I thoroughly enjoyed that read Dicky. Beautifully written, well done!. The same is happening on the Warwickshire Avon. Carp are now showing up everywhere. And now there's even a growing band of river carpers who have turned their attentions soley to their pursuit. That in itself is worrying for me. As more and more carp anglers become aware of the existance and proliferation of river carp then I fear an all out onslaught for them will see a heavy decline in the catchability of other river species. I only hope that those anglers who do switch over from lake to river carp will not become too blinkered in their pursuit of them. And that if they should unintentionally catch something other than their intended carp that they treat it with the respect it deserves no matter what it's size maybe.
Just had a chat with Jim and he reports two troubling pieces of news.
The first is that he saw an 8-10lb catfish last week (clearly, just sub-surface) on the same lower Severn stretch we fished for the article.
Perhaps more troubling though, for fans of alternative realtree, is the news that mice got into the shed and ate his favourite bib'n'brace over the winter. As a result he now sticks out like a sore thumb on the bank and only catches blind fish!
John,
You're right about the Avon; carp have really come on over the last few years, I know several swims as far east as Warwick district that are 100% bankers for large river carp now, and I've heard of several matches that have been won by surprise carp too.
Nice read Dicky......i have mixed feelings about the carp, i do fish for them because they are there......but it is the original fish, i'm sure you know what i mean by that, that used to really get me going for them.
A lot have died and been seen in that state in the lower river, so perhaps things will balance out eventually.
The Wye and tribs have also a new influx of aliens.....lots of carp, not your classic river fish but fish with damaged mouths, escapees from a comercial without a doubt..........apparently the Lugg recieved a decent sock of cats too................
By the way John....i'm not one of those blinkered lake men....just an angler who likes to catch fish.
Hi Paul. I'm sure you are mate. But I hope you know what I meant. There's always a minority who take things a little too far. There was once a carp fishing syndicate set up on a lake that had a really diverse natual stock. Tench, crucians, roach and some fantastic huge bream that were as black as the ace of spades as well as the big carp that had been in there for as long as anyone could remember. The lake had been a members only pool for years with no night fishing allowed. But the carp syndicate was formed and they persuaded the owner to allow night fishing for the syndicate members only and very quickly (within two years) it became impossible to put a decent net of fish together. The pool had been so filled in with boilies I could swear there was a submerged boilie island, lol. Also large unknown carp started to appear which I believe had been stolen from other fisheries in the area. I saw a photo of one that was caught in the pool, and had no doubt it was the same fish caught in another pool some 5 miles away a year earlier. So I hope you can see what I mean when I say I'm more than a little worried about the spread of river carp and the changes in angling behaviour that they might attract.
Hi John..........i think our views would be in near total agreement.......those elusive big carp amongst the other mixed stock in the lake you mention would have satisfied my desires.
I have no wish to put any one species on a pedastal, i certainly want to pass on a balanced view and angling envoirment to my grandkids.
I don't believe it! Just when you think that all those genetically modified half-starved mud-pigs (carp) that spend half their lives in keepnets are safely tucked away in muddy puddles so overstocked you could train a monkey to catch a netful, then along come the floods and they end up in our rivers! It makes my blood boil, I can tell you! I don't want my river fishing ruined by a load of tatty-finned torn-lipped stock carp, thank you very much!
These days, we hear a lot about how unwise it is to build house in high flood-risk areas - shouldn't the same apply to these get-rich-quick stockponds full of alien species? Where the risk of polluting natural rivers with non-natives and GM carp exists, shouldn't stocking policies be subject to stronger controls? If there is a risk of alien fish being transferred accidentally, then the natural environment should take precedence, not someone's opportunity to make money from 'anglers' who can only catch in a stewpond! It makes me seethe!
My friends in Australia tell me it is the law there to destroy any carp caught, as they have overrun waters at the expense of native species. I think the time may be coming when we have to do the same in our rivers before they are totally dominated by this alien invader...
Now here's a thought - as we have now so many foreigners in this country who like eating carp, perhaps the EA could net them, or at least arrange for them to be collected, and sell them to raise funds for the benefit of our natural waters???
What in the name of god is going on? I don't believe it!!!!!
I totally agree that an action plan to remove as many carp as possible should be drawn up by the EA. I wouldn't want to see any of the fish killed but repatriation back into none flooding stillwaters would be a good option. Releasing an alien species into the wild can cause irreversable change and destruction for native stocks . Just look what happend with grey squirrels and mink when they were released into the British countryside. I can just imagine the devasting effect carp will have on the spawning grounds each spring. Just as the native fish are laying their eggs there will be the carp hoovering them up. I sincerely hope the EA are prepared to do something quickly but to be honest I don't hold out too much hope that they will.
