Carp in the way

[Beale_Bass]

A buddy of mine went fishing at Oroville yesterday, and we nearly got skunked, and I'm trying to figure out if the carp we saw had anything to do with it.

I know most of you haven't seen Oroville, but it's a decent lake with a steep bank that continues down into the water.  There are tons of rock slides that start on shore and continue down into the water, and these are our favorite places to fish.  But each of these piles we went to had dozens of massive carp, easily 6lb+, cruising and various depths, as well as thrashing the shoreline, doing what I don't know.

We usually bounce Senkos and jigs off those rocks at 8 to 10 feet, with great results, but the 5 bass we caught in 11 hours were deep (25ft or more).  

I'm looking for your opinions on whether or not these trash fish might have an impact on the bass bite.  I was thinking the bass might have been deep because the temperature was 101, but that had just started and the water was still pretty cool, so in my mind it was those stinkin carp.  I just need one person to say it was, and I'm going out there with my 9mm.

Frank

[Raul]

I'm looking for your opinions on whether or not these trash fish might have an impact on the bass bite.

Frank

No impact.

[HAMMER23]

NO IMPACT !! but when carp start spawning and I am pretty sure that's what there doing it will definately want to make you break out the 9mm. The good news is it doesnt last long, the same thing happened to me on a smaller lake, they came up blasting water and laying eggs everywhere for about a week and a half then they were gone. They dont make beds like bass if you look where they are splashing you will see the eggs in the grass and on everything else there touching. Hang in there it wont last long.

[CWB]

First of all, 6lb is a small carp. 30 lb. would be massive. Up here I usually see a few this size a day. Clear shallow lake. When the carp start thrashing around that usually indicates they are spawning but it can actually improve the bass fishing as the bass move in to snap up anything the carp stir up. I've caught some pretty good bass throwing a worm or lizard into the mess the carp stir up.

I don't think the carp had anything to do with the poor bass fishing.

Take a bow or speargun with next time. I have something called a fish bazooka that is in essence a speargun with a fishing reel on it. Aim at the bottom of the fish. Biggest to date was 36 lbs and took 10 minutes to get to the boat even with an arrow thru him. Tough mothers!