The Curious Case of Catch and Release Carp

As fly fishermen and women, most of us practice catch and release on almost all species that we catch. So why would Carp be different?

While down here in Texas I have been doing a fair amount of Carp fishing around where I am staying, which led me to do some research for a podcast. So I did a bit of digging to find out more about Carp and learn their story.

Carp are native to Europe and Asia and were introduced to the United States in 1813. They were distributed throughout the country as a food-fish, but are now rarely eaten in the U.S. and are considered an invasive species. Game management organizations have gone to great lengths to eradicate Carp using nets, hosting bow fishing tournaments and even introducing a virus they call “Carp Herpes.” In Australia it is a criminal offense to catch a Carp and not kill it on the spot.

Carp, if given the right environment, will destroy the ecosystem around them by rooting up the soils and aquatic plants while feeding. During this process the turbidity of the water tends to increase, leading to more algae blooms and decreasing oxygen in the water, which in turn, affects other species of fish, waterfowl and aquatic life. I am sure you are thinking what I was thinking, at a certain point there won’t be enough oxygen for even a Carp to survive. Carp can actually come up to the surface and gulp in air for oxygen.

Although Carp are resilient, there are some natural predators that can help slow them down. If the bluegill are prominent in a body of water then they will eat Carp eggs and help control the population. Bass, Walleye and Pike will eat the fry if given the chance, but it is hard to keep up when a female carp can spawn multiple times in a year and lay over 300,000 eggs at a time. Although many eggs don’t survive due to bacteria and fungi, Carp are on the list of top 100 most invasive species. As sport fishing (fly fishing) for these species continues to grow, are we doing our part as responsible sportsmen and women?

Fly fishing for Carp has been gaining lots of popularity over the years mainly because of how sporty it can be. Carp are a finicky and very spooky fish you can sight fish for, much like Bonefish or Redfish. It requires a long supple leader and a soft presentation to hook one of these bad boys,but once you do, it is one hell of a fight. Immediately upon hookup they take off running and begin peeling line off your reel. People describe them as a “freshwater bone.” It is a no brainer why someone would want to fly fish for Carp, but given all the facts about these fish, should we be practicing catch and release?

Here I am sitting at my vice trying to think of ideas for fly patterns that will catch Carp, while someone else is sitting at their desk conjuring up new ideas to eradicate Carp. As a sportsman and conservationist, practicing catch and release on these Golden Swamp Donkeys doesn’t make much since given the facts.

Should I be trying to come up with recipes to cook these fish? After all, they were introduced as a “food-fish.” It’s hard for me to kill any fish, especially one so weary and difficult to catch, but maybe eating them would make me feel better about it. Should I stop fishing for them all together? Well that’s a tough call because they are so damn fun to fish for, and what would that really accomplish?

I really don’t have an answer for any of this, but it is an intriguing conversation starter that’s for sure. I will most definitely be thinking about this subject more and more.