Catching carp for fun and food

The majority of the world’s sport fishermen rank the carp No. 1 on their favorite fish lists.

I’m not sure I’d go that far, but I do like to fish for carp. And why not?

I like to catch big fish, and I’ve landed more carp weighing more than 30 pounds than I have of all other species combined.

Once in a while, I enjoy an angling challenge, and consistently fooling big carp often ranges from frustrating to exasperating.

I like that every fishing outfit on my rack is suitable for carp fishing under the right conditions.

I’ve caught a pickup truck load of carp on conventional fly tackle, including a good number of brutes longer than my leg.

Black, brown or olive weighted woolly worms — a miracle fly that will catch anything that swims — are always a good choice.

Space here doesn’t permit a treatise on fly fishing for carp, and there’s little literature on the subject. However, volumes have been written about bonefish, and the tactics are virtually identical.

If fly rods aren’t your thing, carp cruising in clear, shallow water are more than willing to imitate bonefish if a 16th-ounce marabou jig lands between 2 and 4 feet ahead of their noses. It’s a sport made in light tackle heaven.

It isn’t necessary to wait for the all-too-rare conditions for the tactics I just mentioned to be used. An overwhelming majority of carp are caught by anglers using the same medium-light or medium-weight spinning, spin-casting or bait-casting outfits they’re already using for other species.

There are a number of ways to rig terminal tackle for carp, but I only use one: When fishing in still water, thread an eighth-ounce or smaller egg or bullet sinker onto the main line — in current use the lightest practical weight.

Tie a barrel swivel to the end of the line, add a 24- to 36-inch leader and attach an appropriate hook.

Carp feed by sucking their food past rubbery lips into a surprisingly small mouth. I use Eagle Claw style 84 hooks almost exclusively for carp fishing, varying the size from No. 6 to No. 2, depending on the size of the bait I’m using and, to a far lesser extent, the size of the carp I hope to catch.

I don’t like treble hooks even when using dough baits, but that’s just me.

Most carp fanatics have several secret recipes for dough bait. I use one: Mix bran flakes, flour, a dollop of corn syrup and enough water to mold the other ingredients into a firm ball.

Boiling for 10 minutes will make the bait firmer, but I almost always fish it on the theory that I want my bait to slowly dissolve into the water, not sit on the bottom like a blob of concrete.

Carp can be found wherever there’s water, but gently sloping shorelines on large reservoirs are my favorite place to try my luck.

I may use a boat to gain access to a tempting shoreline, but, once there, I almost always fish from the bank.

For one thing, carp are extremely sensitive to noise and staying quiet in a boat is impossible.

Far more important, fishing for carp and eating are linked in my brain. Fishing from the beach allows me to build a small cooking fire and whip up some culinary delight like bratwurst , s’mores or even a steak.

One potential problem with fishing for carp is that these methods usually work, leaving the lucky angler wondering what to do with his or her catch.

Tossing them back in the weeds is not an option. Not only is doing so illegal in Missouri, but, in a matter of days, they’re pretty disgusting.

Worldwide, carp are the No. 1 food fish, so eating them should be within the realm of possibility.

Googling carp recipes yields more ways to cook the fish than I would ever want to try. Most of these recipes ignore that carp meat is full of free-floating bones. Apparently most people aren’t as sensitive to that type of thing as are Americans.

When I prepare fresh carp, I remove all of the dark-colored meat and run what’s left through the coarse blade of a meat grinder. Once ground, the carp can be used to make fish patties or croquets that will rival any you’ve ever tasted.

Smoking is another alternative. Complete directions are available on the Internet. I use a commercial brine mixture but a canning or sea-salt brine strong enough to float an egg will work just fine.

As far as I’m concerned, smoked carp is superior to smoked salmon and certainly a lot less expensive