CATCHING AND KEEPING CARP
Washington Fishing
Jun 21, 2022 16:59:15 #
Why You Should Keep Carp, and How to Use Them
By M.D. Johnson
Field & Stream
Field & Stream
1 day ago
https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2fT1JW_0gGSpgcI00
Let’s face it. Unless you’re from overseas, the ordinary, run-of-the-mill common carp (Cyprinus carpio) isn’t really on your radar. You may catch one or two by accident while fishing for, well, anything else besides carp, but as far as targeting these oft-maligned fish? Yeah, not so much.
And it’s a shame, really, because while, yes, I’d rather fish for and then eat a walleye or crappie or bluegill or flathead ‘cat, carp are actually quite cool. For starters, they’re everywhere from coast to coast. They’re omnivorous and can be caught on both live baits and artificials. In my opinion, they’re also brutishly handsome. And as far as fight goes? Pound-for-pound, the common carp bests anything in freshwater—and many saltwater fish.
Keeping Carp is a good idea, too. In many bodies of water, decreasing the carp population can help other fish. The way carp spawn can suffocate the eggs of more desirable species. And, surprising to some, carp can be used for a wide variety of things, including the following.
First, Pick the Right Fish and Clean it The Right Way
Not every carp you catch is going to work in each and every situation below. For culinary purposes, you’ll want smaller (1- to 4-pound) fish, preferably out of cold, clear water. If you’re going to eat these fish, you’ll want to clean them very carefully, almost surgically. Scale them, leave the skin on, and absolutely remove every smidgen of red meat and fat from the fillet. It tastes gross, trust me.
1) Pressure-Can Carp To Get Rid of the Bones
My wife, Julie, is in the process of teaching me how to pressure can fish and shellfish, and I’ve already enjoyed success with salmon, sturgeon, albacore tuna, and razor clams. Carp is no different in terms of processing than salmon or sturgeon.
To repeat, scale and fillet your fish very carefully, excising all of the red meat and fat. Pack it into pint or half-pint canning jars leaving an inch of headspace, seal ‘em snug, ready your pressure canner, and process at 10 pounds for 90 minutes—without getting too far away from your equipment should something go awry. In the spirit of experimentation, you could always throw in a few slices of jalapeno or a tablespoon of minced garlic prior to sealing the jars for a little extra flavor.
Canning carp is a good way to cook them for a couple of reasons. One, carp are bony, and pressure canning dissolves the bones, essentially eliminating the need to probe and peck and work around the inedibles. Second, canning extends the shelf life of the fish from roughly four months in the freezer to up to a year, or more, in the pantry.
https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1gs2lG_0gGSpgcI00
Carp are fun to catch, and, if prepared the right way, they can be eaten, too. Romain Gruchalski via Getty Images
2) Brine and Smoke Carp Fillets
I’ll never forget the first time my wife and I drove across the Mississippi into Wisconsin where we found a small, rustic store specializing in cheese curds and smoked carp. I smiled to myself, thinking my wife, a Washington native raised on wild salmon and steelhead, wouldn’t like eating the smoked fish. “This. Is. Great!” she told me after her first bite, and she’s been a carp convert ever since.
It isn’t difficult to smoke carp. But it is a tad time-consuming—with the end result well worth the investment. I start with cleaned and trimmed fillets from the aforementioned smaller fish. Next, I brine the fillets, skin down, in a large, deep plastic tub for four to five hours, in a mixture of the following:
One quart of cold water
Two cups of brown sugar
One cup of rock salt
Half cup of Morton Tender Quick
Then, it’s off to the Camp Chef Smoke Vault smoker, which I’ve already pre-heated to 180 degrees and pre-smoked with a partial tray of alder chips. I prefer a moist smoked fish, so I smoke my carp fillets for 240 to 270 minutes at a steady 180 to 190 degrees. Experimentation is certainly applicable here, both with the brine recipe—note: powdered jalapeno makes for good smoked carp—as well as the smoke time.
3) Make Carp Meatballs
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this recipe, but I’ll admit it’s pretty darn good. Using a tablespoon, scrape the flesh from a trimmed carp fillet to get rid of the pin bones. (Four nice medium-sized fillets are enough.) Next, finely-dice the fish scrapings.
With the diced carp in a bowl, add finely chopped onions, jalapenos (if you like it hot), parsley, minced garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, an egg, and a ½ cup of crushed Saltine crackers. Mix well, and form the mixture into balls roughly the size of a golf ball. Arrange in a shallow steamer or on a steamer basket, and steam for 15 minutes until flaky.
