Carp...

Hey does anyone know what kind of carp are in the delta? I keeping hearing and reading about people fishing for them and I'd like some more info.

In the summer when it is nice and warm out late at night I have seen huge carp like 5-6 feet of carp in Big Break.

I know that grass carp are illegal to fish for and must be returned if caught (If I understand it right the grass carp are sterile and introduced to help reduce some of the weeds clogging up the waterways)- so  i assume these are not the carp people are fishing for.

What I can add is I have read that grass carp have no barbs at the corners of their mouths and it seems like they tend to be smaller in general.

What I am after is a know fishable species of carp in the delta and a good way to distingush them. Strictly for catch, sleigh ride and release.

Some of the guys I have read about catching carp are catching up to 20-30 lbs fish. That alone sounds like a fun little ride but I know I have seen fish much bigger than that.

Thanks,

Jeff

From what I know(not much) is that they are very finicky eaters.You can check out sites dedicated to CARP and how-to.I too have seen some big&ugly ones,but are hard to get with their tiny,underneath mouths......Good luck

I just checked with the  USGS which maintians a list of all exotic species freshwater fish in the united states.  According to them... in the delta there are...
 grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=514

 common carp (Cyprinus carpio)
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=4

 and goldfish (Carassius auratus)
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=508

Of course there are many varieties of common carp so I can't speak to that.

Brian

my barber told me his son fished for carp with breadballs on flyfishing gear in anderson reservoir.

I think they chum them up with the breadballs, then sight cast?

sounds like they had a good time.

Best times to fish them are mornings or evenings.  We'd chum them with bread chunks or dry dog food then flyline a chunk of bread crust in the slick.  Sometimes you could spot them rooting around the bottom by their trail of mud and bubbles.

Thanks everyone for the info. Being more of a "garbage fish" in the US especially the delta there is not as much info. around as you might think. I think for the extra $1.00 or so to carry a couple of 3-4ft 4-6lbs test leaders and a can of corn it might be a hell of a fun way to save the day if getting skunked, also even with all the different species of fish available in the delta there are those occasions when not much is around or biting. And like I said I know I've seen personally 5-6ft monsters in Big Break and I've spoken with others that have seen maybe even bigger.

One of these I'll give it a try and post up a report.

Jeff
 

We make a garlic dough ball and our Romanian friends like to use shredded wheat cereal that they make into a dough.
Almaden lake has lots of carp in it and its close to my house. Last week at Coyote we saw carp from 20 to 40 lbs in the shallows on the south end. Carp are a lot of fun to catch great fight in them. Use light line 4 to 6lbs cause there mouth is sensitive we use a size 4 bait holder hook and cover it with the dough. Give it a try. Use pliers to unhook those guys they are slimey.

for da record: I currently hold the kayak carp record 

15 pounds - caught and released at the Forbay. Method of catch: trolled shad rap 

Here's another one from Lake Del Valle - again trolling a rapala...

here's Doug / marmite carp from Del Valle - caught / released on a trolled kast master.....

IMO: Carp are soooo underrated 

There are several small lakes that carp become a problem. Best way to fish for them is by bow and arrow. A friend puts them through a meat grinder and freezes up buckets of them. He uses them for chum balls.

-Brian G

I launched in Big Break a few times after moving up here last summer.  Saw quite a few of these beasts sunning in the weed mats in the heat of the day.  Probably doesn't help ya too much, but the ones I saw were more of the goldfish color and freaking huge.  When the bass bite gets slow we should have a Carp Challenge.  You can bet the paycheck I'll C&R that bad boy though!!!

Not related to the delta but Lake Shasta.  Last time I spent a week on the McCloud river arm, I was bank fishing, casting a 3/8 oz roostertail  with my 5’ uglystik, and felt a tug, so I set the hook.  Whamo!  The fight was on!  OMG this was no ordinary trout, as it was spooling my line! Drag or no drag! (6lb test on a shimano spiro reel) I let it run then set the fighting drag and got it turned back towards me, then gain some line back and out it went again!  Line and all, 13 minutes later, I finally got to see it!  It wasn’t a trout at all, it was a big FAT carp!  I managed to snag it with the 2 of the 3 hooks in front of its dorsal fin.  No wonder it came unglued!  It was a good 15lbs, in the wrong spot in the water at the right time.  Released it.  Sorry no pictures, was hopping for dinner.  Carp was not on my menu that night.

Troy

Bow and arrow is a kick in the butt! It works best in the early spring. You either look for bubbles and shoot under the bubbles where a half a dozen carp and gathering to spawn or you look for carp swimming aound and shoot them as they pass..

Usually a shallow area off to one side of the river is good, as long as it has water access to the river. I've also seen carp in shallow lake like areas in such large quatities you could literally catch them by scooping them out  by hand and while you did others would be bumping your legs to get by.