^These fish are sooo much fun! Anyone who has caught one will agree, once you've caught the first one, your just itching for the next one, and the next one after that..
But its up to us to keep the fish we enjoy healthy and happy for generations to come. :razz:
Commons are considered invasive in Ontario, but imo that opinion should be re-evaluated.... Its been a while anyway.
Europeans brought Commons over to North America in the late 1800's as a food source, and although the appetite for them quickly diminished, they have since thrived and flourished here.
I think people have directed an unfair bias towards them. - As a garbage 'mud fish' that eats and destroys lakebed vegetation that other species rely on to procreate... However, I have witnessed first hand this statement to be slightly misleading. (At least where I fish)
Perhaps my opinion is a tad premature, but in their defense:
There are hundreds, if not thousands of carp at any given time (year round) at Tommy Thompson park, and you can clearly see large groups of them cruising right there at the surface of the water, sometimes up to ten at a time, this gives the impression that this place has become a sanctuary or atleast a common pass-through for many local carp. There are also countless amounts of jumpers that thrash completely out of the water like dolphins on a regular basis, readily viewable to a discerning viewer.. however I have noticed that other species also thrive in the exact same waters as these 'lakebed destroyers'
Slap a different lure on and there is an abundance of Perch, Pike, Largemouth bass, Crappies, Sunfish, Bullheads, Rainbow trout, White Bass, etc to be caught as well.
-I once carp fished a year back in between two action casting-anglers who literally pulled out fish on their first and second casts right beside me; one a White bass and the other a Pike, on his second cast.
So tell me, if Carp destroy everything around them that prevent other fish to co-exist with them, then why is there such an abundance of other species at TTP that thrive in peace along with these thousands of Commons?
The point I'm trying to make is: their living creatures who give us fishermen great enjoyment, so lets not treat them like 'garbage'
-Use a mat to protect them during unhooking, dont weight them unless you can do it safely without injuring them, and just like any other living thing on this planet: Treat them with the respect they deserve!
They are here for our enjoyment, so lets practice safe and respectable carping guys!
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Keep posting your pics guys! Love seeing them out of the water in good hands, such cute faces sometimes
