Winter Opinion Pieces are back!!! Carp fishermen are spoiled by Size

Carp are one of the few species of fish in New England that an angler has a good chance of catching 

This little 2 1/2 pound carp was a worthy adversary on light
tackle. So much so it deserved its picture taken before
being released

a trophy almost every time out if they fish the right spots. If you think about other species of gamefish chances of catching a big one on any given day are fairly slim. I think many people would agree a large bass is five pounds and a true trophy, over seven. How many does an average fishermen get of those a year. Maybe a couple five pounders and a career best of seven or eight pounds. Pike fishermen in southern New England will ice fish all winter for a couple fish over ten pounds. Trout fishermen chasing stockies will catch very few trout over 18 inches. Stripers over 20 pounds are certainly out there, but from shore, you really have to put time in to get one.

Carp on the other hand can grow to large sizes.  Another advantage to carp is in most ponds they are all almost the same size. Some lakes they will all be 4-8 pounds, other lakes they can be between 18-22 pounds. In those lakes it is rare to catch one under 15 pounds. Where are the small ones? Beats me. Very few carp lakes seem to have all sizes from juvenile to trophy.  Most places seem to have a very small size range. Unlike largemouth bass where you might have to catch 100 fish to get a six pounder, with carp it’s a matter of fishing locations that have carp of large average size. To catch a fifteen pound carp, you simply have to know what you’re doing and fish a lake that has fifteen pounders. Chances are, most carp you catch will be that size without wading through 14 inchers.

What is considered a trophy is a matter of opinion. Some guys think they elusive thirty pound barrier is the holy grail. Some guys think 25 is a big fish. Some think twenty is a trophy.  Rhode Island DEM considers a 15 pounder a big fish. Whatever your standard, an argument could be made for each. I’m sure largemouth bass fishermen new to the carp world would be thrilled with the ten to fifteen pound fish.  

Here in lies how quickly carp fishermen can be spoiled by size. Most guys new to the sport want to graduate up quickly to monster proportions. They think now that they caught a quality 18 pound fish, they need a twenty then a twenty five and up. I am one hundred percent for catching big fish. I love catching big ones as much as the next person, but if your whole goal is to break your personal best every time out or to hit the next multiple of five, then your trivializing the smaller fish. If you reel in an eighteen pounder and say “it’s only an eighteen pounder” then you’re in the wrong sport Haas.  It bothers me when guys are disappointed because it’s not the next trophy.

There does seem to be a common link for fishermen that take size for granted. That link is they are usually very good fishermen for other species. Guys that are used to catching big fish of other species like stripers or largemouth or even tuna want that monster right away. On the other hand if you take a kid carp fishing and they catch a ten pound carp they don’t say ‘now I need a fifteen pounder” they are more likely to say “I want to catch another one! That was awesome!”

Most dedicated adult carp fishermen care as much about catching carp as they do the size. I've sat next to my friend Paul in January with no hope of catching anything over ten pounds. I've sat with Dave in February reeling in six pounders saying they were a good fish for that water body. Its not just the winter that little ones are targeted. I've had fifteen fish nights in July, the biggest might have been pushing four pounds. I was not alone, other carp guys were enjoying the action as well.

The enjoyment should be in the fishing and hopefully catching. Getting a PB should just be a bonus when it happens.  There are plenty of places I carp fish where I have no chance of catching one over ten pounds. I have just as much fun fishing those locations. Mirror carp from the Blackstone River system are amazing fighters. They can compete with the most spirited bluefish or smallmouth bass. Catching a five pounder in the spring with high water spilling into the trees is a real challenge. They are truly amazing. In the places that have these fish an eight pound carp would be a real eye opener.

There’s a place up in Massachusetts that fishes really well during even the hottest summers. The carp are very small. A good one is four pounds. Yet they are plentiful and again, very spirited fighters. They will give every ounce of energy. I love fishing for them on warm July nights. Sure I’m not going to get a twenty, but I might catch twenty fish.

All I’m saying, is if carp fishing is going to be a hobby of yours, then you should do it for the right reason. The main reason should be simply to catch carp. What if you get that thirty pound fish your second time out? I can tell you, you might not ever catch another one. Only a handful of guys in Rhode Island and Massachusetts have caught one. Are you going to quit fishing because you reached your goal? You might as well because if the only reason to go carp fishing was to catch a monster, you succeeded, move on and take up surfing.

My personal definition of a quality size carp is fifteen pounds. I consider anything over 25 to be a trophy/monster. For the record, I have caught two carp that were twenty six pounds. I’ve never had one land on twenty five pounds. I’ve caught a few that weighed twenty four. Below that, many in the eighteen to twenty three range. I’m still looking for the thirty pounder. If I don’t get it and even if I do, the next time catch a decent fishI will never say the phrase “Oh, it’s just a seventeen pounder”