What to do with carp

[jmiller676]

Personally, I think carp out of a muddy river is disgusting. I've tried it and it's all mushy. But, I'm spoiled with my nice clear water bluegills.

 

[ghuns]

smoked carp is good eating!

^^^This x1000^^^

Smoked carp is some of the best smoked fish I have eaten. I prefer it over salmon any day.

 

[88GT]

reducing the number of invasive species is an example of good stewardship thus why i do it

That only applies to non Homo sapiens though, right? More's the pity.

 

[RAMBOCAT]

You can pressure cook the fillets and use them like canned salmon. If you want, you can even leave the bones in. The wife makes patties out of them with eggs and bread crumbs, yum.

 

[Kart29]

If you know a trapper that makes his/her own bait they might be interested in taking them. They make good bait for catching raccoons and can be used to make sun rendered fish oil which is used as a lure and attractant.

I wouldn't mind trying to eat a small one if it came out of a relatively clean river. Of course the definition of "clean" is all relative these days.

 

[pudly]

Personally, I think carp out of a muddy river is disgusting. I've tried it and it's all mushy. But, I'm spoiled with my nice clear water bluegills.

Not surprisingly, the taste of fish flesh is affected by their environment. Carp from clean water taste much better than dirty/polluted water, much like other fish.

 

[Willie]

I haven't eaten any carp in years but I did in my earlier days. It was not all that bad and these carp were "hogged" out of Eagle Slough in the Evansville bottoms. It cant get much muddier than Eagle Slough..

 

[Mark 1911]

I have met guys who actually like to eat carp. Started throwing one back was stopped by a guy who wanted it.

Might be a good ways to make people behave themselves. Start using it as food in the prisons. That would prevent a lot of crime!

 

[The Drifter]

I think they make great windshield wipers . Nail a few to a 2 x 4 ,, now there,s a good self defense weapon. How about using them at the shooting range for targets.

 

[Dundee]

Pet food, fertilizer, nail them to a tree, just don't throw them back in the water.

 

[dudley0]

Send me a PM next time you plan on having some. I have a jobsite in Marion. Maybe we could meet and I will take a couple off your hands. Been wanting to try carp.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

reducing the number of invasive species is an example of good stewardship thus why i do it

I've got no problem with what you're doing, and I've done it too. But no matter how many you take, you're having no effect what-so-ever on the carp population.

It reminds me of a farmer that was trying to control Multiflora Rose in his pasture. He'd tried mowing and spraying, then he got the idea to get a granular herbicide and put it into shotgun shells, mixed with some shot, and then he would shoot into the base of the plants. He said "I don't know if I'm doing any good, but it's sure a hellova lot more fun than mowing.

 

[freekforge]

No effect yet but the DNR guy says to get as many people as i can to shoot em it cant hurt and maybe some day it can help. Besides its more fun than letting dnr take care of it.

Dads talking about going tomorrow at a new spot so hopefully we'll have a few.

 

[Hookeye]

I have shot a couple K. It's fun, but was MORE fun back in the old days when you didn't have to haul away the bodies.
'Coons would clean off a good kill spot quickly, beat the mud down to look like concrete. Some scales here and there but the rest GONE.

Shoot an area down and it'll be back up next yr or so. It's a never ending process, trying to get rid of them.
With the law change to where I had to remove them from the area, I got a farmer to let me dump them at the back corner of his field.

Yotes, 'coons and 'possums cleaned the piles out within 2 days.

After a long sunburnt day, lugging a big rubber tub of 30 or so fish really sucked. Get 'em on the hitch haul, or in the Jeep............then take them to the field, drive back and then drag that crap way back.

Man I miss the days of shoot and dump back (turtles must have loved me).

BTW, I always shot them in waters where they were classified as unsafe to eat. Some people still eat them from those areas......must be democrats.

 

[Hookeye]

Copy:

I'd argue, if you dont already have a good reason to catch (or in this case shoot) them, why? Its one thing to catch and release, but bowhunting negates the second part of that.

It's fun, and legal.

IMHO unless you have an overabundance of carp and are removing them to rebalance the ecosystem, shooting them just for S&G's is being a bad sport and bad steward of the environment.

Since when did Cracker Jack give out ethics police stickers?

But good for you for at least trying to find a use instead of simply leaving them on the bank when you get too many just because you can. I'll give you that.

Uh, it's illegal to just leave them on the bank, has been for years. Can't dump them back in the water either. You gotta haul 'em off.

 

[jimbobcooters]

eat the eggs if they have any. Delicious

 

[Hookeye]

I'm too lazy and grumpy to bowfish now, having to lug that stinking slimy mess.............heck I just sold my like new AMS (used twice in 2 yrs).
I'd go out local, semi local, and whack 5 to 15 on average. Best day was 75 in only a couple of hours. Crazy.

Even a good shoot of 30 (take all day), with no boat and just wading or being a bank rat, wasn't common enough for the sunburn, bug bites and work.

You kids have at it!

I still want to shoot a big dogfish and gar, and a carp over 25 lbs. Do those 3 and I'm done for good.

 

[freekforge]

Well Dudley i could of had you some but i forgot. buried one and gave the other away.

and jimbobcooters eeewww no thanks the only eggs i eat come from feathered critters

 

[bwframe]

Is there any confirmation that bowfishermen actually control the the invasive species' population?

 

[Double T]

A friend of the family keeps them for a week and changes out water for a while. Then he kills it, filets it, and bakes it. I tried it, not too bad. I prefer perch, blue gill, crappie, and catfish though...