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dk17hmr
05-25-2007, 11:59 PM
On my way home today I stopped by one of my shooting channels to see if the carp are starting yet. I saw a few and with nothing serious to do this afternoon got my stuff together and headed back out to the channels.

Right off the bat I had 3 carp fer 4 shots with my new recurve. Ended up shooting 7 all together in about 2 hours. Few pics

First one taken with new bow.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/carp2.jpg

Biggest I stuck about 15 pounds worth of trash fish.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/carp1.jpg

Couldnt get anyone to go with me today all my buddies had "better things to do" oh well I didnt have to watch out for anyone else, still had fun.

357maximum
05-26-2007, 12:54 AM
Doug what time is the fish fry?

A bunch of us plowboys used to make a pilgrimage over to quanicasee(sp) every year and wade the bay...I used to really enjoy it....now i chase the damn things with a flyrod of all things....must be nuts eh? I would hate to see the pile of them things I killed in my high school years....biggum pile for sure...we used to drag a jon boat behind us as we waded the rat huts region, and try to sink it with corpses.....I would rather chase them with a rod now, but I still have my old lamiglass special with a retriever on it for high water moments of "opportunity" along the mighty muddy maple.

And yes I have ate them...real good smoked and canned

Have fun

Michael

BruceB
05-26-2007, 01:15 AM
Did y'all know that New York State has an "offishial" fish-shooting season??

Yep, when Lake Champlain floods into the surrounding woodlands in the spring, folks are allowed to shoot fish in the woods....bow, rifle, shotgun. Tree stands are used for more than deer, in some parts.

In the spring of '65, I set up my prospecting camp just off a nice beach on a small lake in the Northwest Territories. There was a mother duck resident nearby, with a clutch of about a dozen ducklings. She was swimming just off the beach one day with the family, when there was a boil, a "slurp", and a duckling disappeared.

I figured I knew what that was, so I took a Lee-Enfield up on a rock outcrop overlooking the beach....sure enough, there was a big pike lying in shallow water, maybe 20 pounds or so. One round of .303 fixed him. The duck lost a few more babies, so I started a campaign against the jackfish. Only had about fifty rounds in camp, but a radio call to the office in town had 300 military-surplus .303 rounds on the next airplane (I had a VERY understanding boss).

Over the next couple of weeks I killed MANY jackfish with the .303. It was surprising how quickly the fish learned, though. In the beginning I could walk right up on the skyline overlooking the weedbeds, and pick my shot. After a few days, just sticking my head above the skyline would cause eruptions of pike from their places. It sure got to be fine snap-shooting practice! Firing about two feet ahead of the point of the wake in the water would generally bring the fish convulsing out of the water from the concussion, and it could then be finished with ease.

The duck successfully raised seven ducklings. I take some credit for that.

Jim
05-26-2007, 07:30 AM
Not bad, Doug! Ya' done good!

C A Plater
05-26-2007, 08:05 AM
When I was a kid we'd ride our bikes down to the Titabawassee River during the spring flooding. The drain ditches were full of spawning carp and we'd arrow many as they broke the surface of the muddy water. Never did eat any of them as we were down stream of Dow Chemical and they would dump into the river causing occasional large fish kills. It's a much cleaner waterway now with good walleye and white bass numbers have helped reduce the carp but there are still some giant old ones.

Four Fingers of Death
05-26-2007, 09:21 AM
Fish flavoured cotton wool. The aussie aboriginals eat them when they have access to plenty of fresh water. They put them in a tank of fresh water and change the water every day, the fish eventually get the mud out of their system and the taste improves.

We have a product called Charlie Carp, it is a fertilizer made from Carp, pongs, but is good stuff.

Scrounger
05-26-2007, 11:59 AM
Plant those carp next to your mom's rose bushes. That's what we always did with them.

DLCTEX
05-26-2007, 12:27 PM
Clear water carp make good table fare. The Clear Fork of the Brazos is noted for producing good tasting catfish, and it carries to the carp as well. The clarity is a result of gypsum in the water bonding with clay particles and setteling out. Skin the carp and remove the dark red flesh under the skin, then cook in a pressure cooker until the small bones are soft. Usually the entire spine/rib cage can be lifted out intact. We eat this as a substitute for Tuna in a Tuna casserole, or mix with cracker crumbs, form into patties, and fry. Dale

9.3X62AL
05-26-2007, 12:51 PM
Bruce--

Your boss must have been a LOT more understanding than any of mine were. I can only imagine the admin response to a request for 300 more rounds of 223 ammo from downtown during a multi-day operation. Don't ask how I know that.

