Carp what to do with them?

[channelcat]

I catch lots if carp i fish for them sometimes and or catch them by mistake do you throw them in the field or let them go or stick a knife in the belly and let it go to die underwater the only practical use i have ever been told is to keep them and bury them in the vegetable garden they make good fertilizer anyone have a better method?

[Ziggy]

The rule reads: It is illegal to dispose of fish entrails and carcasses in Wi waters." Or something to that effect.

I believe slitting the belly and putting the fish back falls in that category. Kind of a hypocrisy since you have to throw back gut or gill hooked fish that are bleeding so bad you know they'll never make it but, I don't make the rules.

Either the garden, someones field(with their permission) or find a guy that likes to smoke carp. There are some still around. I have also noticed certain ethnic groups seem to favor them. If I'm fishing around a group of people I'm not afraid to ask around if anyone wants them and usually there are some takers.

Maybe try listing potential carp on Craigslist for free. I bet you get some takers.

[stick500]

I've heard it's also illegal to just throw 'em on shore and leave them, too.

You know what I do? I let 'em go and try to catch them again next week. I know we don't want them in our waters, but you don't have to kill them just because you caught them. Like Ziggy says, I'll give 'em away to any bystanders who want them too.

I love catching carp and may think about taking up smoking someday- that stuff is good!

[channelcat]

Im not trying to be cruel by killing carp but in our waters they have no natural predators when they have some size to them. This happens fairly quickly and they reproduce just as quickly as they grow i think that sturgeon eat young carp but there isn't enough of them out there to do the job they destroy habitat for other fish and consume tremendous resource to maintain there active way of living (jumping around all day and such) which could be feeding native species that we prefer to be on our dinner plates. The sense i see in cutting the belly and releasing them to die on the bottom is that the fishes body will be eaten by other fish and crayfish which will contribute positively back into the underwater ecosystem compared to throwing them in a field for a raccoon to eat. I have read that if you catch a carp with a worm on a hook and release him he has learn to avoid that bait in the future they are a little brighter than a bass which the same fish will hit the same bait many time in a lifetime carp learn so catch and release is permanent when it happens. Sometime I feel that an unnatural problem (which carp are an Invasive species) need and unnatural solution (man's intervention)

[Ziggy]

I hear you. I don't care to have them in the lakes either. All they seem to do is create murky water. I also agree with your statement about slitting their bellies. I just wanted to point out that it is illegal. Don't want to see anyone getting a ticket over it. I don't know if the Wardens really watch for this or not but I'm not risking a ticket over it. Tight lines.

[stick500]

Im not trying to be cruel by killing carp but in our waters they have no natural predators when they have some size to them. This happens fairly quickly and they reproduce just as quickly as they grow i think that sturgeon eat young carp but there isn't enough of them out there to do the job they destroy habitat for other fish and consume tremendous resource to maintain there active way of living (jumping around all day and such) which could be feeding native species that we prefer to be on our dinner plates. The sense i see in cutting the belly and releasing them to die on the bottom is that the fishes body will be eaten by other fish and crayfish which will contribute positively back into the underwater ecosystem compared to throwing them in a field for a raccoon to eat. I have read that if you catch a carp with a worm on a hook and release him he has learn to avoid that bait in the future they are a little brighter than a bass which the same fish will hit the same bait many time in a lifetime carp learn so catch and release is permanent when it happens. Sometime I feel that an unnatural problem (which carp are an Invasive species) need and unnatural solution (man's intervention)

that all makes perfectly good sense to me channelcat- I just wonder why the DNR wouldn't want us to do that- I just might ask them to see

and yes, I've heard about how crafty carp are after they're caught- I probably haven't caught any twice!

[channelcat]

yea asking the warden would be good i would also like to know why they feel that way about slitting the belly the only argument i can foresee is that maybe the decomposing fish might cause diseases in living fish but they might have information that i don't know so i guess it never hurts to ask

[stick500]

here's a response I got from our local DNR guy;

Hi Steve:
While I would like to be there to cast a spear through the heart of the last carp in North America, we can't endorse the belly-slitting you refer to. There would be a few problems:
1.) The practice of throwing dead fish, or fish parts into the water constitutes litter. It is sometimes referred to as offaling the water. Wardens will write tickets for this. We have many locations where it is a persistent problem. When the dead carp are returned to the water, they have a tendency to drift with the currents, either wind, waves or stream flow to a location where they pile up and create an obnoxious smell. We also don't want anglers to throw the carcasses on the bank unless it is in an isolated area, and the landowner has granted permission for it. We don't want them left on the banks in parks, public fishing or hunting areas, and we don't want them thrown into dumpsters or garbage cans. In some cities, such as Jefferson the problem of disposing carp in dumpsters has prompted us to work with the city to post signs letting people know that it is legal to release any fish they catch.

2.) Even though carp are a nuisance in most of our waters, they are a resource................so (probably no one has ever received a ticket for it) slitting bellies would still be "wasting a resource."

3.) In waters where we have commercial contracts, the effect of anglers in controlling carp by catch-kill-and release would be insignificant. Even organized archery tournaments will usually only yield about 10,000 pounds of carp. Our commercial contractors are removing over 1 million pounds per year on the Lake Koshkonong/Rock River system.

Our recommendation is the same with any other litter - take it home with you. You can cook them, smoke them, bury them in your garden. You can bag them and put them out with the trash. People with chickens or pigs may be able to handle a few.

Aside from that, the world is changing. To save money, more and more people are fishing carp for food. And as a recreational resource, tournament fishing for carp (catch and release) is on the increase.

Another growing concern comes from the anti-hunting/anti-fishing crowd that paints anglers and hunters as a blood thirsty lot. Having piles of dead carp wash up on the shore only adds fuel to their fire.

Hope this helps

Don Bush
Regional Fisheries Team Leader - East Fisheries Team
DNR Service Center

[channelcat]

i guess im making a mass carp grave in my garden ;)

[JERRY LARSON]

ask your neighbors with a garden if they might want some fish,most will say yes I would think.

[SecretLake]

The regulations are vague. On page 20 of the 2009 regulations:

"Suckers, redhorse, carp, and other rough fish (unless listed as threatened or endangered, p. 13) may be taken by hand or hook and line. However, it is illegal to fish by hook and line in a trout stream during the closed trout season. (See separate 2009–2010 Spearing, Netting, and Bait Harvest Regulations). You may return rough fish taken by hand or hook and line to the water. Rough fish taken by spear or bow and arrow may not be returned to the water. Dispose of them properly; do not leave them on shore or on the ice."

The options seem to be to release the fish back into the water or keep the fish. I disagree with returning the fish back to water, but I also understand why they are not to be left on shore. I remember fishing with my friends as a kid catching so many carp and stacking them on shore like firewood. I seem to recall back then you were not to return the fish back to water, but we created a big stench pile in doing so.