Boating and Carp slaying with Wolf Watcher..

[Ryano]

Mike, shoot'in them carp is a blast aint it! Me and outbackbob went out saturday afternoon for a couple hours and got three of them a piece and we both missed a few shots too....what a fun way to spend a afternoon!

[hawkbow]

 Went out again with Wolf watcher and josiah.. we got 87 between us will post pics soon.. hawk

[Little John]

Good shooting Hawk and Josiah, I might try to get out after them this afternoon. Do you have any tips? Looks like you just wade and stalk? Do you use lines attached to the arrows? I have read that these fish die easily and can be retrived with out a cumbersom line. Also have you tried these fish on the table, every one says they are full of bones, but I don't see how they can have different bone structures than trout or pike that have more bones than bass or crappie. I guess I will have to try some to get my own oppinion. You could do as the Native Americans showed the Pilgrams and use for fertilizer.  We used to catch them  by the busshells in Texas as they always bit and got big. By the way the economy is going we might all have to subsist off them as I know they would outlast big game by far.    Kenneth

[coyote pup]

I get the feeling Hawk's not eating these fish. Not just killing for target practice are ya Hawk? 

[Ryano]

Its not the bones Kenneth. They taste pretty much exactly how they smell......like fish slime! Saying that these things dye easy couldn't be anymore untrue. I carry a tomahawk to club them once I get them in the boat, I've smashed the heads off of them and their still flopping around in the bottom of the canoe. They can survive for literally hours out of the water with hole shot clean through them. I've tried cooking them several times, it is edible if you were starving but its defenetly not to tastey.....

coyote pup, you could kill as may of these fish as you can and it wouldn't even effect the population. They spawn a new crop every summer and they grow very quickly and almost nothing kills them especially once the get to a certain size. You have to try to control the population some how.

[Little John]

Well they are a trash fish and not good for the native fish habitat. They are kind of like prarrie dogs, I kill every one I get the chance at on my property, and don't feel obligated to eat them.  I was just wondering if they get a bad rap as far as table fare goes. Does any one have experience with eating these fish? I have heard that they are like salmon if canned, Canning just seems like a lot of trouble if they can be used in other ways.    Kenneth

[Little John]

Thanks for the report Ryan.  I have heard it both ways terrible or ok. I have heard also it depends if they are from fresh running water or stagnant dirty water.  I know you are  right that they take over so fast they can't be thinned out, much less eradicated. I wish I would of had a few to have planted with all the trees my wife has been planting.    kenneth

[DanaM]

As for eating carp, the Europeans consider them a sport fish and good table fare They are fun to catch on a hook and line as they fight like hell.
Here on the great lakes they get real big but they are also on the do not eat list as they collect huge amount of toxins. They are an invasive species
and are prolific spawners, also they generally spawn after other fish and in the process of spawning they stir up the silt which settles on the eggs of gamefish and smother them.

[cowboy]

Me and dad made up some dough bait and caught a bunch one summer when I was about fifteen. We were just catching them for fun but took some home and preassure cooked them (bones and all) then added seasoning, crackers and eggs - fried em up like salmon patties. Wern't too bad .

[Hillbilly]

Coyote pup, as has been said, carp are not native here, and the introduction of carp to our waters was one of the biggest ecological blunders in the history of our ecologically-blundered-up country. They are extremely destructive to the environment-if I could kill every one of them in North America today, I certainly would. And Kenneth, they taste just about like Ryano said-not good eating at all, and I love fish. They are edible, but so is grass and pine bark......

[Wolf Watcher]

Hillbilly's points are right on target.  Where we were shooting the carp was in one of many shallow coves on a big lake.  When they spawn the carp move into these coves by the hundreds.  Their numbers are devastating to the native fish.  I suppose as far as eating them it would depend on the time of year.  When they have spent some time in the deeper clear water they might be OK, but during the time of spawn I would rather survive on most anything!   The game & fish will poison them when they take over a lake and that kills all the other species.  It takes those fisheries years to recover even when replanted! The birds like them and we can use them for bear bait in non grizzly areas.  They are tough!  I think my kill count would have doubled if my arrow would have penetrated every time one was hit.  You can actually see it glance off, especially on their head!  Trying to shoot them is one of a stick bow archers best challenges.  Wish you could have been there to try your hand at them!  a/ho Joe

[Little John]

Too bad we are no longer allowed to bait bears in Colorado, What a perfect use for these fish. The best we can do for bears is to hunt over legally killed gut piles or other natural food. Like Josie Whales said buzzards have got to eat the same as worms.   Kenneth

[mullet]

 anybody save the skins for bow backings? they look kinda neat.

[DanaM]

I think you would have to pull the scales off one at a time with pliers, and the hide is thick and tough, don't see why they wouldn't work though

[Ryano]

Common carp have no pattern to them like grass carp do. I tried it before it just looks like scaley raw hide, not pretty.