Carp as table fare? I can't quite get my mind wrapped around that one. Of course, folks from Texas and mid-America might not like yellowtail/ahi, either.

Johnch
05-26-2007, 02:31 PM
When you said , carp shooting
I thought you ment with a rifle
Years back , we used to shoot them in the creeks ( pree cast days )
A 223 with a varmit bullet shot at a steap angle down , will cut a 20 lb carp in 1/2 :twisted: :twisted:
But it's back needs ot be on top to get the most impressive results :mrgreen:
Found out , even a close miss would either stun them or kill them
So we could pick them up as they floated over the gravel bar


The other night my brother and I arrowed 40 or so in a few hrs , probely 300 lbs
We run then thru a wood chipper

Then take the soup and put it trenches next to the sweet corn and other vegies
Makes them grow fast and sweet
Also I dig a few holes in the yard next to the chestnut trees
Fill the holes 1/2 full cover with dirt
Need an other trip to get enough to finish :drinks:

I take a 5 lb carp , fillet it , cut out the red meat/ mud line
Lightly smoke it with apple wood
Good eating , not the same as walleye , but still good


Have fun
John

ron brooks
05-26-2007, 03:03 PM
Another way to fix carp is to pickle it in vinegar. Disolves the bones.

dk17hmr
05-26-2007, 03:56 PM
I throw mine in the fields on the back roads on the way home, might have to try and smoke one. I think I hit just the tip of the run and should have some good shooting next weekend.

I called my college room mate that graduated last year and he is coming over next weekend maybe to do some shooting, he has never arrowed a carp just dog fish. I am pretty sure I can get in the flats (shallow part of the bay) with our canoe and wade around out there and shoot. Mostly just shoot off the bank next to the cuts and channels around here.

MT Gianni
05-26-2007, 07:58 PM
I have eaten carp that was OK not great on a grill. It does need the mud vein cut out and someplace for the grease to drip off. Gianni.

Jack Stanley
05-26-2007, 10:01 PM
My wifes grandma had a pond off of 626 near the Clinch river , I tried everything I had to get the carp to bite on and then gave it two slugs from the Gold Cup:Fire: . I thought I'd be funny and take it back to granny and she skinned it and put it in our cooler to take home :roll: On the way back , it ended up fertilizing somebody's cornfield [smilie=1:

Uhhhhh , ......... It is legal to shoot fish in Virginny ... ain't it ?

Jack

qajaq59
05-27-2007, 07:29 AM
Boy, that brings back some good memories. I haven't hunted carp with a bow in 40 years, but we used to have loads of fun doing it. Thanks for reminding me.

RSOJim
05-27-2007, 08:44 AM
Here is an old kentucky receipe for baking carp. First use a carp of any size, doesn't matter if its skinned or not. Next find an old out house that has had a lot of use. Remove the board with the hole in the middle, you know which one if you are old enough. Pre heat your oven to 250 degrees. Place the board in the oven with the carp on top. Bake for 20 minutes, no longer. Remove the board and carp from the oven, throw away the carp and eat the board. That's what we think of carp. Thanks Jim

Bret4207
05-27-2007, 10:06 AM
About 25 miles from where I sit lies Waddington NY, home of the World Carp Fishing Championships. People actually fly in from all over the world to fish for carp. Why? Got me. A sucker is a sucker is a sucker. And yes, the double meaning was intentional.

I suppose I could catch 3-4 and have all the 'coon bait I'd need for a couple years. There I thought of a good reason to fish for them. I'll go rest my brain now...

