Bass and Carp

[The Bassman]

Carp fishing topic in Other Species forum gave me this thought. A couple of the ponds I fish have had an increasing population of carp in recent years. The ponds are still good producers at times but are frequently turbid from the carp's activity. May/June is a mess because of their spawning. I'm wondering about similar situations with you guys and how it has impacted your fishing.

[scaleface]

The best place I ever fished for large bass was a chute off the Mississippi river that was protected by a levee . It never flooded and was full of carp  .My pb bass came out of this place . One day I observed  a school of carp sucking on the surface  so I attempted to snag one . I threw a Bomber Long A Minnow past the school; , then started ripping it as hard as I could  through them . A big bass hit it right in the middle of the group . 

[Cgolf]

Honestly the river I fish, I have seen the carp during the spawn so thick you could walk across the river on them and the smallie fishery has been strong and healthy with fish of all sizes including some tanks. Walleye and pike seem to do okay too. The last few years the carp numbers seem to be down so maybe they are being pushed out by the game fish, but who knows. A local lake has them as well and while the water is ugly, always has been, the gamefish populations seem fine, at least right now.

[Bluebasser86]

In just an everyday situation, I don't worry about them. In fact, smallies will even follow feeding carp as they'll dislodge prey from the bottom as they root around the bottom.

 

When carp are spawning, bass seem to avoid the area. When bass are spawning, carp can be a big issue because they can destroy a bed very easily. 

 

They've coexisted for over 100 years now though, I don't worry about it too much. 

[TnRiver46]

Silly non biting fish 

[cyclops2]

My area carp have loads of spring reeds to force their way deep into.  No bigger bass can get into. Carp spawn & leave the reeds.  The bass & others &  herons and eat the babies as they come out of the reeds.

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Silly non biting fish 

Step 1: Get your light action out and put a small plastic craw or insect looking bait QUIETLY in their face while they're rooting around. Step 2: HANG ON!!!

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Step 1: Get your light action out and put a small plastic craw or insect looking bait QUIETLY in their face while they're rooting around. Step 2: HANG ON!!!

I been tossing small plastic craws my whole life! I can get 30-50 smallies in a day sometimes, zero carp ever. Smallies bite carp don’t haha. Almond joy has nuts mounds don’t 

[T-Billy]

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I been tossing small plastic craws my whole life! I can get 30-50 smallies in a day sometimes, zero carp ever. Smallies bite carp don’t haha. Almond joy has nuts mounds don’t 

Maybe you're just not holding your tongue right? ?? I never had one pick up a plastic either, until I started throwing a TRD Bug into their mud clouds for smallies a couple years ago. I've caught four between 8 and 13.5 lbs since.

[Bird]

Carp may be a necessary specie "idk" but they disrupt my bass fishing during their spawn. 

They muddy up the coves and startle me like a beaver tail in the night. 

 

 

[gim]

Bowfishing seems to have added a few more participants here in MN.  Their rigs are easy to spot at night time with all their heavy flood lights and loud generators.  I say have at it.  Remove as many as possible.

[TnRiver46]

30 minutes ago, Bird said:

Carp may be a necessary specie "idk" but they disrupt my bass fishing during their spawn. 

They muddy up the coves and startle me like a beaver tail in the night. 

 

 

They are from across the ocean, I wouldn’t put them in the necessary category 

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

startle me like a beaver tail in the night. 

 

I've never had a beaver make me pee my pants, but a few have come close!!! Territorial buggers after dark.

Carp don't seem to have any negative affect on bass fishing that I've ever noticed. Yeah they can muddy up the shallows, but I still catch bass around them. They are just big minnows and their young provide forage for all the other predatory fish. Their numbers seem stable in the waters I fish. Been fishing these same lakes since the 70's. Zebra mussels have made the biggest difference in them that I've seen.

 

[WRB]

Carp eat bass eggs. Bass eat young of the Carp.

Tom

[soflabasser]

I catch big bass in the same places I catch big carp so I see these fish coexisting well together.

[Bluebasser86]

12 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I been tossing small plastic craws my whole life! I can get 30-50 smallies in a day sometimes, zero carp ever. Smallies bite carp don’t haha. Almond joy has nuts mounds don’t 

This one ate my Ned rig right off the end of a boat ramp dock. I was looking for a big cull smallmouth and thought I'd found it, even the color looked right in the dirty water. The guy on the bank laughing when he saw it was a carp didn't help.

[WRB]

Everything in balance, if the big Carp out number bass the bass population overall crashes, not a good thing for bass anglers.

Tom

 

[JustJames]

I don’t mind them and never plan to kill them either. If I didn’t fish for bass, crap might be my target. They fight way harder than bass lb to lb. 
We have plenty of carp big and small, but luckily our medium size lake still got plenty of room. A few spawn ago I saw male bass protect the nest while bigger female stay outside chasing big crap out. The big swimbait in crap pattern might work very well. 

[T-Billy]

? Dang spell ✔️.

[Spankey]

Only time I truly ever fished for them was when I was a kid in late 60’s and early 70’s. A couple of Dr’s who lived out on Main Street would pay me to catch and deliver live ones. Could not be dead. I think they use to put them in the bathtub and some Rabi would come by and put the wammy on them so they could eat them. Something like that and I bet I’m not too far off base as to what was done.  
 

I’ve caught some monsters (to me) 30+ inches while smallie fishing in the river. They tend to hit on grubs and tubes. Taken a couple on a gold with black back Rapala. 
 

They do put up a good fight. The occasional accidental catch is enough for me. 

[the reel ess]

I had an old carp colored crankbait that was in my late father's tackle box that the bass really seemed to like. I don't even know the brand. Alas, I lost it right after catching a dink. ?

[JustJames]

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

? Dang spell ✔️.

Lol my bad. It was 4 in the morning 

[flyfisher]

Carp are not called the golden bonefish for nothing.  If I see them tailing when I am out bass fishing, they automatically become my primary target for that day.  I have had more success with them on the fly rod than conventional gear.  I know this past years Brood X cicada hatch had them going crazy and people were catching them all day long, and big ones too.  I couldn't make it out to fish it though unfortunately.  

[Choporoz]

My thoughts on carp are disjointed and somewhat random....I don't particularly like them, but not strongly.  Snagging one from a kayak is an adventure, but removes me from the bass hunt for a good 15-20 minutes....masses of carp during spawn means move on...no active bass around......rest of year, they could be inches apart.....having a big one crash the bottom of your kayak after dark....well, crap ...literally...crap..

....paddling through shallow narrows filled with spawing carp is more fun than scary...in the daylight, anyway ..... I have wasted WAY too much time chasing moving pads and reeds that were usually....probably...carp.  

I have never targeted them intentionally,  but I have caught a few in the mouth on small plastics

[The Bassman]

Caught this one a while back on a small lipless. Fish was hooked just outside the mouth so I guess it was fair. Have to admit it was a lot of fun and a real challenge. Had never seen a carp in this particular pond.