MoCarp

In closing Europeans fish for carp (the most popular fish) because they are a challenge, they fight like 3 fat kids for that the last moon pie.....

Another fish on my bucket list is the mighty Wels catfish.... massive!,

Then most people know about Zander..its a cousin to our walleye, they get way bigger though, though they had some in the ND or SD..its on my bucket list of fish

They also have a critter called a Tench..looks like a cross between a bullfrogs tadpole and a smallmouth bass, apparently they need water conditions like our smallmouths....they also have a "barble' looks like our redhorse just lots bigger

The Europeans also have yellow perch and northern pike..but both get way WAY bigger there on Avg.

I always hear the reason Europeans fish for carp is they have nothing else to fish for in their nasty polluted waters...NO SO FAST! The English have some fine trout fishing as well as a robust salmon fishery makes you want to by some tweed and a split bamboo rod!

Texas National Carp & Buffalo Tournament Lake Fork 2017 Sponsored by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Tournament and Etiquette Rules Texas National Carp & Buffalo Tournament Lake Fork 2017 Sponsored by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Tournament and Etiquette Rules The rules for this competition have been created to ensure the safety of Anglers, spectators and fish, and to give an equal chance for any Angler to win. All competing Anglers must read, understand and comply with the rules, etiquette and penalties described herein. These rules will remain inforce throughout the Tournament and all decisions by the Tournament Director are final. • Pre-Fishing Fishing on any portion of Lake Fork or using a boat or sonar deice to scout potential Peg locations within two weeks of the Tournament is prohibited and will result in disqualification and the forfeiture of deposits. • Peg Draw and Peg Etiquette • All competitors must have registered and paid all entry fees by the start of the Peg Draw. • There will be two drawings for Peg Site. The first drawing will determine order for Peg Site drawing. The second drawing will determine Peg Site location. If a Team is not present when called upon for their selection, their slot will be moved to the last pick of the Peg Draw. • Anglers must fish and place all of their active fishing equipment within the posted boundaries of their Peg Site. Spare equipment may be retained within their vehicles regardless of its proximity to the Peg Site. • Anglers must be courteous to spectators and the media. They should also be prepared to answer questions and allow media or Tournament photographs. • Anglers must be courteous to competing Teams, Weigh Marshals and other Tournament officials at all times. Excessive rude or disorderly conduct will not be tolerated and be subject to immediate disqualification. • Lake Fork is a public reservoir open at all times for boating, fishing and other forms of water recreation. If a non-competitor is perceived to conduct themselves in a way that is detrimental to the competition, the affected Team should contact the Tournament Director or a Weigh Marshal for assistance. The Team’s Anglers should “stand down” and must not take any action that might escalate the situation. • If a Team member must leave their assigned Peg for 10 minutes or longer, his or her lines may be maintained by a fellow Team member. • If a Team withdraws during the competition, they must record their departure time with the Weigh Marshal and remove all equipment and refuse from their Peg Site. Anglers that have withdrawn are not permitted to return to the current competition. Anglers are encouraged to be present at the end of the Awards Ceremony after competition closes to be eligible for any door prizes and awards. • Teams must keep Pegs free of trash and debris upon exiting the assigned Peg. If unable to remove the trash and debris from the Peg, the Team must inform the attending Weigh Marshal and/or Tournament Director. • Open fires are not permitted. The use of propane grills or other self-contained heating devises are permitted. • Tournament Start and Finish • Anglers may begin ground-baiting (chumming) their Swims at the time specified by the Tournament Agenda. • No other contact with the water is allowed before the start of the competition, except to plumb the depth, position a marker float, wet nets, unhooking mats and carp-sacks. Anglers are allowed to draw a small amount of water, in a suitable bucket or pail, to wet and prepare ground-bait (chum). • Unless impaired by severe weather or other unforeseen conditions, the competition will start promptly at the appointed time. • All fishing lines must be removed promptly at the end of the competition. Any Team playing a fish when the competition ends must contact a Weigh Marshal and/or fellow competitor and signal “Fish On.” The Anger will have a maximum of 15 minutes to play the fish and net it. If not retrieved within 15 minutes after the designated conclusion of the competition, the fish may not be weighed and must immediately be returned to the water. • Bait • Baits allowed include food-quality baits such as bread, corn, vegetables, carp-safe boiled baits, pellets and paste baits, etc. The rule here is that the Angler must be prepared to eat the bait, to prove it is safe for the fish. • Care must be taken to properly prepare cooked baits for safe consumption by fish. Certain baits, such as field corn, when raw or undercooked, can damage the digestive system of a fish. Anglers found to be fishing with raw or undercooked baits must cease use of the bait until it has been fully prepared and approved by a Tournament Official. • In