Queen of rivers

Sneer not, ye tournament bass angler. Have some respect, kayak fisherman. And thou, O Master of the Long Rod, tip your hat to he who angles after the “golden bone” from the bank.

Carp, and the men and women who pursue them, suffer from an image problem. It’s an image problem based on a little bit of truth (yes, the hardy common carp can tolerate waters that will float other fish belly-to-the-sun), and a whole lot of myth (carp are scavenging sucker fish of no table or sporting value).

The truth is, the common carp (an overgrown member of the minnow family native to Asia) are edible, abundant, feisty, and -- at least potentially -- really, really big. They are omnivores that feed throughout the water column, and the big fish prefer clear, clean water.

Carpers pursue the large specimens for the same reason anyone wets a line: it’s a good time.

“It’s real easy to call them a trash fish if you haven’t caught one,” said Brian Nordberg, a Dallas resident and president of the international Carp Angler’s Group.

Usually, Nordberg said, an angler’s first carp is an accident.

“They think: ‘Wow, that was fun,’” he said. “Then maybe they go out and try to catch a big one.”

In the United States, the big ones famously occupy two bodies of water: the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York, and Town Lake in Austin.

Izaak Walton gave an entire chapter over to carp in his 1653 The Compleate Angler :

"The Carp is the queen of rivers; a stately, a good, and a very subtil fish ... the Carp, if he have water-room and good feed, will grow to a very great bigness and length; I have heard, to be much above a yard long.

"... If you will fish for a Carp, you must put on a very large measure of patience, especially to fish for a river Carp: I have known a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours in a day, for three or four days together, for a river Carp, and not have a bite."

Al St. Cyr, who holds the current Texas state record for common carp, got hooked on the subtleties of carp-fishing years ago when he saw a fisherman catch one – by accident – while fishing for white bass near his Denton home.

“It took him so long to get it in, I just thought it was the coolest thing,” he said.

St. Cyr estimated he has caught something on the order of 50,000 carp in his fishing career. Lately, they average about 26 pounds each.

Like many anglers, St. Cyr fishes pursues carp by choice. He’s an experienced fisherman, with five bass better than 13 pounds (two from Lake Ray Roberts and three from Lake Fork). He hooked his personal best bull shark while swimming a bloody bait over the third bar on a Texas beach.

“Probably not the smartest thing to do,” he admitted.

Dedicated carp anglers can spend $5,000 or more for specialized equipment, most of it imported from Europe. A basic, three-rod set-up can be had for about $500. Long rods and spinning reels are the order of the day. A budget angler can get started with an Okuma Baitfeeder reel and Cabela’s Predator casting rod for about $120.

Nordberg said that “Euro-style” carp anglers routinely cast their baits 80-100 yards.

St. Cyr, he said, is “a monster.”

“Al has the technique, and he’s not afraid to push his equipment to the limit,” he said. “It’s not unusual for him to cast 150, 160 yards.”

Carp baits, called “boilies,” can run $10-$20 per pound. Given that a carp angler may use 200 pounds of bait in a tournament, it’s not surprising that many make their own. Recipes -- with ingredients like bananas, pineapples, Big Red and more – are closely guarded secrets.

In Texas, as across the nation, carp angling is on an upswing.

In what may have signaled a “back to the future” scenario, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries Director Phil Durocher briefed TPW Commission members in April on the status of the fishery.

The agenda item posed the question: “Fishing for Common Carp – Is This the Future for the Urban Masses?”

“The potential for carp fishing is considerable,” said Durocher. “We need to be prepared in Texas if the sport takes off.”

Common carp were introduced into the state in 1881, and Texas’ first fish hatchery – at Barton Springs in Austin – was devoted to the species.

Carpers take the disdain of their fishing brethren largely in stride.

“I just think they’re ill-informed,” said St. Cyr. “You’ve got to respect everyone’s opinions, but if they’re opinions are founded on nothing, you have to let it go.”

The Carp Anglers Group president agreed.

“Right now, we're thrilled there's some newfound respect for the species and they're beginning to be noticed as a fun and challenging sporting resource,” said Nordberg.

For more information:

Carp are indisputably the most popular game fish in the world. In the United States, two organizations promote the sport. The Carp Anglers Group is a non-profit organization that focuses on education. The American Carp Society, which sponsored the Texas Carp Challenge – the venue for St. Cyr’s state record catch – is a for-profit organization that focuses on competitive carp fishing. Both associations offer a wealth of information for anyone interested in getting involved in the sport.