What you do with them next is up to you. I put two or three in a pita pocket, add onions, lettuce, and spicy ranch dressing to make a sandwich. They’re also good by themselves with a bit of ranch, soy/wasabi, or seasoned mayo on the side. Or you can slide four or five carp balls onto a skewer, along with cherry tomatoes, chunked peppers, and onion, and cook them on the grill.
https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0CLoJY_0gGSpgcI00
Carp can be used as bait for catfish, or in the garden as fertilizer. BSIP via Getty Images
4) Use Carp For Catfish Bait
I used common carp, quillback, and other rough fish for the following bait recipe, and found it works incredibly well for heat-of-the-summer channel cats. I start by scaling and filleting a smallish 1- to 2-pound carp with the skin on. No trimming is necessary here, as you’re not going to be eating it. Next, I cut each fillet into 1- to 2-inch cubes, depending on how big I want my bait.
The cubes then go into a clean Mason jar, along with a healthy squirt of Liquid Smelly Jelly scent, either shad or garlic. (Catfish are nothing more than swimming sensory organs, so keeping everything you throw at them clean, including your bait, is important.) Seal the jar, shake to blend, and store in the ‘fridge. The shelf life is lengthy. This DIY cutbait actually gets better with age.
5) Fertilize the Garden and Feed Chickens With Carp
Big carp. Little carp. Hook ‘n line. Archery gear. Gig. Or the five-fingered things at the end of your arms. It doesn’t matter how you catch ‘em, or how big they are, carp make a fantastic fertilizer for the garden. Bury them 18- to 24-inches deep, and let the roots work their way down to the nutrients, while the slowly decaying fish liquefies and leaches throughout the soil. Container garden? No problem; use small fish, or half a carcass per container. Improvise and adjust.
And speaking of carcasses, some of our post-fillet carp go to our chickens. They love to pick at ‘em—however, I will pick up the remaining skeletons and dispose of them, so they don’t rot and attract varmints.
By M.D. Johnson
Field & Stream
Field & Stream
1 day ago
https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2fT1JW_0gGSpgcI00
Let’s face it. Unless you’re from overseas, the ordinary, run-of-the-mill common carp (Cyprinus carpio) isn’t really on your radar. You may catch one or two by accident while fishing for, well, anything else besides carp, but as far as targeting these oft-maligned fish? Yeah, not so much.
And it’s a shame, really, because while, yes, I’d rather fish for and then eat a walleye or crappie or bluegill or flathead ‘cat, carp are actually quite cool. For starters, they’re everywhere from coast to coast. They’re omnivorous and can be caught on both live baits and artificials. In my opinion, they’re also brutishly handsome. And as far as fight goes? Pound-for-pound, the common carp bests anything in freshwater—and many saltwater fish.
Keeping Carp is a good idea, too. In many bodies of water, decreasing the carp population can help other fish. The way carp spawn can suffocate the eggs of more desirable species. And, surprising to some, carp can be used for a wide variety of things, including the following.
First, Pick the Right Fish and Clean it The Right Way
Not every carp you catch is going to work in each and every situation below. For culinary purposes, you’ll want smaller (1- to 4-pound) fish, preferably out of cold, clear water. If you’re going to eat these fish, you’ll want to clean them very carefully, almost surgically. Scale them, leave the skin on, and absolutely remove every smidgen of red meat and fat from the fillet. It tastes gross, trust me.
1) Pressure-Can Carp To Get Rid of the Bones
My wife, Julie, is in the process of teaching me how to pressure can fish and shellfish, and I’ve already enjoyed success with salmon, sturgeon, albacore tuna, and razor clams. Carp is no different in terms of processing than salmon or sturgeon.
To repeat, scale and fillet your fish very carefully, excising all of the red meat and fat. Pack it into pint or half-pint canning jars leaving an inch of headspace, seal ‘em snug, ready your pressure canner, and process at 10 pounds for 90 minutes—without getting too far away from your equipment should something go awry. In the spirit of experimentation, you could always throw in a few slices of jalapeno or a tablespoon of minced garlic prior to sealing the jars for a little extra flavor.
