Thread: F&W care to chime in on this one?

MR, so from your post, yes, you can catch some bugle-mouthed bass(carp) trolling with crank baits. I agree with you that they are eating small fish/minnows. I have cleaned a few carp recentlyl,(bugle mouthed bass) and found what I think was small fish in it's gut. But, I guess the next time you hook into one of the Silvers, you will need to clean it and see what it has been eating to confirm. I know, most people don't clean a Carp, but if you remove the 'Mud' Vein, it's not too bad and you get a pile of meat. Spent most of younger years at a pay lake with my grandfather fishing for carp. This experience REALLY taught me patience for fishing. We would spend 8 hours fishing sometimes getting 1 or 2 runs/bites during the 8 hours of watching a couple rods on the bank. Sometimes we go lucky and caught 3-6 with our doughballs.

I will wait for Paul's response...

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Originally Posted by perchjerker108

MR, so from your post, yes, you can catch some bugle-mouthed bass(carp) trolling with crank baits. I agree with you that they are eating small fish/minnows. I have cleaned a few carp recentlyl,(bugle mouthed bass) and found what I think was small fish in it's gut. But, I guess the next time you hook into one of the Silvers, you will need to clean it and see what it has been eating to confirm. I know, most people don't clean a Carp, but if you remove the 'Mud' Vein, it's not too bad and you get a pile of meat. Spent most of younger years at a pay lake with my grandfather fishing for carp. This experience REALLY taught me patience for fishing. We would spend 8 hours fishing sometimes getting 1 or 2 runs/bites during the 8 hours of watching a couple rods on the bank. Sometimes we go lucky and caught 3-6 with our doughballs.

You're probably talking about Common Carp (orange-ish colored fish) .... they'll eat about anything. Mrdux is referring to Silver & Bighead Carp ... the Asian Carp that are (supposedly) only plankton feeders.

If they were to "evolve" to where they begin to actively feed on minnows perhaps some sports fisherman would begin to target them with rod and reel and that may help to offset some of the population a slight bit, although I doubt it would make a big difference. A fish that size would be a popular target if they could be successfully caught on a rod.

Originally Posted by Slow Retrieve

If they were to "evolve" to where they begin to actively feed on minnows perhaps some sports fisherman would begin to target them with rod and reel and that may help to offset some of the population a slight bit, although I doubt it would make a big difference. A fish that size would be a popular target if they could be successfully caught on a rod.

I would love to see F&W allow snagging for Asian carp on the lakes. Burying a big treble in a 70 pounder would be like tying onto a jet-ski. Stick it/kill it. Everybody wins.

Originally Posted by mrdux

I would love to see F&W allow snagging for Asian carp on the lakes. Burying a big treble in a 70 pounder would be like tying onto a jet-ski. Stick it/kill it. Everybody wins.

Do you think they are afraid that it would be abused and people would intentionally snag all types of fish and just say they were "targeting" the Asian Carp if caught?

Originally Posted by Slow Retrieve

Do you think they are afraid that it would be abused and people would intentionally snag all types of fish and just say they were "targeting" the Asian Carp if caught?

I think the effect would be less than below KY Dam where any fish caught by snagging that aren't allowed have to be immediately released. Up until the incident we witnessed Monday, most any place I've seen the Asian carp tend to group up, the other fish around pack their bags.

This is the first year that I have seen this many silvers on kentucky lake. Seen a few over the years but right now you can get in 5 feet of water, do a couple of circles and watch them jump..Glad they haven't ever breeched the side of my pontoon!! Had one knock himself out jumping into the bottom of my deck under the boat.