addition, Anglers cannot use natural baits: worms, night-crawlers, maggots, mealworms, wax-worms, crickets, etc. No plastic, wood or metal lures can be used; plugs, jigs, etc. cannot be used. No live or dead whole or cut fish or fish pieces can be used as bait. Artificial corn and pop ups are permitted. Tournament Officials have the right to inspect all baits and disallow any bait they deem illegal, offensive or dangerous. • Ground-baiting (chumming) is allowed. Spods, PVA bags, nets & sting, catapults (fishing slingshots), throwing spoons, and feeders of all types are acceptable. Teams should bait intelligently, as too much ground-bait, chum, and/or free offerings will affect your chances of catching and may also ruin your neighbor’s Swim. • Targeting and Playing Fish • This is a catch-and-release Tournament; no fish will be weighed unless it was caught fairly, has been handled safely, and can be released alive. • Boats, bait-boats, fishing finders, sonar, and other like fish-finding equipment are not permitted. • An Angler may enter the water to net a fish, release a fish, place a fish in a holding sack, or to free a fish caught in a snag, weed or otherwise in distress or possible danger. In the event of low foliage impeding the Angler’s ability to cast, the Angler may enter the water far enough to allow for a cast, but to no deeper than the Angler’s waist. Swimming is prohibited. Anglers enter the water at their own risk. • Carp are hard-fighting fish and there may be a need for an Angler to leave their Peg location momentarily to play a fish that is running parallel to the bank. A catch will be valid if the fish is landed within the Angler’s assigned Peg area or within the adjacent buffer zone. A buffer zone is defined as the space that lies between end boundary lines of neighboring Pegs. A fish that is tangled with a neighboring Team’s line(s) or that is landed within the assigned area of a neighboring Peg will be disqualified. • The Tournament Director reserves the right to issue a warning to Anglers repeatedly playing fish into the neighboring Peg area. • In the event of a disagreement that cannot be settled between competing neighbors, a Weigh Marshal and/or Tournament Director must be called to settle the dispute. The Tournament Official’s decision on the matter will be final. • Should an Angler require assistance landing a fish while multiple fish are hooked at the same time, the fish landed by any other person not registered to the Team will be disqualified. • Landing Nets, Unhooking Mats and Carp-Sacks • Anglers must use a soft, knotless mess or rubber mesh landing net of the appropriate size. • Anglers are required to use a well-padded mat when unhooking fish that have been netted. • Anglers must retain catches waiting to be scored in carp-friendly sacks that will not damage the fish. • While retaining fish, carp-sack must be fully submerged in water and must not be overpopulated with fish. • In an emergency and without a carp-sack, the Angler is allowed to retain a catch momentarily by placing the landing net and fish back in the water. • Equipment Use • Only six rods per Team with a single 1/0 Carp Hook on each rod may be cast with bait at any time. Visual and audible remote bite indicators are permitted. • Hooks can be no larger than a size 1/0. Recommended hook patterns are barbless and micro-barbed (e.g. a standard Carp Hook), or have the barb squeezed down with pliers. Hooks larger than a size 1/0, multiple hooks, double or treble hooks and hooks with an oversized barb are not allowed. • Weigh Marshals have the right to inspect an Angler’s hooks, and can disallow fish caught on an illegal hook. The Weigh Marshal’s decision in all such cases will be final. Weigh Marshals may disallow specific 1/0 hooks in the event that said hooks are found to cause undue damage to captured fish. • Anglers can use additional rods for spodding or controlling a marker float. No fishhooks can be attached to any part of the line on this rod. The Angler can have additional rods pre-rigged at the Peg, but they can only have a maximum of three baits in the water at any time. • Standard, Carp-safe rigs are allowed. All rigs should include either a Safety Clip or be capable of sliding over knots in the case of an Inline, Helicopter, or Method Feeder rig. Fly Fishing, Float Fishing or Pole Fishing Rigs must include a lower breaking strain leader/hooklength/tippet, to avoid a Carp breaking off the whole rig. • Valid Fish • Only Common Carp, Mirror Carp and Small Mouth Buffalo can be weighed and counted for awards or prizes. • Other fish (including Game Fish) do not count. • Any fish that are dead, snagged, foul-hooked (hook is in a part of the fish body more than 1 inch from the mouth) will be disqualified. • Weigh System • Weigh Marshals will record exact weight (pounds and ounces), type (Common, Mirror, or Small Mouth Buffalo), and time caught on an Official Score Sheet. The Angler and Weigh Marshal shall both sign the Official Score Sheet to confirm that the information has been recorded correctly. • Anglers may also record the weight, type (Common, Mirror, or Small Mouth Buffalo), and time caught on their own score sheet and may request that the Weigh Marshal cross-check both records and sign the Angler’s score sheet. It is each Angler’s ultimate responsibility for ensuring that his/her fish is recorded accurately. Once signed by the Angler and Weigh Marshal, only the weight(s) recorded on the Official Score Sheet will be deemed as valid. • At the end of each Marshaling shift, Weigh Marshals will report each Angler’s catch to the Tournament Director. There will be a minimum of two 6-hour (or longer) Weigh Marshal shifts during the