Last week I was busy filming a DVD wich is still in production about specimen carp fishing in South Africa. The two anglers are brothers and well known in the angling community Derrick and Marcele Nel. It was very interesting and different to the way we usually fish not one small carp was caught the smallest being around 4kg/8-9 lbs and the biggest around 9kg/20 lbs. 15 Fish was caught over a two day period with the weather not playing along as well with rain storms in between.

This was on a private dam 30km outside Johannesburg central. The water is usually crystal clear but with the rain it became brown and muddy wich made for difficult angling.

But even with the difficulty in fishing they pulled out these nice fish on catch and release basis. They are starting up a company called Carp Crazy for fishing tours that should be operating soon. The DVD will be very informative and will guide you trough all the relevant facts and how to's.

The two brothers Derrick and Marcele

I had a college friend from the Netherlands who loved to fish for carp. We took him to a large reservoir not far from campus in Eugene, Oregon, and he proceeded to show us how to catch carp using pieces of freshly boiled potato. He caught some nice ones, but nothing as large as the ones in these photos.

Bill,

Because of our weather and climate carp can grow very big m uch quicker than in Europe and elsewhere. Even though the world record is in France I'm sure with this type of new fishing we will see the new world record in South Africa soon.

My eyes opened up afer this week. There is a reason why there is 3 million registered Carp anglers in the UK alone the carp are smart there and with the new techniques they develop we have a ball this side this is what the brothers were telling me.

i love catching carp on light tackle!

Carp are one of the more entertaining species on earth. I just love catching them. However I'm not much for a rod and reel so I shoot them with a bow and reel!















The little guy in the photo's is my favorite hunting and fishing partner. He turns every thing we do no matter how simple and basic into an real adventure!

Back when I was an irresponsible youth (last summer I think it was) we used to catch small carp in the back waters in Blythe, CA on the Colorado River. We would take them and put them in a water balloon launcher (A giant slingshot made from surgical tubing) and shoot them accroos the Colorado River at the jet-skiiers camped on the other shore. These things would flop onto their shade canapies or near their lounge chairs and scare the crap out of them.

They never once thought to look over at us laughing on the other side. Thereafter we called them Arizona Flying Fish.

The area is also known to have good monkey habitat as well:

Save the Reed Monkeys

quote:

N'gagi

I can only imagine their faces with the carp dropping out of the sky.

JJhack,

When we were fishing we saw a lot of big fish close to trees on the edge and I had the same thought a bow but the specific dam only allows cath and release.

Frederik

Looks like you had some good fishing, looking forward to see the movie.

It is funny to consider the differences of opinions around the world. In Europe, South Africa and many other places (I suppose) Carp are considered a sportfish and there are many anglers who spend a lot of time chasing them.

But here in Australia, the carp is a feral pest that has invaded many of our best freshwater fisheries and is hated and destroyed at every opportunity. Indeed, it is illegal to return a carp to the water and any caught, while fishing for other species, must be killed.

We have lots and lots of carp and some very big ones, too. My personal best was around 20lb and was taken with a .30/30 Winchester!

Yes, it's considered a pest in most of the United States too, for basically the same reasons: detrimental to other game fish species, roiled and muddied the water, etc. There are people that like them and eat them, as boney as they are. (Yuk) I have caught them on every type of tackle imaginable and have also shot them with the bow and fish rig as well. We used to take the carcasses and plant them around trees and shrubs. They were supposed to be good fertilizer.

No offence to my European and South African brother fishermen, but carp here in Oregon are considered excellent bait for the crab pot.

They are a bunch of fun on a fly rod.

Yes, I agree with that. I hooked a monster one evening while fly fishing a river. Thought that I had hooked a new record book brown trout. Turned out to be a carp.

Interesting views from everyone else around the world. Carp is also suppose to be a pest here but the impact they have on our natural fish is not properly known yet. Or nobody cares?

What was nice about the dam we were fishing is that it is man made not connected to a river or any other water system so it didn't interfere with the natural system. The dam is also close to a 100 years old and quite nicely settled so very nice spot for carp fishing. BTW the biggest carp taken by the brothers was just over 40lbs