Those Europeans........

[MoCarp]

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!

[MoCarp]

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

[MoCarp]

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

[MoCarp]

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

[MoCarp]

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

[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.....

[MoCarp]

 

[Al Agnew]

I know a guy who fished for Atlantic salmon in the UK somewhere, but I believe in most places it's an expensive proposition.  Seems to me that people don't fish for carp and all the other non-trout species because of polluted waters, they fish them because it's more affordable.  

[MoCarp]

3 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

I know a guy who fished for Atlantic salmon in the UK somewhere, but I believe in most places it's an expensive proposition.  Seems to me that people don't fish for carp and all the other non-trout species because of polluted waters, they fish them because it's more affordable.  

Atlantic salmon are on my bucket list...very interesting fish..From my understanding to get to fish for them you need to have a voucher..they sell them on eBay for £80-£200 but it seems most go to Scotland, spring run cost £359 or $473.97 ---> http://scotiafishing.com/packages/salmon-fishing-scotland

not apples to apples but as far as cheap to fish, I guess it depends...day ticket(24hrs) can be had fairly cheap (for the UK) £27.50

http://www.fish-on-friday.com/2014/01/10-best-day-ticket-waters-in-the-uk/

Many join club waters or Syndicates where you pay for a membership £695 - £345.00 about $917.57- $455.48 depending if you fish just during the week or weekends... plus monthly dues to timeshare fish in smallish ponds

http://www.xlcarp.com/membership-information

 Then to get a prime date like Gigantica you might need a 2 year window to get a spot----> http://www.gigantica-carp.com/availability

Prime weeks are £595.00 or about $785.55 big pressured carp can takes days before you can get a bite...one reason its such a challenge

Carp gear can be extremely upscale  Daiwa Tournament Basiair QD are $ 1143.95 (japan) each and typically euro setups are 3 rods etc.. matching new Basia AGS rods are £800 or $1056.20 each so about $6600 bucks and thats before you add rod pod, with alarms...$1200.. nets, slings carp mats etc.. can you get cheap carp gear? YUP but its like saying a guy gets into bass fishing in a 14 foot flat bottom with a 10 horse merc.....you can but....

The mental picture of a guy in a beat up lawn chair, cheap zebco reel, in a forked stick cut from the bank, using a wheaties and jello dough ball on a treble hook. isn't the reality in American Carp fishing over the last 20 years, Brits who came here with their passion, shared it with American friends and kind of went from there...the history of how carp fishing exploded in the UK is interesting and went from nothing to multi billion dollar a year business....Entire stocking industries feed the carp fishing passion....fish are expensive some even micro chipped....hard to imagine a lake manager have $500k just in fish stocks

http://rhfisheries.com/fishfarm

 

[MoCarp]

Apparently you can have a career path in carp venue management..as its taught in Universities in the UK