daylight hours of competition. Anglers must retain fish in carp-sacks overnight until the availability of the morning Marshal shift. • Only the Tournament’s certified scales may be used for weighing and recording the catch. Anglers may ask to view certification stickers to verify compliance. Scales of models and brands will be identical for all Weigh Marshals. • Confirm Your Scores • At the end of the competition, Anglers may compare their personal score sheets with the weights recorded by the Tournament Director. In the event of a discrepancy, the Team must notify the Tournament Director immediately. Such notifications will not be addressed if reported more than 15 minutes after the conclusion of the competition. The Tournament Director will examine the Official Score Sheet and final Tournament results, and advise the Team if their complaint is valid. If valid, the Leader Board and any other pertinent documentation will be corrected. In all cases, the Tournament Director’s decision shall be binding. • In the event of a tie for awards & prizes, the Anglers with the largest single fish within the affected category shall be judged the winner. In the event of a tie for the weight of each Team’s largest fish, the winner will be judged by the second biggest single fish, and so on. • Cancellation and Delays • In the event that the Tournament must be cancelled prior to the start date or its start delayed by more than 24 hours, all pre-registered and paid Teams will be refunded their entry fees less their percentage share of any administrative costs that cannot be recovered. • If adverse weather or other unforeseen conditions force the Start of Competition to be delayed for 6 hours or less, the competition will begin/resume at the earliest opportunity and the lost time will not be made up at the end of the competition. • If adverse weather or other unforeseen conditions force the Start of Competition to be delayed by more than 6 hours but less than 24, The Tournament Committee has the option to cancel or reschedule the competition. If the tournament is cancelled, Teams will be refunded their entry fees less their percentage share of any administrative costs that cannot be recovered. If the Tournament is rescheduled, teams who choose not to participate, will receive their entry fees less administrative costs. At that time, payouts will be adjusted according to the number of teams participating. • If a forced interruption occurs before 60 hours of competition have been completed, the competition will resume at the earliest opportunity and concluded according the original schedule. If the interruption cannot be cleared within the remaining scheduled time, the Tournament will be concluded and prizes will be awarded according to the weights recorded prior to the interruption. • If a forced interruption occurs after 60 hours have been completed, the Tournament will be concluded and prizes will be awarded according to the weights recorded prior to the interruption. • Penalties/Disqualification • Tournament officials reserve the right to penalize and/or disqualify any competitor for violating rules and guidelines expressed in writing and verbally prior to and throughout the Competition. In the event that a competitor is found in violation, they will be reprimanded accordingly for the violation. • Any Team disqualified from the Tournament will be removed from the Tournament leader board and post-event press coverage. • Tournament officials reserve the right to impose sanctions on Anglers and/or Teams if they commit crimes or exhibit negative behavior detrimental to the Tournament or a sponsor in a way not otherwise specified in this document. • A Team determined to be cheating or otherwise in flagrant violation of the Tournament Rules will be banned from future competitions. • If during the contest situations arise that are not stipulated in the rules, decisions will be made by the Tournament Director and the competitors will be subject to such decisions. • Liability This is an “enter-at-your-own risk” event. Anglers and Runners are responsible for their own property, safety and liability for any damage or injury to others. Having read and understood the Tournament Rules, with each Angler’s signature on the Registration Form, the Team agrees to accept all decisions of the Tournament Director as final. With each Angler’s signature, the Team also waive and release The Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce, all Tournament members, officials, and sponsors of all liabilities to themselves or their equipment. • Fishing License Unless otherwise excused by Texas State Law, competing Anglers must hold a valid fresh-water fishing license for the State of Texas. Each Angler will be required to present this license or the reasons for the exception at the Tournament Peg Draw. • Copyrighted Materials All Tournament images, descriptions and assorted intellectual property are solely owned by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce. These items cannot be used without expressed written consent from the Chamber’s President. Competitors agree that any images, photographs, etc. obtained during the Tournament may be used by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce for promotional purposes. • Direct Marketing/Recruitment Companies are not permitted to direct market their goods and/or recruit Anglers for promotional and/or sponsorship deals during the Tournament unless approved to do so by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce. Companies that have a paid sponsorship with the Tournament may direct market and/or recruit during the registration event, closing ceremony, and any pre-Tournament social activities.