Canning carp is a good way to cook them for a couple of reasons. One, carp are bony, and pressure canning dissolves the bones, essentially eliminating the need to probe and peck and work around the inedibles. Second, canning extends the shelf life of the fish from roughly four months in the freezer to up to a year, or more, in the pantry.
https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1gs2lG_0gGSpgcI00
Carp are fun to catch, and, if prepared the right way, they can be eaten, too. Romain Gruchalski via Getty Images
2) Brine and Smoke Carp Fillets
I’ll never forget the first time my wife and I drove across the Mississippi into Wisconsin where we found a small, rustic store specializing in cheese curds and smoked carp. I smiled to myself, thinking my wife, a Washington native raised on wild salmon and steelhead, wouldn’t like eating the smoked fish. “This. Is. Great!” she told me after her first bite, and she’s been a carp convert ever since.
It isn’t difficult to smoke carp. But it is a tad time-consuming—with the end result well worth the investment. I start with cleaned and trimmed fillets from the aforementioned smaller fish. Next, I brine the fillets, skin down, in a large, deep plastic tub for four to five hours, in a mixture of the following:
One quart of cold water
Two cups of brown sugar
One cup of rock salt
Half cup of Morton Tender Quick
Then, it’s off to the Camp Chef Smoke Vault smoker, which I’ve already pre-heated to 180 degrees and pre-smoked with a partial tray of alder chips. I prefer a moist smoked fish, so I smoke my carp fillets for 240 to 270 minutes at a steady 180 to 190 degrees. Experimentation is certainly applicable here, both with the brine recipe—note: powdered jalapeno makes for good smoked carp—as well as the smoke time.
3) Make Carp Meatballs
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like this recipe, but I’ll admit it’s pretty darn good. Using a tablespoon, scrape the flesh from a trimmed carp fillet to get rid of the pin bones. (Four nice medium-sized fillets are enough.) Next, finely-dice the fish scrapings.
With the diced carp in a bowl, add finely chopped onions, jalapenos (if you like it hot), parsley, minced garlic, salt, freshly ground pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, an egg, and a ½ cup of crushed Saltine crackers. Mix well, and form the mixture into balls roughly the size of a golf ball. Arrange in a shallow steamer or on a steamer basket, and steam for 15 minutes until flaky.
What you do with them next is up to you. I put two or three in a pita pocket, add onions, lettuce, and spicy ranch dressing to make a sandwich. They’re also good by themselves with a bit of ranch, soy/wasabi, or seasoned mayo on the side. Or you can slide four or five carp balls onto a skewer, along with cherry tomatoes, chunked peppers, and onion, and cook them on the grill.
https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0CLoJY_0gGSpgcI00
Carp can be used as bait for catfish, or in the garden as fertilizer. BSIP via Getty Images
4) Use Carp For Catfish Bait
I used common carp, quillback, and other rough fish for the following bait recipe, and found it works incredibly well for heat-of-the-summer channel cats. I start by scaling and filleting a smallish 1- to 2-pound carp with the skin on. No trimming is necessary here, as you’re not going to be eating it. Next, I cut each fillet into 1- to 2-inch cubes, depending on how big I want my bait.
The cubes then go into a clean Mason jar, along with a healthy squirt of Liquid Smelly Jelly scent, either shad or garlic. (Catfish are nothing more than swimming sensory organs, so keeping everything you throw at them clean, including your bait, is important.) Seal the jar, shake to blend, and store in the ‘fridge. The shelf life is lengthy. This DIY cutbait actually gets better with age.
5) Fertilize the Garden and Feed Chickens With Carp
Big carp. Little carp. Hook ‘n line. Archery gear. Gig. Or the five-fingered things at the end of your arms. It doesn’t matter how you catch ‘em, or how big they are, carp make a fantastic fertilizer for the garden. Bury them 18- to 24-inches deep, and let the roots work their way down to the nutrients, while the slowly decaying fish liquefies and leaches throughout the soil. Container garden? No problem; use small fish, or half a carcass per container. Improvise and adjust.
And speaking of carcasses, some of our post-fillet carp go to our chickens. They love to pick at ‘em—however, I will pick up the remaining skeletons and dispose of them, so they don’t rot and attract varmints.
Jun 21, 2022 17:13:34 #
I have a very good Vietmanese buddy (he and I used to work together) who fish with now and again, and he taught me how to fish for American Shad when they run in the spring. He may be out there right now on the American River. Have you ever caught one? They're the slimiest, smelliest, foulest thing to come out of clean water you can imagine. He takes them home to his mother and she prepares them in a pressure cooker. Some of the best fish I've ever eaten. And, as far as I know, she will not touch carp.
And I used to fish with my good friend Bill, on the Feather River, and he would take just about anything we caught home to his Indonesian wife and she would cook it up. Again, no carp.
