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[#0000ff]Met up with Fatbiker and his lady at Farmington Bay yesterday...to see if there were any minnows to be had. The road out into the southern ponds is open to the public for bird watching so I was hoping there might be some open water and maybe a minnow or two.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Lots of "birders". Almost a solid procession of old fudds and geeky types with binoculars and long lens cameras...either moving along at 5 miles an hour or parking in the middle of the road. Bird brains.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]They are letting water out of the big pond to the east of the access road. The water level was quite low. But there was open water and water still running out at the airboat launch. And since the water was slightly deeper there...at the ramp on the east side of the road...there were a bajillion carp congregated there and rolling around in the muddy water.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I had brought my cast net so I made a few flings, hoping to find some minnows...and not to get connected to any of those big scaly beasts. But, such was not to be. No matter where I tossed the net I ended up in hand-to-fin combat with several big nasties. Didn't do my net much good...when there serrated spines got tangled and they started thrashing around together to try to get out.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some of those buglemouths were "carposaurs". Saw a couple that had to push 20 pounds. But in addition to quite a few big beefy ones I also found a spot that held some smaller "underfooters". I invited a few of those home...along with a couple of the bigger ones...for my electric knife weight reduction program. I now have a good start on my bait for the upcoming catfish contest.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If anybody wants or needs to harvest some carp flesh, that is the place and this is the time. Those carp are in shallow water and a lot of them were swimming within a few feet with their backs out of water. You wouldn't have to be a super shot with a bow to bag a bunch. Not sure what the upcoming weather system will do to change things but I got mine.
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[#0000ff][#FF0000]EDIT NOTE: In times past it was not illegal to harvest carp or minnows from Farmington. But there have evidently been staffing changes and policy changes. It is now illegal to fish or otherwise catch any fish from Farmington. There is nothing in the DWR guidebook covering this...but there should be...if they are issuing citations.[/#FF0000]
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Nasty buggers!
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The State is draining that pond for the eagles to target the carp so picture taking of eagles is easier.
At least that was my understanding....
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It's purt near magic the way carp can turn into eagles, and also into tasty catfish!
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[quote SBennett]The State is draining that pond for the eagles to target the carp so picture taking of eagles is easier.
At least that was my understanding....[/quote]
[#0000FF]Hmmmm. I didn't see any eagles taking pictures of carp.[/#0000FF]
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You didn't have a big enough lens on your camera.
Lens envy...
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[#0000FF]Or maybe I was looking through the wrong end of the binoculars. I thought those eagles looked awfully small.
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Just curious TD, are the little ones better for bait or just easier to handle?
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[#0000FF]All of the above. Rasslin' a big ol' carp to remove some bait meat from it is a lot like butcherin' a hog. Nasty business. But I do keep and cut up a few larger carp every year just to have some big slabs for appealing to big cats.
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[#0000FF]Howsomever, the thinner fillets from smaller carp are not only easier to remove, but easier to put on smaller hooks and will appeal to a wider range of fish species. And some of the small carp I either freeze whole or cut into a couple or three pieces...to provide big chunk baits. It is a good idea to have a range of options and to let the fish tell you what they want. I have had days when preferences seemed to change quickly and by being prepared with different sizes and types of bait I was able to keep catchin'.
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[#0000FF]The larger fillets I usually cut into bait size strips and freeze trip size packages. See the attached writeup.
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Pat, always good to see you. I ended up trapping a dozen bags of minnows. Tom, reports that the slimers of hyrum liked them right well this morning.
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[#0000FF]Good to see you guys too. Glad your bro could make it and that his trap-dunking was productive. I think the fishies of Willard will show their appreciation for your harvest too. Ain'tcha glad I showed you where to get 'em.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Hope Amy had a good time and got some good pics.
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Glade to see you are still after the Golden Utah trout..Out in my new area I have to see my first one..
Not sure if there are any Carp?? But we have lots of fish that I'm not sure what to call them..
Well keep your line wet.And good fishing..
