Here's something I didn't know
Colorado
Here's something I found in the FAQ on the PAW site.
(Question) "Are carp and suckers considered trash fish?"
(Answer) "No. All Suckers and Carp are considered "Game Fish", some of which are "Protected". It is illegal to discard any edible portions of "Game Wildlife".
For more information, see the "Glossary of Fishing Terms" section in the Fishing brochure and Spanish Fishing brochure."
Tried to find that reference but have not yet.
Interesting that carp are not listed in the Statewide Limits section. A number of species are listed as "unlimited".
Could be an issue for some of those guys that like to shoot carp with their bows!
Carp being edible is subjective. Plenty of elk parts are edible but generally never make it to the cooler. I tried eating carp several times with several recipes. Every time is was awful.
I'm curious as to what exactly is the definition of a "released fish." In other states, so long as you put the fish back in the water, even if it has a hole in it, it is considered a released fish. I don't see anyone getting into major trouble for wanton waste but they may do this to those guys who have to get the pics back at the ramp with all their fish for social media and then dump them for the rest of the population to see and smell.
Try this carp recipe: Nail carp to board, cook over fire, when carp flesh is just flaky remove from fire, discard fish and eat the board.
It would be silly to not allow disposing if carp. Leaving them in a pile on the beach isn't OK but requiring eating them would be like requiring eating coyotes. :^)
Same recipe for trout! lol
They are not listed as game fish in the regulations anywhere that I could find.
There is not a listed limit for them.
I agree that leaving a big pile of stinky dead carp anywhere that the public can encounter it should not be encouraged. Just not sure how they can force people to take the "edible portions".
Well I know there are rules at some reservoirs requiring you to remove carp you've shot, so the putting them back isn't the answer to end all answers. Unless they can still swim off, stick and release!
I have used them for Bear Bait when we could still bait and even the Bears did not like them.
How about eating them indirectly? They make good garden fertilizer.
Ron, we used them years ago in NM. The trick was to ferment them in a barrel till they were mostly liquid in a 55 gal drum then add some good solid stuff like frozen beaver carcasses or other small critters for body. Those NM bears loved it!
A bar in Schuyler NE used to have a deal on Fridays with all the breaded deep fried carp, fries, and Schmidt beer for $10. They only used tail meat and trimmed out all the brown fatty stuff. It was actually very good.
Carp are considered edible in Europe and Asia and are actually given a lot of credit as a sport fish. They just get no respect in the USA.
They are a lot of fun on a rod and reel. A real blast on a fly rod! I would much rather catch them on a rod and reel and turn them loose or take a few to someone that wants them to eat.
Treeline is spot on there!
Catching big, hard fighting fish is fun!
Shooting those same fish with an arrow that you can catch on a rod and reel actually kind of makes me a bit queasy. I know I have killed thousands of carp and gar with a bow and arrow, but just do not see the sense in it any more. Years ago, my buddies and I would shoot carp for a day and leave literally hundreds of carcasses floating and on the bank in the name of "fun". It is bloody, messy, stinky and a waste.
I hardly ever keep any trout, but I fish for them a lot just because they are the most prevalent fish in the mountains. I don't consider them to be very difficult to catch except in some of the hard-hit tail waters. Have tried eating all species of trout many times over the years and just do not like to eat them at all.
Carp fight 100x harder, they get bigger on average, can be very selective, you can catch them on top, bottom and in between. If you are just catch and release, why focus on dinky little trout? If you want to eat your catch, some would say that they are better table fare than trout.
It could be argued that carp are a better game fish than trout.
Although CPW has been waging an all out war on pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye with a scorched earth program over here on the western slope, I consider those species to be far better game fish than trout. Heck, there are still some to be found even with no limits and CPW hunting them down and killing any that they can find in the dark of night as fast as they can for many years. Supposedly to protect "endangered" native fish (the same "endangered" fish that other states pay bounties on!). Heck, pike, smallmouth, and walleye don't even need a hatchery and can hold catchable numbers even with all this pressure! How long do you think we would have trout fisheries in Colorado without all the hatchery raised fish?
