Grass Carp

[livemusic]

I was fishing today and saw something I have never seen before. It looked like a whale was under the water, lol, a huge bubble of air came up. Maybe 5' deep water. I have only two thoughts on this... an alligator or grass carp. We did have an alligator in this lake but I think they trapped him. Do grass carp do this, release air? Do alligators?

 

I saw a couple of grass carp within a couple hundred yards of that spot where the air came up. The city put them in this small lake many years ago and those things are big, 15-20 lbs. Will they bite a lure or bait? Of course, I would release them.

 

Anyone know how many acres to each grass carp are recommended?

[CeeJay]

Yeah both common and grass carp will hit artificial lures.  It's hard to target them with those though, and sweet corn and a bunch of homemade dough baits are what are normally used when carping.

 

As for the giant bubble released...I have no idea    I have seen carp release a bunch of small bubbles when they're mucking around on the bottom.  Turtles do that as well. 

When I would bait an area with corn I'd see those little bubbles get closer and closer to my bait and knew the carp were there...hang on because they are beastly strong and fast. 

[Goose52]

I've caught a number of grass carp but only once did one take an artificial - it hit a lipless crank on the fall - perhaps thinking it was plant matter.  Otherwise, all the grass carp that I've landed have been snagged/foul hooked while fishing treble hook baits for bass.

 

I don't specifically target them since, like in your case, they are placed in the lake for aquatic weed control.  If you search in the "Other Fish Species" forum, there have been a number of threads about how to target them - including chumming with corn as mentioned by CeeJay.

 

If the grass carp in your lake are "only" 15-20 pounds - then they're not even at 1/2 size yet. If they get enough to eat, they will get MUCH heavier...

 

 

 

 

 

[CeeJay]

I find grass carp to be beautiful, in their own way....and wow do they get big and strong.

Great pics there Goose.  

 

I've actually caught some that had hit (as in attacked and were hooked in the lip) my inline spinners, wet flies and nymphs, topwater poppers(!) as well as corn. 

 

(Yeah this thread would probably get more input in the "other species" forum).

[Fisherman)]

Hooked one using dough balls, snapped my line by my dock but we got to see her! Probably around 12 lbs

[Bluebasser86]

My biggest rod and reel grass carp hit a 168 S waver (I watched it T bone it).