Bowslaying Carp

[Wormslayer]

When does the time-honored tradition of snuffing carp with bow and arrow heat up at Utah Lake...and elsewhere? How do all y'all think it will be affected by this year's runoff?
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[fsh4fun05]

There is a "Carpathon" on the 29th. I will be out of town so I haven't paid attention to details but I've seen them rolling near the reeds and in open water this week.
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[Wormslayer]

Dang the bad luck! I'm flying to VA that morning. At least that gives me an idea of when to head out, thanks.
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[trollboy8]

Going to Virginia? That's not bad luck. Bring your tackle and catch something better than carp.
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[fsh4fun05]

You've got to be kidding me!! I am flying to VA on the 28th. I'm bringing my gear with with me for sure.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I'm going to Lincoln Beach tomorrow morning...both to fish and to survey carp frolicing. Will probably go back both Friday and Saturday. If the carp are restless, Saturday the 22nd, might be a good test run for the carpathon. I'll post my observations.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The carp will be in and available for at least a month, even though some days are better than others. If you work along a long stretch of shoreline you can almost always find at least one or two areas they are workng.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The absolute best situation is to cruise the backroads along the southern portions of the lake and watch for flooded fields. The water warms faster in the flooded shallows and that brings the lovesick carpinskis in by the bajillions. You haven't lived until you have seen 20 acres of rolling carp in only six inches of water.[/#0000ff]
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[road]

You old pervert! I know you just go for the killing not the watching <>
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Nyaa-nyaa-nyaa. Sticks and stones may break my bones...but arrows are better for killing carp.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just don't get no real thrill from watching anymore. I guess I am either wored out or jaded. [/#0000ff]
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[Marshall_Law]

I have a question.... Do you have to have a license to stab, poke, or shoot(arrow) carp?

I know back in the day is was all fine and dandy but I heard that you had to have a license to do it now.
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[Stevenator]

TubeDude,

I drove the whole state park bridge-to-airport loop two days ago and didn't see a single carp. Was I in the wrong place?
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[cat_man]

You were in the right place steve. The south end of that dike loop is know as Provo Bay, or Mud Lake. It is a carp mecca during the spawn. They'll be there in the thousands soon. Just keep checking.
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[Stevenator]

Cat Man,

When is the spawn? Do I just drive down there every day until I see the water frothing?

thanks,

Steve
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[trollboy8]

Now I know that I am ignorant on the subject, but everytime I go to Utah Lake, I can't see even a centimeter down into the water. How do you see carp to shoot them? Would love some info.
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[cat_man]

Steve,

The spawn varies, and usually lasts a few weeks, and even a couple months some years (like last year for example).

Give it a few more warm days, and I bet they'll be out there. Watch for TubeDude's posts, I know he's checking out Lincoln Beach for carp the next couple of days.

trollboy,


The water is always murky, but you can't miss the carp. The frolic and splash around right at the surface of the water, in both open water and in the middle of the reeds in shallow water. They make quite the racket, and you really can't miss them.
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[gshorthair]

Yes, you must have a license in order to harvest carp even if you are not fishing for them. I have been checked before when I was bowfishing at flaming Gorge. I hope that will answer your question.
gshorthair
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[trollboy8]

When bowfishing for carp, do you just wade out, go out in a tube, in a boat, what? As for getting to them in the reeds, how does one go about doing that?
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[cat_man]

I have never bowfished for them, but I have got them with makeshift spears made from a garden shovel handle and a knife lashed to it, as well as with canoe paddles and landing nets.

You can use any boat, canoe, or raft, but each craft has limitations on where it can go (mostly, how shallow it can safely go). The fish spawn in very shallow water, sometimes no more than 6 inches to knee deep water, but they also spawn in deeper 3 to 4 foot water too.

You can wade and most do just that I think. A float tube would be quite awkward and probably out of the question. Just make sure not to wear shoes that you care about. They'll be coated with muck, and the mud has been known to suck the shoe right off you as well.

In the reeds you'd just have to bust through. It's easier along the edges.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Be of good cheer, they did not disappear. (poetic).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I just got back from an extended drive, fish and search along the southern shores of the lake (Lincoln Beach to Spanish Fork River). The storms have cooled the water again and it will be another few days of warm weather to get the fish back in the mood. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water temp early today was 52. It reached almost 60 before the last storms. 65 is GAME ON. It was 56 when I got off the water at 1 PM.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We have a carpathon scheduled for the 29th. I think it will come off just fine.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Carp make it easy to shoot them when they are spawning. They zoom into very shallow water (wet grass) to roll and wallow in plain view. You can whack them with a club. Sometimes they stay out in a couple of feet of water, but often cruise just under the surface in plain view. Easy shots for decent bowmen. Other times they are nearer the bottom and you have to watch for weeds and sticks to move, as the carp brush against them, and then try to guess where the fish is and shoot them. Tricky and fun.[/#0000ff]
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]So, tubemeister, the big question is, did you trick any kitties or 'eyes into biting today?
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