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[#0000ff]Hey Cliff, good to hear from you. Sounds like you miss your old "buglemouth bass". I'll be happy to put a stamp on one and mail it to you if you give me your new address.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are carp in some areas of Oregon, but the major "rough fish" (anything not salmon or trout) is the "pikeminnow". It was formerly called squawfish but the name was changed to be more politically correct. Since they are serious predators on salmon and steelhead...eating eggs, fry and smolts...Oregon anglers have some more colorful names for them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]This is a pikeminnow. Are these the fish you are referring to?[/#0000ff]
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They even have a bounty on them..
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[#0000ff]If they put a bounty on Utah Lake carp they would probably get rid of more than they do with the seining operation. I suggested that a time or two. But the feds have been footing the mega thousands spent on the seining and they can't be bothered paying out money to local folks who could use the money.
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If it wastes the most money takes the most time and does not work and pisses the most people off that's what they will do it..
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Those are some nice looking bait prep filets! Thanks for another valuable piece of information. Have you ever tried cooking one up and eating it? Isnt carp a popular menu item in some areas?
I've never tried but am curious, does their meat actually taste bad? I'm not a picky fish eater. Breaded and fried they can't be that bad can they?
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Carp meat has a nice texture (like halibut) and is easy to fillet and debone and should be good but for some reason it has an after taste that I just don’t enjoy. I hear they have a mud vein that if removed makes them good table fare but I haven’t tried one since the first attempt. Also hear they are better from cold and clear water but no personal experience to verify that. Also keep in mind that I have the Utah psychological block about eating trash fish so it might just be a mental thing for me. They aren’t terrible and if I didn’t have other options I’d eat them, but when we are spoiled and can have other stuff I choose other stuff. Later J
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[#0000ff]The main reason we have carp in Utah is because a lot of the early pioneers came from European countries where carp were a prized food fish. When the cutthroat indigenous to Utah Lake were pretty much eradicated by over-fishing and otherwise poor treatment, carp were suggested as a suitable replacement as a food fish. And they were so utilized during years when protein was still in short supply. See the attached PDF files.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As most folks know, carp are a major food source in much of Asia...as well as some European countries. People from these areas have a difficult time understanding why they are held in such low regard in the USA. And, in truth, there are fish markets in many cities around our country where carp are sold and highly prized by folks from other parts of the world where they get more respect.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yes, I have eaten carp...and liked it. Like most fish, carp delectability is influenced by their environment. What do they eat and what is the quality of the water in which they live? Carp from clean waters are surprisingly mild and tasty. By the same token, trout, bass or other US species we all like to eat can taste like #$%@ if taken from warm, muddy, weedy and/or stagnant waters...or if they have been eating something that influences the quality or taste of their flesh.
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[#0000ff]Perhaps one of the biggest turn-offs for those trying carp for the first time is the abundance of small bones. Carp are members of the large minnow family and most of the family is bony. So you have to know how to prepare them in order to either remove the bones (tedious) or to cook them in a way to render the bones edible.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I lived in Sacramento, CA, I usually had a good supply of smoked salmon or steelhead in my refrigerator. And whenever my buddies came over to watch football on TV they raided my stash. One time I had caught a couple of big carp...from a clean clear lake nearby...and I carefully cut bone-free strips from the large fillets and smoked them. They came out great.
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[#0000ff]The rest of the story? I put a batch of the smoked carp fillets in the smoked fish container in my refrigerator. You guessed it. The next time my buddies came over and snarfed my smoked fish they loved it...proclaiming it to be the best smoked "salmon" I had ever done. After I quit trying to suppress my laughter I let them know what that "salmon" really was. Nobody barfed, but only one of them went back for more.
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[#0000ff]You are right. Breaded and fried carp are great. You just have to carefully cut strips to remove the lines of flesh bones. Some folks cross-cut scores across the lines of bones to allow them to cook crispy so they can be eaten.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Pressure cooking will also soften bones...as will pickling. But a lot of carp flesh fanciers simply slow bake the fish until the bones soften.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If only they weren't so darned ugly.
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CARP AND ZUCCHINI WE CAN END WORLD HUNGER [cool]
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