JSH
05-27-2007, 10:12 AM
Huh, the lowly carp eh. Try catching one that weighs 15 pounds and up on a rod and reel. I have handled some pretty big flatheads and blues on rod and reel. A 15 pound carp has more fight in it than a fish twice it's weight. I belive that there is even an organization that has tournaments for carp fishing too.
As to eating them. That all falls back to how they are prepared, poor people have poor ways i suppose. But, some of the poorest folks I know are way richer than a lot wealthy folks I know.
Dad and I used to have a ball fishing in the still waters of the small river that went through the town I still call "home". A real ripe bananna and some wheaties and we were ready to go. Just mush the B and wheaties in a bag until it forms a dough of the right consitancy to stya on a treble hook. And if ya don't catch anything ya can eat your bait.
Dad always skinned fileted them. Then trimmed out the mud vein and dark meat. Then soaked in some ice water. Cut them into 1" strips and score evry 1". Roll them in some meal or batter of your liking and deep fry until golden brown. The scoring and deep frying cooks the little Y bones to mush. There was also an old neighbor down home that had a way to clean them and have nicest looking filet ya ever saw and not a bone to be found. He is gone now but sure wish I had watched closer when I was a kid.
The really big ones would usually see the pressure cooker. Mom canned a fair batch and use them like salmon. My Guncle and aunt came back from Wash. stae with some salmon. Mom had fixed some carp into patties and fried them up. My uncle told her that she shouldn't cook that salmon for them as they had a lot at home. He couldn't believe what he had ate and thought it was salmon.
Ya want to talk about a trash fish. A bass will eat anything it can get into it's mouth. The old carp is pretty picky about it's food.
Since the flood in 93, the goofy asian type carp have invaded a lot of streams. They are plain ugly critters. A .22RF does a job on them. Then ya have those weird fish that were in Mass. I believe that have teeth like a dragon.
Bad enough with all the illegals in this country, now we go their fish too.
Jeff

Scrounger
05-27-2007, 10:38 AM
Carp aka German Bass.

MT Gianni
05-27-2007, 03:26 PM
About 25 miles from where I sit lies Waddington NY, home of the World Carp Fishing Championships. People actually fly in from all over the world to fish for carp. Why? Got me. A sucker is a sucker is a sucker. And yes, the double meaning was intentional.

I suppose I could catch 3-4 and have all the 'coon bait I'd need for a couple years. There I thought of a good reason to fish for them. I'll go rest my brain now...

Not just coon bait, Bret. Let some set in the sun in a corner of the farm for a couple of weeks and pour the oilly drippings into a jar for mink and otter bait. Gianni

piwo
05-27-2007, 06:24 PM
Carp are EXCELLENT tasting fish fried. Not mushy, not overbearing: sweat tasting meat. The deal with carp is that they are scale fish, but you must not only scale them, but skin them as well. This is the mistake most make. They think "scale em and cook em" just like every other freshwater fish with scales. Not so with carp!

You scale them, skin them, and then SCORE them. Scoring is cutting the fish in VERY thin cuts crosswise about 3/4 through, bones and all. This is so the hot oil gets between the "scores" and fries the bones and all. If you try to remove the bones, you are just wasting your time.

Bread them , deep fry them, and they are absolutely delicious. A bit of work I suppose for some, but the payoff is worth it. :drinks:

I prefer fishing for them (wheatie balls and anise extract on a treble hooK) in lake situation above all other. The chances of catching a 10-12 lb fish while others are pulling up small "game fish" makes it worthwile, and the taste when prepared properly is the icing on the cake.

Charlie Horse
05-27-2007, 09:37 PM
Around here we fleece the scales off the carp then fillet and score the meat. I particularly like fried fillets off of one pound or smaller carp. YUM

dk17hmr
05-27-2007, 11:22 PM
1 pound or smaller?....we call those goldfish, you can buy those for $2 a half dozen up town.

pumpguy
05-27-2007, 11:34 PM
We used to fly fish for them in the sand pits south of Omaha along the Platte. We would use a 6 or 8 weight fly rod and tie flies that looked like mulberries. We would see them sipping the berries under the trees. Hook one on a fly rod while you are in a belly boat and prepare for the fight of your life. As far as eating them goes, we would soak them in a brine solution overnight and them smoke them. You have to pick around the bones, but, the meat is really good. Serve it to someone who does not know that it is carp and they probably will think it is salmon.

Charlie Horse
05-28-2007, 07:47 PM
Then I like to eat goldfish.