You are listening to What’s The Catch? the podcast with your host Andrew Rowan.

In this episode of What’s The Catch? We’re gonna be talking about Carp :what they are, where to find them, how to catch them, and why you should want to catch them. 

The Eurasian Carp or European Carp, also known as the common Carp, is freshwater fish native to lakes and rivers of Europe and Asia. They are not native to North America, but they have been introduced to waters here since the mid-1800’s as a heavily farmed fish. They can now be found in local ponds, rivers, and lakes. Two of the big places to find them can be the Mississippi River and the Great lakes. They are bottom feeders, meaning that they swim along the bottom of a body of water and feed what's on the bottom. They are large in size and have large scales, a large dorsal fin, and have two barbels (whiskers) on their upper lip. Their average size can range on average between 4-31 lbs. Adults can be between 16-31 inches long on average. The average lifespan for a common Carp can be up to 20 years. 

Fun Facts

• The history of farming common Carp can date it’s beginning all the way to Roman times
• They are the 3rd most frequently introduced species worldwide
• There was once a report of a Carp living for 47 years in captivity
• The largest carp ever recorded was caught by Colin Smith at Etang La Saussaie Fishery, France in 2013. The carp clocked in at 100.5 lbs
• China is the largest producer of carp, accounting for 70% of the worlds production of the fish

Like I mentioned earlier, now that Carp have been farmed and spread to almost every state and to every country, you can find them almost everywhere.

Places near/in hopewell

• Delaware River
• Rosedale Lake
• Curlis Lake
• WallKill Lake
• Lake Hopatcong

Carp are strong fish and you will need to have a strong rod and line to make sure they don’t break you off or break your rod. They feed more in darkness so going early in the morning or at night will be the most effective time to go fishing for them.

Rods to use

• 6 ½ to 7 ½ feet long medium-heavy action spinning rod

Best line

• 10-15 lb monofilament or braid

Best live...