12-12-2006, 10:41 PM
I would never want carp listed as a game fish, but that is my personal opinion. I probably am in the same situation as I was raised believing carp to be worthless. Many streams in Bear Lake have been overrun with carp; when they use to be filled with Bonneville Cuts, and to me this is a problem. I have heard two interesting tales on how they got into Bear Lake. The first tale is that the Mormons planted them to prevent starvation, which seems not that far fetched. The second tale I have heard is that Chinese railroad workers brought them in. Either way the carp does have history.
I will admit you have a valid point of their catching enjoyment. In fact, I took my son on his first carp fishing trip this summer so he could feel that distinct pull. From age 8-18 I would often get on my bike and ride in any direction from Ovid and spear fish for them with a pitch fork;great sport and memories[
] I would think in this definition they would be a game or sport fish. We even had strategy with bows and pitchforks on how to get them. The 
part is that it is a living thing going to waste; I would often use them as cat food or tree fertilizer, but only once did I ever eat one. To me a game fish is something you are willing to digest, but in that retrospect it took me years to view a perch as a game fish (yes I was stupid at the time.) Who knows maybe one day I will filet a carp and throw it into the deep fryer.
OvidCreek
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I will admit you have a valid point of their catching enjoyment. In fact, I took my son on his first carp fishing trip this summer so he could feel that distinct pull. From age 8-18 I would often get on my bike and ride in any direction from Ovid and spear fish for them with a pitch fork;great sport and memories[
] I would think in this definition they would be a game or sport fish. We even had strategy with bows and pitchforks on how to get them. The part is that it is a living thing going to waste; I would often use them as cat food or tree fertilizer, but only once did I ever eat one. To me a game fish is something you are willing to digest, but in that retrospect it took me years to view a perch as a game fish (yes I was stupid at the time.) Who knows maybe one day I will filet a carp and throw it into the deep fryer. OvidCreek
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