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Carp (Cyprinus carpio) |
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Fact File: British Record 61lb 7oz
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Common |
Leather |
Mirror |
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A Little Carp History The carp is one of the most adaptable fish in the country. Its introduction to England and Wales started as early as the 1300’s, when carp were imported from mainland Europe and reared in stew ponds. Today carp flourish in almost every river and lake in the country. From small village ponds to the largest, most powerful rivers. The carp has succeeded in every available habitat. Introduced initially by monks as a food source, carp became established and were stocked into estate lakes and fisheries, and once available, quickly became a target for anglers. At this time, the carp had a fierce reputation for being incredibly difficult to tempt, and was thought by some to be un-catchable. Slowly anglers developed their knowledge and techniques, culminating in the birth of modern legering techniques pioneered by the likes of the legendary Richard Walker. These anglers had none of the specialised tackle available today, and had to make their own, nets from hession sacks and bicycle wheels, specialised split cane rods and eventually the first electronic bite alarm. During the mid-20th century, carp became increasingly popular with anglers and in 1952 Richard Walker netted Britain’s first 40lb fish. Ever since, carp have been one of the most sort after species, as confirmed recently when an Environment Agency telephone survey asked the question; Which species you most like to catch? 55% of licence holders stated carp as their preferred quarry. Recently the British Record was broken by a fish of over 60lb. Whilst carp this large are a rarity, they readily grow to over 10lb, with 20lb being considered specimen sized. Carp are amongst the longest living fish species in the country, with wild fish of over 60 years old being recorded, but most carp will live for 10 - 20 years.
Habitat, Feeding and Growth in Carp Generally thought of as a stillwater species, the carp is now well established in our river and canal systems. With the demand for building aggregates, gravel pits have increased in number all over the country and have proved to be an ideal carp habitat. Rich in plant and invertebrate life, maturing gravel pits have enabled the carp to reach its maximum size. Large waters with few fish are environments of plenty and with little competition, specimens have grown bigger than elsewhere. The carp’s natural diet consists of aquatic invertebrates (snails, bloodworm, mussels etc.) and plants, but will include fish fry at certain times of year and other unusual food items that become available to this true opportunistic feeder. Different strains of carp will grow at different rates dependant on food and habitat availability. However, they are a fast growing fish can easily put on 1 or 2 pounds in weight each year. Growth rates of over 6 pounds a year have been observed in rich waters.
Angling for Carp The carp can be caught with most normal coarse angling methods and techniques but the desire to catch the biggest carp in the land has put carp fishing tackle development at the forefront of the tackle trade. Since the 1940’s specialist big carp fishing has developed a huge array of rods, reels, bite alarms and literally thousands of accessories and baits.
Generally night-time is a preferred feeding time for carp during the summer months, and because of this night fishing is both hugely popular and productive. The most exciting form of carp fishing is called ‘Stalking’. Individual fish are located by sight and specifically angled for with either a floating or bottom fished bait. The thrill of watching a large carp feeding at close range safe in the knowledge that at any second the hook-bait will be taken takes some beating. Carp fishing has also led the way in fish care and protection on the bank. Carp anglers care a huge amount for the safety of the fish they catch and a whole array of products such as unhooking mats are available and widely used. These products and the angler’s attitude ensures that the fish is returned to the water in the best possible condition and that no harm is caused to the fish by the capture. Year round sport?
Although traditionally a summer pursuit, carp fishing is now often practised 12 months of the year. Winter fishing can be very slow going. Low water temperatures slow down the carp’s metabolism and activity is normally very limited, meaning that the fish only feed for very short periods. Whilst in the summer the fish are very active and offer exciting visible fishing in clear water for baits fished both on the bottom and the surface.
The Carp Personified (Man's Best Friend?) Carp come in the ‘common’ (totally scaled), ‘mirror’ (sparsely scaled) and ‘leather’ (no scales) varieties. Large individuals are normally unique in scale pattern and body shape making them easily identifiable. Couple this with their long life span and it has meant that individual fish may get caught a number of times and will become recognisable and even given nicknames by anglers. The naming of fish has increased our understanding of these creatures’ habits and indicated that individual fish behave in quite an individual manner. A carp will have a ‘personality’ all of its own, and while most carp in a lake will behave in a similar fashion dependant on time of year and weather conditions, often fish will have their own recognisable traits that makes them stand out from the crowd (or shoal). Certain fish may be ‘friends’ with other specific fish and often be seen
swimming together or caught together, other fish may be very greedy and bully
other fish from a feeding area, others may be very shy and cautious. This
variety in the carp’s behaviour is one of the reasons why so many anglers find
fishing for the species to be so interesting and involved. Methods of Capture. The Carp is predominately a
bottom feeder but can often be seen cruising below the surface of the water
especially during the summer months, picking at fallen insects. When feeding
like this, a carefully position bread crust or floating pellet can have the
desired result. Bottom fishing methods are varied, every angler having his or
her favorite method but without doubt, a successful method is an attractive bait
suspended or floated just off the bed of the water. This can be over loose
samples of the same. Generally Carp tend to swim in small groups, two or three
fish together; the larger specimens though are often solitary. When using the Emstat type feeder for fishing the Method if you're getting a
lot of tip activity but hardly any takes. Try pulling the lead weight out of the
end, ,just using the weight of the groundbait to cast out with. This mean's that
after ground bait has fallen off you will be freelining, resulting in more takes
as the fish feel no resistance & pick the bait up with confidence. If it's
still hard try pointing the rod straight at the baited hook, you'll find it
often results in a take when the fish are picking up the bait & dropping it
when they feel the resistance of the rod tip.
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