I like #'s 4 and 5 although I've never had any luck with carp as bait, but then I just cut it up and put it on the hook, no smelly jelly or anything like that.
And I used to fish with my good friend Bill, on the Feather River, and he would take just about anything we caught home to his Indonesian wife and she would cook it up. Again, no carp.
I like #'s 4 and 5 although I've never had any luck with carp as bait, but then I just cut it up and put it on the hook, no smelly jelly or anything like that.
Jun 21, 2022 17:45:24 #
Help
Loc: Green Bay WI
Carp’ tilapia and suckers are all bottom feeders where the feces from other fish end up. Europeans only had carp so they are the fish of choice and brought to America as the fish to feed the nation. They didn’t know of good fish or how to catch them.
Jun 21, 2022 19:17:54 #
Carp are a blast to fish for. All the ones I catch I just release them. I feel carp have been here for so long that they are natural now. All fish eat fish eggs and fry, one of these days will have to cook one up. Carps get a bad rap but thats OK,
Jun 21, 2022 19:21:36 #
Jun 21, 2022 22:13:11 #
Help wrote:
Carp’ tilapia and suckers are all bottom feeders where the feces from other fish end up. Europeans only had carp so they are the fish of choice and brought to America as the fish to feed the nation. They didn’t know of good fish or how to catch them.
Ive ate Carp from Local Lakes my FIL would catch while we were fishing, the way he prepared and grilled was excellent, canal carp & catfish taste just like that, canal muddy water, to each his own, Go Carp !!😁🤙🤙
Jun 21, 2022 23:28:49 #
Jarheadfishnfool wrote:
Ive ate Carp from Local Lakes my FIL would catch while we were fishing, the way he prepared and grilled was excellent, canal carp & catfish taste just like that, canal muddy water, to each his own, Go Carp !!😁🤙🤙
Jun 22, 2022 08:32:43 #
Bilgebreath
Loc: Fairborn, Ohio
I catch and release everything. I usually fish for cats, but do some salt and bass too. Once in awhile I will mix up some bait and dig out my method feeders and hunt carp. I caught a 30 pound grass carp a few weeks ago. I thought I had hooked moby. What a hoot on light gear. I dont know about eating them, but they are a blast to catch.
Jun 22, 2022 08:57:52 #
Bilgebreath wrote:
I catch and release everything. I usually fish for cats, but do some salt and bass too. Once in awhile I will mix up some bait and dig out my method feeders and hunt carp. I caught a 30 pound grass carp a few weeks ago. I thought I had hooked moby. What a hoot on light gear. I dont know about eating them, but they are a blast to catch.
I am still waiting to catch my 30 lb carp, you are right they are a blast to catch.
Jun 22, 2022 11:53:28 #
MoJoe
Loc: Springfield, MO
I grew up in the 1950's near the Passaic River in Paterson New Jersey, which was so polluted that the only fish that could live in there were carp. We gave our carp away to an old guy who would mix them with Pike and probably a few other things to make gefilte fish.
Later in life, I was actively involved in fish farming in Arizona where we raised tilapia, catfish, and striped bass. The fish would taste great if we fed them the right combination of high protein food, but the tilapia and catfish would taste awful if allowed to forage for stuff on the bottom. Tilapia in particular would eat moss and just taste awful.
Later in life, I was actively involved in fish farming in Arizona where we raised tilapia, catfish, and striped bass. The fish would taste great if we fed them the right combination of high protein food, but the tilapia and catfish would taste awful if allowed to forage for stuff on the bottom. Tilapia in particular would eat moss and just taste awful.
Jun 22, 2022 12:01:17 #
MoJoe wrote:
I grew up in the 1950's near the Passaic River in ... (show quote)
Like anything else you are what you eat. Eat a old range cow and then eat one raise on corn and see which one is better. By the way I grew up in the 50's in Patterson , Calif. along the San Jaquain River.
Jun 22, 2022 13:36:02 #
El Rod
Loc: Port A
Kerry Hansen wrote:
Why You Should Keep Carp, and How to Use Them br B... (show quote)
Thanks Kerry for all the information but I’m gonna pass on every one but I might use one for fertilizer if I ever catch another one 😎👍
Jun 22, 2022 16:54:45 #
Barry1576
Loc: Western Kentucky
When I was a kid the neighbor took me fishing for carp. We caught a few. He combined the smoking and canning. He gave some to my mother. Better than salmon patties!!!
