include archery, throw lines, snagging, spearfishing, and other types of fishing that do not involve a rod and reel.)

For the sake of comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists as the all-tackle world record a 90-pound bighead catfish caught at Guntersville Lake in Tennessee in 2005. (The IGFA only recognizes fish caught via rod and reel.)

The MDC explained in a news release that carp of this size are at least 10 years old. Bighead carp are native to southern and central China but have gained a foothold in portions of the United States.

“This particular fish is an example of just how well an invasive species can thrive if given the opportunity,” said Andrew Branson, an MDC biologist. “We encourage people to harvest these fish to help remove them from our waters.”

The MDC collected the head of Neuling’s carp for study, and said Neuling used other parts of the fish as catfish bait.

–Image courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation

Angler lands record carp, shown little respect

An Idaho angler has shattered the state rod-and-reel carp record with the catch Monday of a 34-pound common carp on the Snake River.

An Idaho angler shattered the state rod-and-reel carp record Monday with the catch of a 34-pound common carp on the Snake River.

Henry Charlier’s catch below the C.J. Strike Reservoir beats the previous record, set last December, by nearly four pounds.

While that might be impressive, considering that catching large carp is quite challenging, the response was mostly tepid after the Idaho Fish and Game Department’s announcement on Facebook.

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A sampling of comments:

– Dang… i just got one at 35.6 pounds the other night while sturgeon fishing. I just threw him on the bank for the scavengers.

– If you cook em right they’re delicious. Just kidding.

– Use it as fertilizer.

https://www.facebook.com/IdahoFishGame/posts/10159223903262622

As Idaho Fish and Game pointed out in a news release issued Wednesday, carp fishing, while immensely popular in Europe, has now gained widespread popularity in the United States.

The typical capture method is archery equipment and bow fishermen can selectively target larger fish. (Idaho’s archery record for common carp stands at 67.65 pounds; C.J. Strike Reservoir in 2011.)

But in 2016 the state opened a rod-and-reel category, making it easier for anglers to set records.

Common carp are native to Asia and Europe but now inhabit waters throughout most of the U.S. They’re an invasive species and considered “trash fish” by some anglers.

–Image showing Henry Charlier and his record carp is courtesy of the Idaho Fish and Game Department

Angler shatters carp record while fishing for bass

An Idaho angler went bass fishing Sunday, but ended up landing a record-shattering common carp.

An Idaho angler went fishing for bass Sunday, but ended up landing a record-shattering common carp.

Hanson resident Alex Veenstra caught the 30-pound, 4-ounce “mirror” carp while casting a crankbait on the Snake River above Upper Salmon Dam.

“Went bass fishing but ending up catching this guy,” Veenstra wrote on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJELe-ShzHE/

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced the record in a news release issued Wednesday, stating that Veenstra’s catch broke the previous record by 10 pounds.

Mirror carp are a variant of common carp, the IDFG explained, known for their mirror-shaped scales. They’re more common – and more prized – in parts of Europe.

Common carp are fairly widespread globally and can grow to 60-plus pounds under suitable conditions.

The all-tackle world record common carp, according to the International Game Fish Assn., stands at 75 pounds, 11 ounces. That fish was caught in 1987 at Lac de St. Cassien, France.

The IGFA does not keep records specific to mirror carp.

–Images showing Alex Veenstra with his record carp are courtesy of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Caution: Stay away from ‘celebrity’ fisherman

Since catching a state-record carp, Brenden Burnham has become a celebrity, prompting unusual but understandable action to keep people away.

Since catching a state-record carp at Virginia Lake in Reno, Nev., Brenden Burnham has become somewhat of a celebrity at the urban lake, which sees plenty of people strolling around its shoreline.

Not surprisingly, word spread among the locals about Burnham’s catch of a whopping 35-pound, 3-ounce carp, prompting the curious to walk right up to Burnham to chat about his catch.

Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem. But these are different times, what with the coronavirus.

So Burnham, 41, was prompted to put up yellow caution tape around his fishing spot to force people to remain at a safe distance when approaching him.

“I feel this could be a good way to encourage social distancing while being able to still do the things we love,” Burnham told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors.

