55cm Carp From Parramatta

[roosterman]

hi Seazar

i thought it wouldnt take this long for someone to get the facts on carp posted... you are pretty spot on about the eating of em... i have not tried them yet as never had the opportunity but will one day give it a go,its just my opinion on taste as they resemble a big goldfish ... i would say from what ive been told that its prob simmilar to say yellowbelly (here we go this will get em going) when yb are caught in muddy waters they taste very poor imo but if caught in good clean water and not too big they taste pretty good.. we are very lucky to have lots of fish available to eat here in oz and carp for me are at the bottom of the list....

I have years ago given some big ones to my dads islander mates from flemo markets jimmy and stanly as they pestered me about leaving fish to rot instead of eating them…. Well I gave them some from parra weir (was clean water at the time) and they thought I was a legend as they were huge at around 15lb each..they couldn’t thank me enough and they had them raw that very day and said tasted great … go figure (wouldn’t dream of not agreeing there as jimmy was south pacific island boxing champ and stanly was as big as a whole nrl scrum nicknamed six million dollar man)…. Then again these two champs came with me and dad to luna park wharf luderick fishing in the mid 80’s and stanly goes next ones mine mr chris and my old man turns to me and smiles ,you’ll love this…. Well shortly we nail one and the guys spread out the blanket on the pontoon near corner outta the way as every 15min ferry loads of people for luna park(this added spice to the scene) well stanly breaks the loaf of bread in half and he tells me to only scale the fish.mmmmm. I do as requested then they both got into this luderick raw with it still flapping its tail, fish was bled first though.right on cue the ferry full arrives and as I write this I chuckle,you had to be there…. Well after I was ordered to give it a go I tried it and was not as bad as I thought, a bit chewy but I swallowed it,not much choice as two giants watching me ….. so I suppose ill try anything but until someone gives the right preps and do’s and dont's ill just stick to my blackfish,jew and kingies.. and now yft

so as pete suggested maybe Seazar or another European can post a do's and dont's an recipe regarding the ol pest carp... maybe if we turn them into a delicacy we may start to make a dent in there population.. this i doubt but every thing else has failed so worth a try ..... cheers.....steve...

[nargse1]

Well believe it or not, carp are the most consumed and farmed fish in the world by a country mile, mostly in Asia and Europe, however they are slightly different and mostly farmed, they originated in Western Asia and date as far as the 7th Century BC !! they were introduce in to Europe by Romans due to the ease of farming . China farms nearly 20 Million tones annually.

They can live for as long as 70 years and reach birding maturity at 4 years old, world record is over 100lb and U.K. record stands at 60lb, it’s the fastest and largest growing sector of game fishing in the UK (poor bastards)

[luderick -angler]

In response to some of the great posts on a topic which could seem so innocuos all due credit. As just having returned from the UK and having spent two days coarse fishing i came to appreciate the finnesse with which European anglers have in relation to carp fishinfg and the dedication and lengths they go to to catch 30 and 40lb'ers (bivvies, umbrellas, boilies, rod rests, bit alarms etc etc) These guys go armed to the teeth! I leant that they are actually quite a finicky fish and can be very cagey due to the fishing pressure they are under and it is all C & R. They were amazed at how easy they can be to tempt to a hook in Australia and the fact that we legally have to dispose of them (they were shocked even horrified) But my most valuable lesson was learning some of the finer techniques to catch them which i put into practice a week ago to tempt a 20lb on 9lb line out of Wooli Creek (i have to learn how to download my pic of my camera phone) and you know its fun and its a great way to help the enviroment.

Jewgaffer i'll be in a Canberra roadtrip for redfin i got my centrepin and cane rod ready for doing it the traditional way!

One thought a social comp to do our bit in reducing the population, i'll throw in a prize through work to the over 18's (i work in a pub!)

Cheers

Royce.

[arif]

Recently some very professional looking (lots and lots of really fancy specialised gear) guys from a coarse fishing club have been coming to the lake at Cecil Hills (near Liverpool) and catching lots of large often Koi carp, and releasing them. I have spoken to them about the destruction they cause etc, but they are adament that they do not cause any harm. Is this because;

they are koi;

they are in an enclosed lake not competeing with any natives;

they like catching them and want to maintain the stocks in spite of the damage?

would like to catch some but dont like killing things if there is no good reason, but dont want to release them if they are causing harm either ????

Arif

[nick_clone]

To be fair to the carp, I have to say I have had a fish soup made with carp ( not caught in Parra ) and it was amazing. I don't have funny tastes or anything like that, it tasted like fish, and I'm sure anyone on this board who likes Italian style food would love this, it had a tomato base to it. My Dad is Euro, but he's no cook, and somehow manages to make the best fish soup, from carp!