> I don't know if this is a problem that many people talk about but the asian jumping carp is killing off a lot of our bass fishing in America! Check out all the info you can on the NET! Just google it and you will be amazed, and angry! They are all over the Mississippi river and in most of the rivers that connect to it., they are even at the edge of the great lakes!!!  NOT GOOD...    What does everyone else think?  >

Where are you getting your information ?

I don"t know the whole story behind the carp, but at one time was told that a few years ago when the Mississippi flooded big time that the carp got into the river from private ponds that the river overtook.  I have seen several videos from the MN/WI area of the Mississippi that are just insane.  Some boaters have even taken to wearing motorcycle helmets on the river.  Several people have been hurt and I believe even one women was killed.  I am of the understanding that the vibrations in the water from the boat motor agitate the carp, and according to the video footage, they just shoot straight out of the water.  A lot of them.  Search flying carp on You-Tube, there is tons of video

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=flying+carp&search_type=&aq=f

I can't speak to the carp/bass issue, but I have heard that the fish and game experts aren't sure what they can do eradicate them or at least to suppress the population.

Good place to start reading:

http://www.asiancarp.org/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5542199

" if you can't beat them, eat them!"

From what i heard they been making prisons eat them.

Asian carp are a serious problem in the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Electronic barriers have been put in place to keep them out of the Great Lakes. They are a menace.

When we throw a cast net into a school of shad, about half the fish in the net are baby Asian carp (silver carp). They make excellent cut bait for big cats, but they don't stay little long. These fish grow several pounds a year and are very hearty. A few years back when the Mississippi breached a local lake (Horseshoe lake in Alexander County, IL) Asian carp invaded, eventually wiping out the bluegill and bass population.

I see them by the hundreds when I fish the diversion channel in Southeast Missouri. They are plankton eaters and simply will not take bait. BUT you can snag them legally for most of the year and they are excellent fighters and very good table fare, white and flakey, althought you are lucky to get 2 pounds of fillets from a 10 lb fish. They can reach 100 pounds and are popular with bow fishers as well. They are easy to spot feeding in schools near the surface of the water.

When life gives you lemons, snag those freakin' lemons right behind the gills.

The carp have been caught in Kentucky lake and I beleave Pickwick!!!

As far as I know, the Asian Carp has not yet infested the Cumberland

or Tennessee Rivers. I have not heard other reports of this fish being

caught in either Kentucky Lake or Pickwick.

8-)

Two words:  BOW FISHING!

More than 2 words:

The carp will change the ecosystem.  Bass will eventually not be able to sustain their numbers.  I dont think bass will be erradicated, but they will be smaller and fewer.

But in systems where the carp already are, there isnt much you can do about it.  Like the snakehead, they populate fast, grow fast, and eat a ALOT.  

Personally I like carp fishing and think its underrated.  But its still no bass though. There have been little successful cases of ridding an invasive species from an ecosystem.

Vic

asian carp problem = load up the 12ga.

Dec 12th update:  

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WI_ASIAN_CARP_WIOL-?SITE=WIFON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I don't think Asian carp are a direct threat to Bass. They only eat plankton and don't do well in standing water. They would compete with fry for plankton, but I don't think a most lakes/reservoirs could support a large breeding population. I think the common carp is probably a bigger threat to bass, they destroy the weeds fry need to hide from predators.

In the rivers, their population is staggering, but I haven't seen any numbers that show a decrease plankton (thanks to all the fertilizer run off). They may compete with other species for reproduction habitat, but I haven't seen any specifics yet.

I think the biggest fear is or should be they will become a commercial species and get their own lobby. Then they will manage the river with their interests in mind. These carp are already one of the biggest aquaculture species in the world. Their numbers are already so large, it is only a matter of time till it becomes a commercial fishery.

The only positive I can see is maybe they will shrink the size of the dead zone in the gulf of mexico, since the will consume some of the plankton that causes it.

Down in Florida we have grass carp from china. They are really the worlds largest minnow from what I understand and are vegitarians and planted to here to curb algae. They will eat fish eggs and I have noticed our bass population in our ponds isn't what it used to be.

IF you want a fun time fishing for asian carp , load the boat up and head to Bath , IL . There is a hillbilly fishing tournament for them once a month I believe . Just jump in the boat , idle slowly and let 'em jump in . The boat with the most pounds at the end of the day wins .

I also was talking to the local warden and was told that if one jumps in your boat it is supposed to be killed IMMEDIATLEY . So any time one jumps in the boat he gets the heave ho to the bank .