Nevada has a stay-at-home order, but people are still allowed to get outdoors to hike, bike and fish—but at safe distances from others.

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Burnham fishes at Virginia Lake about five days a week, and over the course of a three or four-hour session, upwards of 20 people will stop to chat. Some stop to question Burnham about his rod pod and the alarms rigged to them. It’s very European.

“I had been trying for the state record and my good friends knew this,” Burnham told For The Win Outdoors recently. “Just three days before I had caught five carp out of this lake which has never happened – I don’t believe – for anyone. The weights were 14 pounds, 17 pounds, 27 pounds, 29 pounds and finally 30.5 pounds. I knew the potential for the state record was there and, well, the rest is history.”

And please note, any future catches Burnham makes can be enjoyed by onlookers from a distance.

Photos of carp catch and fishing spot are courtesy of Brenden Burnham and David Strege, respectively.

Follow David Strege and the outdoors on Facebook.

Angler lands record carp after marathon battle

A Nevada angler who has caught dozens of trophy-class carp during the past several months finally landed a record breaker.

A Nevada angler who has caught dozens of trophy-size carp over the past several months finally landed a record breaker.

But only after a marathon struggle and a commendable effort to ensure that the 35-pound, 3-ounce carp could be safely released after it was certified as the new state record.

Brenden Burnham, who was fishing Sunday afternoon at Virginia Lake in Reno, told For The Win Outdoors that he had failed to cast one of his baits where he wanted to, but left it in the water anyway.

Soon, his line began to twitch.

“I decided to pick the rod out of the rod holder and put a bit of tension on the line,” Burnham said. “As soon as I did the line just smoked off of the reel. There was absolutely no stopping the fish from going where it wanted to.

“People started crowding around watching me battle this fish, as this is a park lake so gets pretty crowded.”

Burnham, 41, battled the carp for 45 minutes and had to wade far into the shallows to net his catch, which he believed rivaled the existing state record of 34 pounds, 10 ounces.

“I knew exactly what the previous state record was, so I knew what I needed the fish to be in order to beat it,” Burnham said.

While transferring the carp from a net to his carp cradle, used to keep fish immobile and submerged so they can eventually be released, he asked someone in the crowd to telephone the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

An agency biologist arrived to weigh and certify Burnham’s catch, then watched him set it free.

The NDOW announced the new record Monday via Facebook.

Said Burnham: “I had been trying for the state record and my good friends knew this. Just three days before I had caught five carp out of this lake which has never happened – I don’t believe – for anyone.

“The weights were 14 pounds, 17 pounds, 27 pounds, 29 pounds and finally 30.5 pounds. I knew the potential for the state record was there and, well, the rest is history.”

The Nevada Department of Wildlife considers carp weighing 15 pounds or more to be trophy class. Burnham said he caught and released 46 trophy-size carp in 2019, and six so far this year.

On Sunday he was fishing with 20-pound-test line. When asked to reveal what he used as bait, he respectfully declined.

–Images are courtesy of Brenden Burnham

Ice fisherman bags limit with farm tools, becomes Internet star

Video showing a man ice fishing in Kazakhstan, exhibiting a style of catching that’d be illegal in the U.S., has gone viral on Twitter.

Video showing a man ice fishing in Kazakhstan, exhibiting a style of catching that’d be illegal in the U.S., has gone viral on social media, perhaps because of its raw and simplistic nature.

The footage, shared last Sunday by Twitter user Starshina73, has been viewed more than 7 million times.

Зимняя рыбалка говоришь? Да что ты знаешь о ней?)) pic.twitter.com/BI2G5FY3mG

— Габит Рахимберлин (@Starshina73) January 12, 2020

The unidentified fisherman, accompanied by two pet sheep, is the picture of confidence as he chops a hole in the ice, baits the water with pellets, and hurls his pitchfork through the hole to impale four hefty fish (perhaps carp), one after the other.

The rest is a display of efficiency: The fish are cleaned with another farm tool and hauled over the man’s shoulder, on the prongs of his pitchfork, back to the farm, where they’re carefully seasoned, butterflied with twigs and dried over an open fire.

All in a day’s work, the man gestures at the end, with two thumbs up and a broad smile.

–Image is courtesy of Gabit Rahimberlin