Carping Critics

The big red and white bobber quivered in the still water, tiny ripples circulating outward through the backwater slough. Something was messing with the worm suspended a couple of feet below.

The evening had been pretty slow up until now. I’d spooked a couple of nutria on my way to the fishing hole, and a little otter had nearly climbed up the culvert I was perched on, but other than that, just a few movements in the ever-present vegetation floating all around the waterway gave evidence that things were going to get busy.

The bobber did a couple of little bounces and slowly sank underwater. “Grab the rod, Jim,” I whispered to my buddy standing on the riprap beside me. “As soon as it moves again, give it a jerk.” We didn’t have to wait. The bobber dropped out of sight and Jim raised his rod tip. The reel sang as something powerful hauled the hook and bobber deep into a mass of weeds.

Normally this would spell big trouble, but after losing a couple of outfits my last outing, I’d put on heavier gear. The 25-pound test would hold. After a few minutes of battling, the fish started to tire and Jim coaxed it out of the weeds. “That was some fight,” Jim remarked in amazement. “I wasn’t sure I could get it out of the brush!” A couple of more minutes and the fat fish was on the shore—a bright gold eight-pound carp!

Maligned Fish
Of all the fish that swim the waters of America, the carp is the most maligned. Considered a scrap fish almost everywhere, it can be shot with arrows, snagged and speared legally, totally unrestricted by limits or general rules of fishing conduct. Not very good treatment for a fish that is considered a delicacy in most of the world.

The chunky sucker-mouthed battler is often reviled for its habit of creating murky waters with its voracious aquatic feeding and is considered much too bony and “muddy tasting” for most anglers to consider taking one home for dinner. Before you dismiss the fish as a total waste, take a look at the Web site for the Carp Anglers’ Group at www.carpanglersgroup.com.

These aficionados offer a completely different perspective, providing a detailed history of the fish’s role in America (it is a European import from the 1850s), along with fishing techniques, recipes, and a lot of fun gear (I bought a couple of their caps).

Carp Flourished
From the history they provide, carp were brought to America in a very concerted effort after over-fishing and commercial exploitation reduced our native fisheries to a critical point. Carp was chosen due to its ability to adapt to most any waters, its varied diet, its ability to grow quickly and fish well on a line, and its value as a food fish.

Most everywhere, stories are told of floods releasing large number of commercially raised carp into major rivers of various states. The carp people scoff at those as old fisheries tales, spread by fish and game people embarrassed that they were the ones who actually planted the fish all over the country. Some 44 states had organized (and very successful) programs to widely spread the adaptable fish.

The fish was quite popular for food, and carp was actually a featured dish at the dining room of the Waldorf Astoria until after World War II. As people became more concerned about fresh water pollution and our ocean fisheries became more reliable, people switched from carp to cod and flounder.

Carp do have a lot to be said for themselves. Not only do they readily take a hook baited with worms, corn, or even bread, but they also fight very well and get really big. The Web site features lots of cute pictures of kids and adults holding fish well over 30 pounds, some as large as 50 or better! Most of the fish I catch locally are about eight to ten pounds, but they still give a great fight.

In fairness to the big gold fish, I’ll try out a few of the recipes and let you know how they taste. Folks all over Asia and Europe sing their praises, so maybe you ought to give it a try as well. If all goes well you may want to buy a bright T-shirt that shouts, “Carp, the World’s Greatest Sportfish!”

Bob Ellsberg’s column, Fishin’, appears monthly in RV Life and rvlife.com.