Interesting Carp Press

[MoCarp]

I will be attending this event, I hope to give a report and pics when I get back!

Mo

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spt/outdoo...rp.21dd3fe.html

It's carp diem

Most 'rough' fans know only one fish can seize their day

06:35 PM CST on Saturday, March 18, 2006

By RAY SASSER / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – It's a laidback fishing deal at Emma Long Metropolitan Park on Lake Austin. The lake is really a wide spot on the Colorado River. Million-dollar mansions are elegantly perched on live oak-covered hills surrounding the urban oasis. It's the sort of setting that makes the hills of northern Austin an uncommon place.

Mark Villanova and Donnie Hutchinson are fishing for common carp in this uncommon place. They've driven down I-35 from their Dallas-area homes and spent the weekend lounging in camp chairs, playing with Villanova's two children (Jordan and Jasmine), waiting for the high-pitched alarm that signals a bite from the rubber-lipped queen of the rough fish.

"Bugle-mouthed bass" is one euphemism for carp. If you look closely at Cyprinus carpio, you'll understand the description. These Asian imports have a profile that not even a mother could love. Motherly love aside, the common carp has an uncommon following among Texas anglers such as Villanova, who lives in Bedford, and Hutchinson, who lives in Lewisville.

"We all started out as bass or crappie fishermen," says Hutchinson with a wry smile. "Once you've caught a carp, you never go back. We're on the verge of a major explosion in the sport of carp fishing."

The carp occurs in virtually every water drainage in Texas. Villanova and Hutchinson have caught carp from lakes all around the Dallas area. Grapevine is a local favorite for carpaholics.

Unlike other fishing devotees who fiercely defend their secrets, carp fans are evangelists. They post internet reports on the Texas Fishing Forum, often transmitting photos from lakeside. As the men fish, their cell phones ring regularly. The callers are fellow carp fanatics who are stuck at work, at soccer games or in traffic and can't wait for updates.

These guys suffer from "carpio tunnel syndrome" or maybe "carpio tunnel vision." Their distinctive gear draws a crowd wherever they go. At Emma Long Metropolitan Park, a bass fisherman walking along the bank stops to inspect the setup. He's carrying a spinning rod with a shallow diving plug tied onto his line.

"I caught a 17 on the weed line down the bank," he says.

"You caught a 17-pound bass?" shouts an incredulous Hutchinson.

"No, a 17-inch bass," the bass guy responds.

"Oh, well, we deal in pounds and ounces, and our average carp from Lake Austin weighs about 20 pounds," says Hutchinson, who once caught a 65-pound smallmouth buffalo from the very spot he's fishing.

It's not the biggest buffalo caught on a rod and reel in Texas (state record: 82.22 pounds), but it's probably the biggest caught by an angler intentionally fishing for rough fish. Buffalo are native rough fish, though not as common as carp.

Carp anglers don't get a lot of attention because the American fishing industry doesn't make much profit off them. The local feed store makes more money from carp anglers than the Berkley Corporation does. Most carp guys fish from the bank. They don't own a boat and don't really need one. Villanova only uses his small aluminum boat to put out bait or check for bottom contours within casting distance of the bank.

The specialized tackle used by carp anglers is mostly mail-ordered from Europe, where carp fishing is a big deal. Villanova and Hutchinson both use rod pods –specialized rod holders driven into the ground and hold three rods.

The rods are long spinning ones capable of banging out a 100-yard cast. The rod pod is equipped with battery-powered strike alarms that sound off when a fish picks up the bait and swims away. The alarm also signals what's known as a drop-back bite. That's when a fish picks up the bait and swims toward the bank with it. The setup looks like something James Bond use to fish.

"We spend a lot of time just waiting for a bite," Villanova said. "Carp fishing is a social sport. I bring my kids when possible, and we usually have a few other friends along."

Carp anglers bait their fishing area with corn or livestock range cubes. Hutchinson may use 100 pounds of range cubes in a weekend. Some anglers customize their own bait, mixing ingredients such as breakfast cereal and Big Red or other sweet soft drinks. Since the tackle manufacturers haven't caught on to carp fishing, the anglers are ingenious in adapting specialized gear to their needs.

Villanova uses a water balloon launcher – an oversized slingshot – to broadcast a double handful of range cubes even farther offshore than he can using a plastic throwing stick. Carp may look stupid, but they feed cautiously and are seldom caught on an artificial lure.

The idea is to bait the carp into an area and get them feeding aggressively enough that they pick up a baited hook. The hook that Villanova uses is not really attached to the bait. It trails the bait on a short dropper line. Carp feed by sucking up small aquatic critters. They also suck up silt, which they expel. That's when the trailing hook, called a hair rig, hooks the fish.

"The carp is almost always hooked in the lower lip," says Villanova. "With this rig, you don't even lose your bait."

The lip-hooking technique is particularly important to carp fishermen, who go to great lengths not to damage these hardy fish. Carp are handled on a damp, padded mat that protects their slime coat. The hook is removed, and the fish is weighed and photographed.

Carp anglers are so concerned about harming the fish that the protocol for photography dictates the fisherman kneel or squat while holding the fish. If the fish is accidentally dropped, it won't have so far to fall. Hook wounds and damaged fins are treated with antiseptic.

During tournaments, carp are staked out in mesh bags while a weigh-master is called in to verify the catch. The fish are then released. Holding them overnight in a mesh bag submerged in the water doesn't seem to hurt the fish.

Villanova and Hutchinson are practicing for the Bassmasters Classic of carp fishing. The fifth annual Austin Team Championship Tournament is Friday and Saturday, March 24-25, and the Texas Carp Challenge follows starting Sunday, March 26. Town Lake is considered the epicenter of carp angling, and fishermen from as far away as Europe are expected for the tournaments.

A $250,000 prize awaits the fisherman who can break the Texas common carp record of 41.5 pounds during the Texas Carp Challenge. Town Lake produced the current record, and carp anglers are convinced that larger fish have been caught and released in these waters. A quarter of a million dollars would surely be considered a cure for the common carp.