If you fancy yourself a good rough fisherman, give this a go and win some $$$$ Texas National Carp & Buffalo Tournament 2017, Sponsored by the Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce. "The Texas National Carp & Buffalo Tournament Registration Form and Etiquette Rules have been published on the Lake Fork Area of Commerce Website: http://lakeforkchamber.org/. Everyone should be able to see the C & B poster on the left side of the home page. Click on it and you will be directed to the page where the Registration Form is as well as additional information." The Texas National Carp & Buffalo Tournament Lake Fork, TX November 1-5, 2017 Additional Payout:(s) $50,000 - State Record Small Mouth Buffalo 82.22 as of 8/17/17 $25,000 - State Record Common Carp 43.75 as of 8/17/17 Rules: Entry fee: $600 per team prior to October 1st $700 after October 1st Teams of 3 Anglers; 6 rod maximum 72 hours: noon Thursday to noon Sunday Weigh Marshalls: onsite 7 am until 7 pm All fish must be live (release)

Both fish look like low-mid doubles bigger than the 8# avg our ozark lakes seem to produce I think some record fish are in the white river chain of lakes, a 20# is a quality fish, my biggest a 36-9#.....Tablerock I think has state record fish, but with the big Bfing tourneys targeting the biggest 20 fish...we will see more small fish...once at Stockton caught a nice carp smallie fishing though for sure it was a wall hanger, I was sadly disappointed it was not the 8# smallie of my dreams....well before my getting into carping This fish below was just at 20# to give you some scale...that fish was caught on a warm early October day

here is a guy weighing a 16....UK fish weigh a lot more for their length than most of our fish here in the USA, the fish get fed a lot of high nutritional boilie baits that bolster their weights

