Carp 1 Me 0

[Guest]

Hi USA
thanks for all the replies to my post - I'm afraid I left here before I could read many of them but they'll all be useful come next trip.
Unfortunately on this occasion carp came there none. However conditions didn't help - the Mississipi was flooded up by 3 feet and muddy as hell and the rain fell for half of the trip and due to commitments I could only get short sessions in. I did find some carpy looking spots on the backwaters around Prarie Island and tried both nightcrawlers and fishing corn with a big bed of bait but got naught but Sunfish and Perch. What the hell - a bad days fishing beats a good days work anytime. Did however pick up after the rain and I was pretty chuffed to land a good size Walleye and Sheephead on the last day out.
Anyway all the fellow fisher folk I met were very helpful and friendly as ever, although I was taken aback by some people's reactions to my enquiries about fishing for carp - you'd have thought by the way some people reacted that I'd asked to have sex with their grandmother on a church altar One woman asked me if I was braindead!!! ('no' I replied, 'merely English.' ) Further astonishment was expressed when I told them that in Europe a). we use rods to fish for them, not spears, arrows, hand grenades, heavy artillery etc. . we put them back and c). people pay to do it. Seems to me that the US is missing out on tourist bucks here - people here pay good sums of cash for guided fishing in France, Spain and even Romania for big Carp and Catfish.
Whatever - the food was excelent as ever and I'm mightily cheered to see the standard of your beer is progressing very nicely thanks to some good microbreweries ( although still too cold - I have to ask people to pop my beer in the microwave for a minute )
Cheers

ps why are American fish so **** spikey!?

[Aquaman01]

Ha Ha! Outstanding! Glad you at least had fun!
Beer - When I came back stateside after a year in GB my friends were worried because I'd go through a case of beer in two days and I said "I'm not a drunk, I'm just hoping for a little buzz!". I'll still take a Hansa Special from that big white tap any day. Um, our whiskey, though, is much better.

Carp - yeah, there's a bit of prejudice. I'd like to say it's because they aren't a native species, but some of it is lack of respect. Come back with friends - we'll put together a carp trip for ya - cheap

Yankee fish are spikey to prevent a horrible trajedy from occuring - S.A.P.S. - or Shaken About Perch Syndrome. Some anglers, after losing dozens of baits to perch, sunfish, sheepshead and bullhead will grab the fish tightly, shake it violently and scream "STOP STEALING MY BAIT YOU %&$#%@$&!!!!".
The spikey fin rays prevent this.
Trout do have not evolved these spikes, because nobody can catch 'em anyway.

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Aquaman
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Peace and Fishes

[Crawlerman]

Yes... a lot of American Anglers still seem to be predjudiced about one species of "game fish"; it's getting a little better due to education and publications such as the In-Fisherman; but nevertheless there are still many people who are strict Trout, Bass, Walleye, crappie or Pike/Muskie fisherman who often regard anything other than there "target" fish as trash.

Oddly enough, Catfish were not so long ago regarded as trash fish in most of the US, other than a few remote places in the deep south, and now they are the fastest growing and popular "game fish" in the united states.

Other than carp; a number of other fish that some call "trash fish" here are: Bowfin, Bullheads and Rock Bass. The last one confuses me, as Rock Bass are very closely related to sunnies, and it's mostly the sunfish anglers that are doing the bashing on rock bass. Odd....

There is however a lot of us who are starting to overlook the "myths" behind these "bad" fish. There is a topic on the Metro fourm that is starting to turn ugly on the matter of Bowfin; and I'm siding with the dogs . I've never caught a bowfin, yet I would like to have the chance someday. I don't see what makes them so much different from a Northern or a Muskie, which as I pointed out are equally as "bad" as far as eating gamefish.

There are some more open minded anglers who keep a log of all the different species they have caught, and go to great lengths across the country to catch them. I admire those people, and think something like that would be fun; however I sadly would never have that kind of time.

[Rick]

Hi Englishsteve,
it's great to hear you had a fun trip. We're also very happy to have you here in the forums. If you and some of your carp fishing friends wouldn't mind checking in occasionally and sharing your knowledge, we would very much appreciate it.

Before you take another trip here, be sure to post your plans well in advance. I'm sure some of the carp guys here will be more than willing to help put you in the vicinity of some large carp.

I for one wouldn't mind being along. Best of all, most carp anglers here (not many of them around) will be happy to help you just for the experience.

Thanks again English Steve

[Guest]

Thanks for the offers - reciprocated likewise should anyone find themselves this side of the pond. I'm off tommorow to get back to familiar ground ie putting a serious carpy bend in the old rods. I'll be at a small pond ( about 1 - 1.5 acres ) on a farm I know some 50 miles from here. There aren't any serious carp there ( mid doubles top ) but its isolated and v. few people fish there. Weekends here can be a nightmare since everybody and their dog goes fishing and waters get too crowded for my liking. Oh yes, no mosquitos/snakes/sunnies either
Cheers