I ate carp once as a kid, once. I took my mountain bike on a trail along a creek in Spain, took an ultra light rod and spinners. I caught carp all day, it was a lot of fun. I rode upstream, stopped and fished many spots, then charged the single back to the car. We released all the fish. I agree 100% about trout not being the best, but they are good eating. I'll take walleye and perch any day over trout. If you get into the 2+ pound trout on an ultra light, or even light setup they are a lot of fun. I disagree trout are easy to catch. I have spoke to the local Game Warden here about getting walleye into our local lake. He said he is trying. I also told him about the chatter here on removing walleye from the western slope, he knew nothing about it.
Carp are about the only thing we can bowfish for here in Colorado! My opinion, carp are for bowfishing!!!!
I agree. I never felt bad about leaving a meal for the raccoons.
Couple years ago we had a group of homeless guys watching us. One of em says "what do you do with them". I sez "we leave em for the coons". He sez "mind if we take em?" I sez help yourself.
That is strange, Peco. They definitely have been rabidly killing smallmouth bass, pike and walleye on the west slope for quite a while. It has been a battle to keep them in any of the lakes that currently have them anywhere on the west slope.
They shocked out several hundred walleye from stagecoach last year and killed them.
There is a very long detailed plan for the “recovery” of the Colorado River endangered species that states that the intent is to remove those species from all west slope drainages. They would have included trout as well but there was a massive outcry from TU and locals against that measure.
I am going to try bleeding them and high speed chilling right after pulling them in. Cut into the V under the gills to bleed them out and then into a cooler of salted ice. When home, filet and skin and remove the brown blood line. Place the filet down on the side where the skin was and cut almost through every quarter inch, dredge in seasoned bread crumbs and fry in half butter half oil. If that does not make them taste great I'll continue to give them to my oriental friends - they love em.
To the original statement, I didn't know that either! I'd be curious if that was an oversight or if Colorado is headed the same direction as Connecticut?
We're one of the weird ones who eats them. Most are great, although water conditions can be a factor.
If it was in FAQ section of a web site it could be as simple as one CPW staffer's interpretation. As most of us know, sometimes you can ask several different staffers the same question and not always get the same answer. They are just people and if there is something folks who have hunted and fished here for 30 years don't know, you can bet there are things that a 2 year employee putting content on a web site get incorrect.
I had a veteran CO in a neighboring state giving me a hard time about how a turkey was tagged. I politely apologized and didnt argue the point because he wasn't planning on getting the ticket book out and maybe I was wrong. When I got home I re-read the regs and verified with another CO that I had tagged it correctly.
Don, you handled that the right way. It's unfortunate that in cases where the hunter or fisherman is not breaking a law it may be necessary to go to court to prove it. That can be costly and time consuming especially if you are out of state.
Matt, Not sure that I would actually eat a carp. But... If I did feel adventurous or find myself on Naked and Afraid give a little more detail on the shore lunch and parts of fish you used for both the shore lunch and smoking.
I've eaten carp that were white, flaky and delicious. I've also eaten some that were muddy and awful. Maybe it depends on the water they come from? There is/was a well known restaurant in Omaha, I think it was called Joe Tess Place. The primary menu item was carp. Mmmm
John, we fillet just like any other fish but will remove the mud vein (the dark red strip running down the center of the fillet). The other thing we do is score the fillet every 1/4" or so, about a 1/4" deep. The scoring allows the frying oil to dissolve the "Y" bones. I think those bones are the most valid reason that folks don't want to mess with carp. Otherwise, I've eaten some great fillets just frying in a pan with breading. Same procedure for smoking, I just brine for a few hours in a simple brine.
And Seahorse is right Joe Tess's in Omaha is VERY popular in the region and known for their carp sandwiches.