Jun 22, 2022 23:28:23 #
FixorFish
Loc: SW Oregon
I can still remember the look on my Mom's face when I rode up to the front porch, where my mother was entertaining a couple of ladies, having ice tea on a late, hot afternoon.
I was about to turn 10, so was finally allowed to go with friends, down the road a couple of miles to Cottonwood Park and the Cottonwood River, to fish. A rather big deal, since before, I was only allowed to go fishing in Peter Pan Park, two blocks away, without older siblings or an adult....lots of bluegill, bullheads, and sun perch, but nothing even approaching 1lb, much less, even close to what I had slung between the handlebars of my stingray bike.
I was using the rod and reel my great-uncle had given me when I was 7....basic level-wind with that black Dacron (?) line, so popular in the '50's....as I wasn't going to trust my Zebco 202 to pull in "those huge catfish and carp" that my buddies and I had been told were in the river.
My buddy's dad had given him some "cotton-cake" (cattle food made from compressed cottonseed) for us to chum with, and had shown us how to use rubber bands to affix some to a hook to toss amongst the floating cotton-cake.
Surprise...it worked like a charm !
I was so excited to provide my whole family with a meal from a single fish, that I couldn't wait to get home (for once...lol !) and show off my bounty.....a carp of 10-15lbs, by far the biggest fish of my life, at the time.
So proud.... feeling like a hero..... gonna impress, for sure, I thought.
Back to that look on my Mom's face....was it admiration ? Pride in her son's accomplishment ?
Naaah....it was disgust and embarrassment !
"Take that out to the sink in the garage this moment, we'll talk about it later".
If I remember correctly, I almost cried, when later, she told me she had no intention of bringing that into HER kitchen....no sireeee, young man ! "If you can talk your father into firing up the grill and HE will help you, fine... otherwise, we'll be "Squanto-ing" that beast, I have some planting to do tomorrow, anyway.... thanks".
Felt so good all the way home..... only to have my bubble burst, when I got there.
That was 59 years ago..... haven't fished for carp since. Highly doubtful that I will start again, but y'all go catch all you want, enjoy the fight (I thought my pole was gonna snap !) and fix it however you like.
I would only want another one, to pursue a by-product carp can provide (I believe..?)......their scales might make good guitar picks, like maybe a Fender Light ?.....lol.
I was about to turn 10, so was finally allowed to go with friends, down the road a couple of miles to Cottonwood Park and the Cottonwood River, to fish. A rather big deal, since before, I was only allowed to go fishing in Peter Pan Park, two blocks away, without older siblings or an adult....lots of bluegill, bullheads, and sun perch, but nothing even approaching 1lb, much less, even close to what I had slung between the handlebars of my stingray bike.
I was using the rod and reel my great-uncle had given me when I was 7....basic level-wind with that black Dacron (?) line, so popular in the '50's....as I wasn't going to trust my Zebco 202 to pull in "those huge catfish and carp" that my buddies and I had been told were in the river.
My buddy's dad had given him some "cotton-cake" (cattle food made from compressed cottonseed) for us to chum with, and had shown us how to use rubber bands to affix some to a hook to toss amongst the floating cotton-cake.
Surprise...it worked like a charm !
I was so excited to provide my whole family with a meal from a single fish, that I couldn't wait to get home (for once...lol !) and show off my bounty.....a carp of 10-15lbs, by far the biggest fish of my life, at the time.
So proud.... feeling like a hero..... gonna impress, for sure, I thought.
Back to that look on my Mom's face....was it admiration ? Pride in her son's accomplishment ?
Naaah....it was disgust and embarrassment !
"Take that out to the sink in the garage this moment, we'll talk about it later".
If I remember correctly, I almost cried, when later, she told me she had no intention of bringing that into HER kitchen....no sireeee, young man ! "If you can talk your father into firing up the grill and HE will help you, fine... otherwise, we'll be "Squanto-ing" that beast, I have some planting to do tomorrow, anyway.... thanks".
Felt so good all the way home..... only to have my bubble burst, when I got there.
That was 59 years ago..... haven't fished for carp since. Highly doubtful that I will start again, but y'all go catch all you want, enjoy the fight (I thought my pole was gonna snap !) and fix it however you like.
I would only want another one, to pursue a by-product carp can provide (I believe..?)......their scales might make good guitar picks, like maybe a Fender Light ?.....lol.
Jun 23, 2022 00:16:36 #
I caught and gave away more than 5,000 carp in NJ. Landed 775 in my best year. Biggest were 42.5, 33, 32 and 32 lbs. They ate my homemade corn meal bait and canned whole kernel corn.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.