Nebraskaland Magazine
A couple of months ago I had a blog post speculating about ways the invasive “Asian” Carp, Bighead and Silver Carp, might be caught on hook & line, hooked in the mouth (Milk Fish? Silver Carp?). Those species are not caught using traditional fishing techniques because they are primarily filter feeders and do not swim around selecting and ingesting food items that anglers typically use for bait. If someone could figure out some techniques to catch those fish, hooked in the mouth, they would have a lot of under-fished, BIG, fish to target that would be a lot of fun to catch and can be very good on the table too.
My previous blog posts on catching “Asian” Carp have not had any solutions, any proven techniques, but I hoped they would spark some interest, creative thinking, and good ideas. No, I have not been on the water researching ways to catch Bighead and Silver Carp, but I have not forgotten about the subject and recently another video sparked my interest:
Yes, I know, the video is long, and if you take the time to watch it you will find that ultimately they do not find an effective way to catch Bighead and Silver Carp other than snagging them. However, there are some techniques and baits mentioned in the video that might have merit, it may just take some more time and refinement for someone to figure out how to make it work. Again, I am throwing out ideas, “thinking out loud”. There has to be a way.
Oh, while you are at it, watch to the end to see how they prepare the fish they catch and how good they are!
Surfing the ole interweb I found some websites with information specifically for catching “Asian” Carp. Again these websites mention methods and baits referred to in the video:
Tackle and Techniques–Asian Carp
Tackle and Techniques–Asian Carp Rigs and Formulations
I know that the techniques and baits mentioned in the video are similar to things expert Common Carp anglers are already using. An old friend was back at our Branched Oak Carp-O-Rama event last June using techniques very similar to those suggested in that video for Bighead and Silver Carp.
By the way, those techniques are very effective for Common Carp, and if you like fishing for that species you better take your game to that next level. Believe me, my friend SAM was catching a lot of fish at the Branched Oak Carp-O-Rama event while dozens of others sat and watched him.
The rigging, baits and presentations used for Asian Carp are specialized, but if you know where to look you can find it. For general, technical Common Carp gear that can be applied to Asian Carp, be sure to check out Big Carp Tackle; for some of the baits specifically for Asian Carp, Wacker Bait and Tackle.
Can it be done? Can Bighead and Silver Carp be caught on hook & line, hook in the mouth? I do not know, but I see enough ideas floating around that I believe it is possible. If you take on the challenge, GO FISH and keep me posted!
