Asian Carp = Bad news

[averie]

I replied to someone's post earlier about them and thought I would start this thread. I wish there was something we could do about them, I fish a lot of North MS lakes and have to deal w/ them just about everywhere the river touches.

They can and will ruin the lake over time. I've watched tunica cutoff's steady decline over last 3 yrs. when the sun is just right @ cut-off you can see them just under the water by the hundreds (if not thousands) cruising around in groups of 15-20. for lack of a better term, they suck in the worst way. Check out the post about reelfoot jumping carp. No one knows what to do about them. Several small river lakes near memphis are completely over run and have put a few baitshops out of business..just ask Jim @ Island 40 lake

[torch]

I have read somewhere they had a virus that would kill them. It would only affect the Asian carp. Its prob. against the law but some people down here line up on the back of party barges and shoot them with shotguns when they jump.

[averie]

we did that once once on a private oxbow off of river but don't tell anyone ....
one of best times I've had in awhile, was like a great quail hunt in overdrive.

[waterturkey]

I work for the USDA-ARS and work with a couple guys that have done taste test that compare Asian Carp with other commonly eaten fish. Supposedly, the carp were preferred over the other fish and was said to have really white meat.

[averie]

sounds disgusting..I'll take your word for it... maybe they could use them for dogfood if there was anyway to harvest large amounts of them.. I see you holding a cormorant in your picture..do you eat those too?

[torch]

I fished the crappiemasters Miss. State Championship last year on the cuttoff and at 5:30 am I had 20 pounders landing in the boat. My partner got slimed by one and ruined his shirt. After that tournament I had to replace the carpet on the front deck of my boat.

[jstlovtofish]

We do have them in Lakeview. I just hope they aren't that bad. We'll have a better idea when the water warms up this summer and they get more active.

[jimfish]

Heard that the fish maket at lakeview is selling them as fast as they can get em. The ribs are like buffalo ribs and the rest is supposed good? The slime can be used as wallpaper paste. ha ha

[averie]

Once there in there in for good and seem to multiply quickly. It only gets worse.. lakeview will feel the brunt of their damage soon enough, sadly. One solution I'm thinking of proposing is to have game and fish authorities hold sanctioned, lottery draw-only, well regulated 'hunts' for them w/ shotguns using only steel shot. As you know they jump up in great #'s behind a moving boat and you shoot them like quail. I think the demand for this would be incredible b/c it is incredibly fun to shoot them. The remains of the fish would sink to the bottom and restock the food chain.. don't think it would put a dent in the population but it sure would be fun (a guy can dream can't he). Chances of this being put into place? Slim and none and slim just left town..... They were snagging them @ reelfoot this weekend, Go to TN board and look @ the 'Reelfoot Jumping Carp' thread.

[Ringo]

Jay Gregory had show on the outdoor channel where they were shooting them with bows. It looked really fun. I agree, I think shooting them with shotguns would be a blast, literally. They actually hold tourneys somewhere in missouri on the mississippi river for bowfishing the jumping carp.
ringo