Carp In Pond. Problem?

[HLNichols]

I live in a neighborhood with a HOA-run pond. It is stocked pretty frequently with largemouth and bluegill. There is an abundance of vegetation in this pond, although it's not an unusual amount for a stagnant pool of water, fed by drainage. The fishing here is quite good. Several lunkers hide in the cattails and there are some exceptionally large bluegill, upwards of 10-12"! I have recently noticed that someone has put a carp in the pond. It's a big one. Looks to me as if it's a sturdy 5 pounds--maybe more. While fly fishing, I have gotten bites from it, snapping my 3X tippet. Is it a threat to the pond's ecosystem? If so, what should I do to get it out of there? I have attempted to catch it before, but to no avail. Any info is appreciated. 

[Under the Radar]

HNL,

Here in FLA they stock grass carp to help keep the vegetation down. Some of them can go 45-50#. I'm told that as the carp grow and mature, they tend to eat less. Sounds strange to me but who am I to argue.

In direct answer to your question, no, the carp won't hurt the Eco system and may actually help it.

[MCS]

I am assuming it is a grass carp, most states it is illegal to harvest and or be in possesion of them(transport) them. They are sterile and cannot reproduce(hence why that are protected). They were most likely put there by whom ever as vegitation control. Now even tho it is an HOA pond may be maintained by the state under a standard maintence agreement. If it is truly HOA maintained then they need a permit to stock it so talk to your fish and wildlife management officer and see if they can tell you who, what and why. Now depending on how smart the people are who dropped them in, they can be fine, keep it from becoming overgrown and clean or if they stocked too many they will clean it out. I have seen ponds with none, some and too many, the ponds with some usually fish the best, and the ones with no carp tend to get too weedy to fish. Even if the veg gets cleaned out it won't affect the fish(bass and bluegills), you will just have to adjust your approach. The pond that I fish that is cleaned out the fish tend to wonder, only hold to the few structures like culverts and fountains. moving plastics and cranks work.  

[Smallmouth Hunter]

HNL, Here in FLA they stock grass carp to help keep the vegetation down. Some of them can go 45-50#. I'm told that as the carp grow and mature, they tend to eat less. Sounds strange to me but who am I to argue. In direct answer to your question, no, the carp won't hurt the Eco system and may actually help it.

I went to a pond the other day and there were carp probably weighing 45+ lbs (not even joking) and they were constantly feeding. They swam around on the surface eating all day I was there.

[derekxec]

there is a small lake maybe 40ft long by 20ft wide where i used to work and they stocked it with some grass carps...about 5 of them and the carp lived fine and couldnt eat all the vegetation in that small of a lake 

 

also to note im in south florida where its hot always so the veg grows fast and we also had a 2hp pump pumping water from the canal 24/7 to keep the lake full lol...but there are a decent collection of bass in it without stocking it and the carp have plenty to eat...just the hawks come crashing in and steal some of the bass lol

 

edit: sorry the carp were in the 10-20lb range

[CoBass]

One of the ponds I fish is only about 20 acres and it has at least 50 grass carp in it over 10 lbs. They don't even come close to eating all of the vegetation. It grows back faster than they can chew it down.

[Preytorien]

I've heard the opposite of what most here are posting. Carp eat from the bottom mostly, vegetation, algae, and such, and in the process can inadvertently suck up freshly laid eggs from a spring spawn. Add to that their constant roiling on the bottom causes dirty water. Additionally they compete with other fish for food resources and given their general size it's likely they eat much more and therefore dimish food resources faster.

 

A friend of mine is a homebuilder and he says that a local DNR officer said that ponds 5 acres or less that introduce carp will usually see a decline in fish populations year after year due to stunted spawn results. He's got a pond on his own property that frequently floods since it's next to a river. In the spring when we see the carp rolling around he calls us up for a carp catching excursion.....I guess even the DNR guy doesn't want them in his pond.

 

In this article see page 6.....I know it's for Indiana (my state) but it can probably be applied most anywhere.

 

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fishmgt.pdf

[Hyrule Bass]

I am assuming it is a grass carp, most states it is illegal to harvest and or be in possesion of them(transport) them. They are sterile and cannot reproduce(hence why that are protected). They were most likely put there by whom ever as vegitation control. Now even tho it is an HOA pond may be maintained by the state under a standard maintence agreement. If it is truly HOA maintained then they need a permit to stock it so talk to your fish and wildlife management officer and see if they can tell you who, what and why. Now depending on how smart the people are who dropped them in, they can be fine, keep it from becoming overgrown and clean or if they stocked too many they will clean it out. I have seen ponds with none, some and too many, the ponds with some usually fish the best, and the ones with no carp tend to get too weedy to fish. Even if the veg gets cleaned out it won't affect the fish(bass and bluegills), you will just have to adjust your approach. The pond that I fish that is cleaned out the fish tend to wonder, only hold to the few structures like culverts and fountains. moving plastics and cranks work.  

i dont think its even worth the time for one carp, who really would want to bother with all that because of one carp...

 

the carp wont hurt your pond, keep on fishing...

[HLNichols]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I figured it was most likely beneficial to the pond. I hope it was stocked by someone who knows their stuff, although that may not be the case; there are several teenagers, (like myself) who lack the respect for nature that I and many fisherman have, that live in the neighborhood. They have been known to put catfish and other species from a local lake about 15 minutes down the road into the pond. The fish put in there were illegally taken, in poor health, and ended up floating on the top, rather than alive. So its honestly hard to tell who put it there. Regardless, thanks for the help! 

[sizzlefry]

we kill them all go bow fishing its a blast, there a nuisance around here and they will stunt a ponds population, of course I have more then one in mine but they will all be dead by end of fall.

[Julia Chaknova]

I am reading differing information about carp in ponds. A number of internet sites says that carp cannot reproduce in ponds but can reproduce in rivers. The Grass Carp is sterile and cannot reproduce; yet according to the brochure 'Fish Pond Management,' produced by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Common Carp can reproduce readily in ponds. Many people say that carp will not hurt the fishing in a pond; but other people say that carp interfere with the spawning process of other species by sucking up the fertilized roe during the eating of underwater vegetation and that the impact on desirable fish populations in dramatic. The reason I started this what that I noticed a baby carp in a pond that I fish year after year. The ranger said these are Grass Carp; so I wonder if a baby sterile Grass Carp was stocked in the Sawhill Ponds near Boulder, CO recently.