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[#0000FF]One of the new "Supplemental Reading" sections in my 2017 rewrite of my Utah Lake CD/book is on carp removal...as a part of the June Sucker Recovery Program. As promised, last week, I will be posting some of these supplemental chapters as I finish them.
As you will read in some of the more recent articles included herein, there have been a lot of carp removed from Utah Lake...up to 25 million pounds. Current estimates are that the number of carp have been reduced from about 24 per acre to about half that...at about 12 per acre.
It was also mentioned that they anticipate that the program will only be funded for another couple of years. Hope they get enough of them out to allow the predators to maintain the lower population of carp without the chance of them exploding again.
Hope you get some good background info and that you enjoy the pics.
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Those carp removal boats, and a couple dozen carp bow hunting flat boats from Cache Valley would have sure cleaned up yesterday. All the way from LB Flats to just off Bird Island, I followed, and was escorted on both sides by carp snorkeling. Had several splash close enough to the boat while I was anchored to get me wet with a few drops.
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[#0000FF]No bout adout it...or whatever. There are still plenty of carp in that pond.
You wanna talk about "close encounters". There have been a lot of times I have been quietly drifting along in my float tube and am suddenly in the middle of a carp explosion. When a group of them is slurping on the surface they don't react to a quiet float tube until I am right on top of them. That's about the time I contribute to the "pollution" in the lake. It is even worse when it happens at night. Ya just know the Utah Lake Monster (a distant relative of Nessie) is gonna have ya for dinner. Whew!
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ROFLOL
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Thanks for the information. I've traveled to Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Wisconsin this summer for fishing, and my best days of the year have still been on Utah Lake. Crazy to think what it could be if you switched out 90 percent of the biomass for non-carp species.
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[#0000FF]It's nice to dream of what a carp-free Utah Lake might be like. But as good as it is now for non-carp species we couldn't stand the fun if the numbers were reversed. We would have to stop by the urgent care center on the way home to get the grins surgically removed.
There are those who claim that carp actually fulfill a ecological need in Utah Lake. They are the same ones who picket the airport with signs reading "Evil, evil. Man wasn't meant to fly."
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I have an 18 year old grandson living in England. They have Carp Tournaments there like we do for Bass, or maybe our BFT Cat Contest [sly]. But he has sent his dad, my oldest son a couple photos of him holding a monster Carp.
And the first time I caught a carp at Willard Bay, standing just a couple yards from an older Asian man, I started to throw it back, and I though he was having an attack of some sort, until I realized he wanted that carp if I didn't.
I guess it all depends on your personal point of view.
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Hey Pat that was a interesting read to see that all put together thanks for your time doing that... Wish they would do a carp reduction project on Cutler... Later J
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[#0000FF]Surprisingly, there are quite a few places around the USA where anglers are having carp tournaments. They often employ the same baits, tackle and techniques originated in the European countries...and with good success.
Because of the PCB thing, it probably would not be a good idea to dine regularly on carp from Utah Lake. But carp from clean waters...and a good omnivorous diet...can be good eating. Just like all species, carp can be affected by the quality of the water and their diet...when it comes to delectability on the table. But those from quality waters can provide quality dining. And there are many US citizens from other countries who have a tough time understanding our disdain for carpkind.
Even if more people are not seeking out carp for dinner there are a whole lot of anglers who openly admit to enjoying the tussle of a carp on the end of their lines. This has been especially true with fly flingers. Not many other fish in our country that are more common, grow bigger, take flies better and fight harder than a carp with attitude.
If you go in on some of the carp fishing websites you can find pics of some humongos.
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"Wish they would do a carp reduction project on Cutler."
[#0000FF]I thought you were it.[/#0000FF]
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Guess I probably am, but I need to get some tips from the Loy's. Pretty much an impossible task to get ahead of them in this system with all the rivers and back bays all full of carp wish we could thin them to where the plants and clear water would return. That would sure be nice. Later J
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