Caught my first carp this week

[salmotrutta]

These were accidental catches, as I stumbled onto a bait that seemed to be very effective for them.

We'd catch a lot of these as kids with bread balls, but since I started angling for game fish, I had yet to catch a single carp.

First one was the smallest and had a good chunk of its tail missing

Next one was bigger, with a more complete tail

Third time's the charm, a flawless specimen, the largest of the trio

Fun change of pace!

 

[TRINIBOY]

Hey Salmo I maybe wrong but those look like goldfish buddy... Maybe somebody with more experience with carp can weigh in on this for clarification.

 

[hammercarp]

Nice goldfish Salmotrutta. Goldfish ( carassius auratus ) are related to common carp ( cyprinus carpio ) .

 

[salmotrutta]

Just read that goldfish were bred from Prussian carp over a thousand years ago; they are a domesticated Prussian carp.

 

[hammercarp]

You can call them carp if you like. :lol:

 

[hammercarp]

But I'll still call mine goldfish. :grin:

 

[FishingNoob]

But I'll still call mine goldfish. :grin:

How do the gold fish grow so big?

 

[Brian]

Great catches there salmo...I won't mnd catching a few of those beauties...

 

[TRINIBOY]

Space and food. They can get to abbot the same size as a Japanese koi

 

[hammercarp]

I think goldfish max out at about 6 or 7 pounds. Koi which are common carp bred for their colours can get up to 40 pounds or maybe more.

 

[NADO]

Landing mats for invasive Goldfish??

It should be made clear these are an invasive species. If caught the best thing to do is to euthanize the fish and do not release it. Also make sure it is dead if you are travelling with it, dont want to be on the receiving end of a hefty "transporting ivasive species" fine....

It would be a good idea for you to call the MNR hotline and report your finding. Chances are they already know about them being in that location but more information is better!


You can read up on them on page 83 of the field guide to Aquatic invasive species at the link below.
http://www.invadingspecies.com/

 

[hightechdecks]

the snack that smiles back GOLDFISH

 

[hammercarp]

the snack that smiles back GOLDFISH

:lol: I think you could put them on a hair rig for carp.

 

[salmotrutta]

Today's gold

Wonky tail

This one was larger than it appears in the pic

 

[hammercarp]

Nice.

 

[MichaelVerdirame]

Gorgeous fish, congrats on even finding wild goldfish! hahaha

 

[salmotrutta]

One today amidst the flurry of crappie, perch and bluegill.

This one pulled quite well, for a goldfish.

 

[hightechdecks]

pretty fish....how could anyone destroy such a thing. you getting any nice sized panfish salmo?

 

[hightechdecks]

:lol: I think you could put them on a hair rig for carp.

thx hammer i was to lazy to upload a pic.....can gold fish hybridize w/ carp? the one on your mat looks carp like w/ dorsal fin and rounded tail

 

[salmotrutta]

pretty fish....how could anyone destroy such a thing. you getting any nice sized panfish salmo?

Yeah, I saw them posted on an Invasive Species sign in a conservation area along with common carp, but I would not kill one of these even if it had a toonie in its belly. All settlers in NA are technically invasive species, aren't we? And I'm sure we've done more damage than any invasive plant or fish ever will.

Good question on the panfish, I have been able to find spots for giant bluegill and pumpkinseed in the Kawarthas. I don't have any pics, they were quite large though. I could have made a nice meal out of just a few of them. Also found some big perch (that's a size 12 shoe)

Consistent big crappie still elude me, but I've found spots where I can get smaller ones in huge numbers. Come to think of it, I do know spots with larger ones, I just rarely fish them.

Panfish are fun, especially with the odd giant goldfish thrown in the mix. The key to having fun with panfish for me is trying novel ways of catching them. Bare hooks especially, I have also caught catfish and even bass while targeting panfish with just a hook. I can put more crappie to the bank in the evening with just a hook than I could with bait. Dry and wet flies are absolutely deadly for panfish. You'd think Canadian Tire would carry a panfish fly kit for kids, so much easier than using worms and you absolutely don't need a fly rod or fly line.