Two+ large Carp in Hugenot Park (New Rochelle)

[phdezra]

Took one of my daughters to a birthday party at a friend in New Rochelle, so I stopped by the Hugenot Park around the corner with my son. Well, I saw a Russian fellow with 4 or 5 rods setup in holders along the bank. The rods all had lines out, so I watched from a distance as I was casting Mepps spinner lures about 100 feet away.

Sure enough, within another 10 minutes he brought in a nice sized carp. I moved closer and it looked to be 18" and quite nce girth. Then I saw he had a heavy mesh bag/creel tied to a stake, with the creel in the water... and another larger carp in the bag(!), to which he added his second. He looked like he was going to keep going at it until he had a carp on each rod. I'm not sure if one can keep the fish there, but it seemed a bit greedy in spirit, though perhaps he was cooking a large meal.

As I was leaving, I asked him a question to which I thought he was going to claim I just called the KGB (hey, I have Russian roots, so I can mock  ). I asked: "Oh, by the way, what bait are you using?"  His friend looked at me like I was nuts for asking their sworn secret. From what I spied quickly, looked like some sort of dough-thingy, but perhaps it had a splash of vodka... 

Anyway, they were beautifully looking carp, I just felt bad for the fish as the lake (pond) is relatively small there and at his rate, they'll be nothing left come Spring!

[shawnhu]

Russians love their carp, I know, I have some Russian friends.  They use cooked dough, also known as boilies.  There's lots of recipes to making these dough balls for carp.  Most also use sweet corn from the can on small hooks.  I've seen Russians use sling shots to chum the water as well.  Now that freshwater fisherman are allowed 3 rods each, there's some extra pressure on these carp.

[JulesArcher]

I have a great Carp recipe. 

You take a Cedar plank and pin the tail to the end.  Cover the fish with butter and parsley.  Inside the fish you put in lemons and cheese.  Cook it at 350 for 45 minutes.  Then take it out, throw away the fish and eat the board.

[phdezra]

I have a great Carp recipe. 

You take a Cedar plank and pin the tail to the end.  Cover the fish with butter and parsley.  Inside the fish you put in lemons and cheese.  Cook it at 350 for 45 minutes.  Then take it out, throw away the fish and eat the board.

hahaha

[KenH]

Carp are one of the most underutilized food sources in this country.
Highly regarded as a food fish in Europe from Germany eastwards through
the Slavic countries and Russia, a staple for Gefilite Fish and eastwards to Asia, the common carp was originally brought from Germany to the US to be a food fish. That failed as the cultivation procedures of raising carp in clean waters that had developed in Europe were not applied here and the market for carp never developed as had hoped. Meantime the deliberate stocking of carp throughout the country ensured that they would be found everywhere today. We all make fun of carp but in truth it's an unjust and unwarranted prejudice against a particular species. That said, I wouldn't eat one caught around here cause I cant be bothered to keep it alive in my bathtub for a week. They do taste "muddy" because they feed by sucking up bottom mud,
taking out the edibles and blowing the mud out their gills. In England the carp fishermen are fanatics and C&R all carp as a precious sporting fish. Quite a contrast to the U.S. The biggest carp I ever caught was an 18 lber out of Muscoot that got tail snagged, so it felt like a 50 lb fish LOL. I've aso caught numerous large ones out of Cross River, the shallower eastern end being best in summer. All the reservoirs around here, except for Kensico I believe, have some huge carp which are easy to catch from shore and will test any freshwater tackle you use.

[phdezra]

Carp are one of the most underutilized food sources in this country.
In England the carp fishermen are fanatics and C&R all carp as a precious sporting fish. Quite a contrast to the U.S.

Well said. Agreed from what I have read as well.

[JulesArcher]

I understand and agree with the idea of using food sources that are available to us on this Earth that we have been blessed with.  And I also admit that the problem I have with Carp may be my problem alone (all in my head kind of thing).  Part of my shot at them in my recipe is also because they're an easy target for the joke.  I could use another fish for the joke, like a Bullhead (there's probably going to be some Bullhead lovers out there that I will hear from).  But the topic was Carp so I guess that would not have worked.

But still, the fish disgusts me, sorry to say.  It's about the ugliest fish I know of.  Probably because of how I was brought up.  I fished in circles where all of us were disgusted by any rough fish.  In fact, I don't know if the law is still on the books, but it was illegal to throw back any rough fish caught out of the Trout streams I grew up fishing west of Madison, WI.  Suckers, Chubs, Carp, Mud Puppies, Sheepshead (never caught one), and any other rough fish caught had to be destroyed and not released back into the stream.  So it goes way back (late sixties).