It takes a good think 35" common to get close to 20, most people guess WAY high on a fish those "20#ers".....imagine a yard stick as a fish, as big around as a good watermelon...one of the 1st pieces of carp (kit) I purchased a Rueben Heaton scale, pricey but they can be certified....I have weighed a few of those huge carp, have had more that a few calls that so and so caught or arrowed a huge fish and wanted it weighed...most are usually low doubles, it takes an exceptional fish to break 30# I have been lucky to catch some huge common carp, and bull shoals is one of my 1st go to places for big carp....and if you know where these monsters swim pleas shoot me a PM...if it pans out, its worth a bottle of fine whisky for you as a note Missouri Master angler award in 20# for common carp or 32" I never have fished Beaver for Carp, with all the big preds it has potential, just never tried it, I came across some old stocking info on beaver once and they stocked Israeli carp (Mirror Common Carp) in like the early 60's so its on my to do list.....

Here is an interesting Video....yeah they fish for Carp in Kansas....

The original context of this was conservation and you chose to click and comment, pretty sure there is an "ignore" button please feel free to use it.... and there is no shortages of common carp, just not as many fish over 20#....at least in our area

try a tube on top, stuff some trimmed packing peanuts and a jig hook before the lead is cast.... a glitter clear with white packing peanuts works good for me makes a nice PLAT when they land..seems to get their attn, with practice you can walk the dog with them

here are some of ours in Missouri

we have had a few here one on taney- 2 on bullshoals- 2 on stockton and one on fellows lakes.......several at homey in Oklahoma thats just a few off the top of my head....

barb wire trotline?

Picking your own crawlers can be fun in itself..well fed conditioned crawlers are walleye tourney champs secret weapon...you can color the crawlers.... many buy the chartreuse ones at times..... but you can color them any color...... Stockton purple works well, I always love sitting in the back of the boat, catching fish after fish after fish, that usually makes converts out of skeptics..... http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/recreation/outdoors/myhre-here-s-how-to-make-super-crawlers/article_dbfa077d-6a71-5bd1-bdf8-11bbf2f00968.html

heres one called the CCC...held every year this years CCC is in Coxsackie NY on the Hudson River September 23 2017

I was asked "where are all these carp wing dings" heres one been going on for over 20 years....if you fancy yourself a good dough baller give it a shot..then you will understand why all the dedicated carp gear....

you get a cookie

"where are all these carp wing dings" there is a big one in Austin Tx every year in march.....I have fished this very swim and enjoyed the scenery that University of Texas female students using the jogging/walking path....

here you go.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZhJyKhbtbs sorry I worked for a living, you mistake me for a snowflake, xbox make me a sammich granny type..you would be wrong If I remember correctly old school fish sticks where buffalo, stopped when pollution concerns pushed to then cod, which fisheries collapsed then to pollock my guess once that goes belly up we will see asian carp fish sticks....at least until the commie libs make us all vegans

livingtofish, I would say fish deeper, on bottom to no more than 2 feet off bottom....put the boat in water 22 to 30 feet unless its been cloudy with a bit of rain for a day or two, then stick baits on rocky points and feature changes on long bluff banks......spend better time prepping and taking care of you bait, its pricy but get a copy of "Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers" I could use crawlers I prep and fish right in he same boat with you, and your using out of the cooler crawlers, and I'd out catch you 20-1....I had it done to me once and learned-not all worms are treated equal. as far as gear, a quality 6" light spinning rod lots of good walleye blanks out there...an Okuma Baitrunner the small one is about the right size about 8oz.. holds about 140 yards of quality 6# green mono, toss that braid in the trash can IMHO for walleyes. a 1/2 oz bullet weight (red) with a quality black swivel size 11, a rattle bead, a size 4 live bait hook (red) on 24' of a stiff fluorocarbon leader no more than 8# sometimes a pinch of (1/2") a solid chartreuse or white grub threaded just before your hook does wonders...sometimes you can get away with just a big split shot if its a calm day,.. If you don't have a drift sock...get one and a pool float to keep it up off bottom drop your weight to the bottom and just lift it off set your bait runner to release line on the bite.... sometimes minnows work well, but you'll catch a ton of crappie...you will catch huge crappie on the crawler too, seems the big slabs love them anyways good luck next time out