Parramatta Carp

[HawkesburyParadise]

I saw a video of Shroom fishing Carp in the Parra River upstream of the ferry in the fresh water. He pulled massive Carp and Koi Carp. I am wondering if it's allowed to fish them at this location and is it safe enough to eat them? 

[AlbertW]

28 minutes ago, HawkesburyParadise said:

I saw a video of Shroom fishing Carp in the Parra River upstream of the ferry in the fresh water. He pulled massive Carp and Koi Carp. I am wondering if it's allowed to fish them at this location and is it safe enough to eat them? 

Yes it is allowed to fish there, however I wouldn't put anything that comes out of the weir or the parra in my mouth as the weir smells like stinky aquarium water 😂. The carp are there and will just generally take bread like what Shroom used, sometimes the bass will also take bread.

[big Neil]

1 hour ago, HawkesburyParadise said:

I saw a video of Shroom fishing Carp in the Parra River upstream of the ferry in the fresh water. He pulled massive Carp and Koi Carp. I am wondering if it's allowed to fish them at this location and is it safe enough to eat them? 

Carp aren't high on the taste feature list HP and I wouldn't eat anything from upstream of the Harbour Bridge. I always kill them when I catch them as they are a noxious pest and serve no benefit in Australian waters, other than the fun of catching them.

 bn

[HawkesburyParadise]

28 minutes ago, big Neil said:

Carp aren't high on the taste feature list HP and I wouldn't eat anything from upstream of the Harbour Bridge. I always kill them when I catch them as they are a noxious pest and serve no benefit in Australian waters, other than the fun of catching them.

 bn

If I did catch them(anywhere), I'll cook them Bengali(Indian/Bangladesh) style full of mustard, turmeric and chilli so wouldn't notice the taste hehe. 

Edited October 10, 2023 by HawkesburyParadise

[HawkesburyParadise]

1 hour ago, AlbertW said:

Yes it is allowed to fish there, however I wouldn't put anything that comes out of the weir or the parra in my mouth as the weir smells like stinky aquarium water 😂. The carp are there and will just generally take bread like what Shroom used, sometimes the bass will also take bread.

Do they take any lures? 

[AlbertW]

27 minutes ago, HawkesburyParadise said:

Do they take any lures? 

The bass will but i have foul hooked a carp and it took off like a rocket

[nbdshroom]

G'day guys. Yes that's right, the area is open to fishing for everyone. It's a good place to catch a few carp (or koi) if you wanted to help the Australian natives such as the bass and do your bit. DPI encourages people to utilise the carp they catch (dispatched for eating, pet fed, fertiliser etc.,) but you can return it to the water immediately after capture (obviously check rules in case they change). IMO, if you dispatch the carp at Parramatta, take it with you. I don't know how the general public will react seeing big and possibly colourful fish floating dead on the water or the bins being filled to to the brim with dead fish. My favourite bait is sandwich bread, and the cheaper the better I'd say! They hate the wholegrain stuff and you will too when you find how difficult it is to bait a hook up with it haha. Roll it up in a ball and surround the hook and send it out as a sinking bait or instead float a small piece, it all works all year round. There are other baits also, like corn that is also quite popular. Something like a can of edgells does well, the fish do like the sweet stuff. 

Carp do take lures but it isn't the easiest way to catch them. Some places carp will readily hit lures, but the ones at Parramatta behave like the standard specimens I run into which do not actively take lures. You could still make it happen, sight cast a small grub lure, heavily scented in front of the direction the fish is heading in. Often it's best to not move the lure once they are honing in on it. They have poor eye sight and if you haven't spooked them, they will come to sus it out. From there, they will hoover around the area sucking in dirt and food and spitting it back out. Eventually it will be the turn of your lure and that's when you strike! P.S. I have had one surface smash my cicada lure once, but I didn't hook up. Good luck!

Edited October 10, 2023 by nbdshroom

[big Neil]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:31 PM, HawkesburyParadise said:

If I did catch them(anywhere), I'll cook them Bengali(Indian/Bangladesh) style full of mustard, turmeric and chilli so wouldn't notice the taste hehe. 

People all around the world do eat them. They are a source of protein. Irrespective of what you plan to do with them after you catch them, they are great fun to catch and usually put up a spirited fight when hooked.

When I catch and kill them locally, I put them back in the water where they eventually sink. The ecosystems are meant to deal with fish that have died... that's why we have crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and other critters whose function is to live from cleaning up dead fish.

Good luck, bn

[big Neil]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:31 PM, HawkesburyParadise said:

If I did catch them(anywhere), I'll cook them Bengali(Indian/Bangladesh) style full of mustard, turmeric and chilli so wouldn't notice the taste hehe. 

I have tried eating them. They are very boney. I guess with the right cooking method they would pass for food.   bn

[HawkesburyParadise]

1 hour ago, big Neil said:

I have tried eating them. They are very boney. I guess with the right cooking method they would pass for food.   bn

It's not just the cooking method but eating method. Most of the subcontinent eats rice with hands so with a fish curry, you can remove the bones.

One of the most loved fish of that area is also very boney - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilish 

Another popular fish is actually a type of carp - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohu

[big Neil]

5 hours ago, HawkesburyParadise said:

It's not just the cooking method but eating method. Most of the subcontinent eats rice with hands so with a fish curry, you can remove the bones.

One of the most loved fish of that area is also very boney - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilish 

Another popular fish is actually a type of carp - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohu

Many thanks for the information HP. Tight lines mate. bn

[slothparade]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:32 PM, HawkesburyParadise said:

Do they take any lures? 

Curl tail grubs. I think upper Nepean has quite a few carp. I use a float with a bit of bread which works everytime 

[GoldenHourFishing]

The carp in the parra dont seem to take lures that much but in the nepean I have had them chase down cranks and hit plastics. Funny how different locations can make fish behave differently. Maybe they vary in strains and temperament.

[slothparade]

4 hours ago, GoldenHourFishing said:

The carp in the parra dont seem to take lures that much but in the nepean I have had them chase down cranks and hit plastics. Funny how different locations can make fish behave differently. Maybe they vary in strains and temperament.

In the dam there's about 3 that hit lures while the rest don't 😂.