I built a pond back at my place in IL and stocked it with Koi.  I actually got to like them and they are a part of the Carp family so maybe there is still hope for me.

[KenH]

I think carp are more stupid looking than ugly. But then a White Sucker is also
pretty stupid looking. A Monkfish is my idea of an ugly fish.
Koi, by the way aren't a member of the carp family, they actually are carp. First ones kept perhaps in the 3rd century were natural color mutations but since the 1800s they have been manipulated in Japan to produce various colors and patterns.
 

[JulesArcher]

I heard somewhere that the oldest ever recorded Koi was about 270 years old.  Yikes!  I also found out that they track Koi lineage in Asia like we track pedigree here in Dogs.  Big money for some of them!

[shawnhu]

Asians make a big deal about anything.  They're selling/buying pet shrimp the size of a Nickel for over $10,000 US dollars over there.  Look up Crystal Red Shrimp.  These shrimp have a lifespan of 2 years.

[JulesArcher]

Here?s my best Koi story: Like I said, I had a Koi pond in IL.  It was when I lived in Palatine, IL from 3/1988 until 1/2005.  One day I decided to clean the pond and fix some boulders that had shifted around.  I got a big plastic garbage drum and filled it with the pond water.  Then I drained most of the water out of the pond until I could grab the little critters with a net.  I put them all in the big garbage can and proceeded to work on the pond.  This was a Saturday.  I did not finish that day and went to bed and planned to work on it in the AM.

I had left the fish in the garbage can.  The water was almost up to the top and I had the pump in the bottom.  The tube came up through the water and I had it suspended so that the water would come out of the hose above the water level and crash down into the water creating oxygen by splashing back in.

When I woke up I immediately had a slight panic.  I realized that if my apparatus had shifted around at all and the hose moved to the point where it was no longer above the can, it would empty out the can completely of water as the pump would keep on going.  I jumped out of bed and went to my window.  My bedroom was on the second floor, directly over our patio and pond.  I was relieved to see that the apparatus was intact and the water level was fine, up to the top. 

But as I looked out the window, I noticed that a Koi was laying on the patio.  I was disappointed of course because first of all, they are not free.  But also, I had this one for a couple years already and although you don?t get close to a Koi like you do a Dog (at least, I don?t), I was still sorry to see the little guy gone.  I thought Oh well, I?ll have to replace him.  I later guessed that the little guy was trying to swim upstream, pointing his head at where the water was coming in and kicking hard.  I think that might be how he jumped out.

So I went downstairs and got the paper.  I made some Coffee.  Had a little breakfast and read the paper before Church.  Then I figured I already had the newspaper so I should just use it to go get the fish laying on the patio deck, put him in the newspaper and be rid of him.  I went outside and picked up the little guy.  He was all dried out and stiff as a board.  I was ready to send him to fish heaven when I noticed what I thought was a twitch in his mouth.  I looked at him carefully and waited.  About ten seconds later, he twitched again.  The twitches were coming about ten seconds apart.

I took him and dunked him in the garbage can with water.  I still held onto him and moved him back and forward to let the water run over his gills.  I did this for about five minutes and then I felt another twitch, but this time from his tail and body.  I kept going, trying to revive him.  After about another five minutes he was twitching to the point where I just stopped and opened my hand and he swam away.  Now that is one tough fish!

I went to a seminar at the local nursery the next week on making and maintaining Koi ponds.  The guy in charge of the seminar got to the point about maintaining proper Ph balance in the water.  He said to never put tap water in straight.  The trick is to either treat the water or let it sit a day for the fluoride to dissipate.  he said that the fish were frail and could die if not treated correctly.  I was sitting in the back and I raised my hand.  I said ?I hate to argue with you, but I don?t think it?s too important to be so careful about whether Koi are sturdy or not.  I once kept one of my Koi on the patio deck for three hours and he was fine?.  Of course, I then had to follow up with the story because everyone thought I was completely nuts.

Not that the story changed their minds though . . .

[shawnhu]

JA,

Only one correction to your story, clorine/cloride dissipates, not fluoride.

Great story!

[KenH]

I'm not surprised. Carp (common carp) are some of the toughest fish
around which is why they've been farmed by humans for so long often
in climates and waters other fish could never tolerate.

[JulesArcher]

Yes, Chlorine.  That's correct.  Sorry, drain bamage.

[elsewhere]

Two each their own.  That said, I hope I never see a carp in the Kensico...  It would ruin the lake trout fishery in my opinion.  The carp would churn up the turbidity and each the trout eggs.  The same holds true for catfish.