Grass carp and food chains

ERNIEB · Aug 21, 2001

I have heard of people fishing for them with small hooks and corn, hominy, and other stuff. Once I accidently snaged one while using a stick bait with 3 treble hooks. Felt like I was reeling in a rubber boot. IMO, a two man siene is the only way to go./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Eat one? Maybe....if I was really really hungry, and I couldn't soften up the rubber boot/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Ernie

Bird · Aug 21, 2001

Ernie, when I was a kid, we fished for carp using plain old whole wheat bread, slightly moistened, to make dough balls on the hooks, and we ate them all the time. The only thing wrong with them is lots of small bones. The big problem is that they can live in a sewer creek and I think that gave them a bad name. Anyway, I hadn't eaten one since I was a kid until a couple of years ago when I was crappie fishing and caught a nice sized carp on a crappie jig, so just to see what it was like, I filleted it and had it for supper and it was darned good, too./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif If they come out of clean water that I'd eat other fish from, I'll eat the carp, too.

Bird

rmorgan · Aug 21, 2001

John--

I couldn't imagine they would come up out of the water either. I initially thought that I had to have a snapping turtle in the pond, although I have a lot of fish and so thought it would be unlikely a snapper would go for greens plus I didn't have any half-eaten fish floating around. But then I actually saw the grass carp up about 4-6 inches on shore, and when I (carefully) asked my brother-in-law, a landscape architect with a lot of pond experience, about it, he said he had heard of the amur doing this in other ponds which had been stripped of bottom-growing plants. Also, there is no doubt that a big batch of elephant ears was decimated over a two-night period, and I couldn't imagine a snapper eating that much (I mean, probably about a dozen leaves from between 8 and 14 inches, together with stalks). So, I'm pretty well convinced; these are big, quick and hungry animals and, well, I think they breach the shoreline to eat. Call me crazy!!

Rick

scruffy · Aug 21, 2001

Rick, if you are gettin' desparate, do a little dynomite fishing!
That will clear them out fairly quick!

JohnS · Aug 22, 2001

While it is a bit odd, maybe you can use some type greenery for bait. Seeing how depleated their food source is, they might go for just about anything. Maybe put out some trot lines. At least the other fish will not take it.

Watch out for those dark stormy, wet nights! I see the headlines now, "ATTACK OF THE GIANT AMUR"! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Entire pastures, lawns, and fields mysteriously disappeared over night! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

No, what you describe, sounds highly probable. Any chance of getting a photo?

JohnS

rmorgan · Aug 23, 2001

Re: Grass carp

John--

A picture would be tough; they are stealthy. I could post a shot of the elephant ears which were re-whacked last night, but it would be boring.

Your post has, however, spurred a little out-of-the-pond thinking: I could take the plow off the middle buster, strap on a row of these suckers, and phase out the belly mower whilst satiating their appetites. Maybe that's why they're called "grass" carp!! Or better than strapping---Anybody out there got expertise in welding fish?

Rick

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 23, 2001

Rick

If you only have 4-5 of these fish, why not just feed them unitl the vegetation has a chance to get well rooted and growing? Or find some REAL fast growing vegetation? (This latter is probably not a good idea).

SHF

JohnS · Aug 23, 2001

Re: Grass carp

I think you have something there. But, definitly go with harnesses and you will probably need a water tank and a little plumbing to keep their skin wet. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

My hatchery friend had relayed stories about people that would take their lawn clippings and dump them in the pond, for the grass carp to dispose of. Probably the same people who reported massive size fish. Not that this would be the best solution for lawn clippings, but it is also interesting.

Keep us updated in your eradication attempts.

JohnS

rmorgan · Aug 23, 2001

Re: Grass carp

SHF--

Thanks for the suggestion (and I appreciate the sentiment), but it's important to know that the stocking recommendation for these bad boys is 6-7 per acre of pond with a healthy crop of vegetation--and nothing's going to get well-rooted while they're around (the exception seems to be water iris, which they won't touch). On the other hand, the things that grow REAL fast in ponds are things you definitely don't want around, unless there is just one thing that is ALL you want around. I think the bottom line is, I screwed up by putting the fish in (although I have expert advice as a defense), and the fish have to pay for my mistake.

Rick

Duckhunter · Aug 23, 2001

Re: Grass carp

I have about 10 of them in my 1 acre pond that was full of moss when I moved here 12 years ago. I put them in the second year and behold, no moss. Now that you mention it I see places around the bank that appears to be undermined and drops off, not the slope it was. When I mow around the pond with a rear discharge mower, they suck up the clippings like a sponge. Friends that fish hook them from time to time but never stop them on the first run regardless of the strength of line. I personally saw 30lb test snapped like thread. I guess I will be thinning them out myself. My weapon of choice is an M-16. Ha! Ha!