Attack of The Clones...Another Invasive Species in AB Waters

[The Spank]

Scary thought what these could do to an already pressured AB fishery.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/prussian-carp-alberta-invasive-1.4341547

[Dewey Cox]

Prussian carp in Alberta?
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned this yet?

[the local angler]

wow that's a very interesting read, didn't know they can clones them selves and the male being optional during the reproduction process and using sperm from other species to fertilize the eggs.

[the local angler]

Prussian carp in Alberta?
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned this yet?

its been mentioned and me and my buddies have been fishing them hard for the last few years. it takes a learning curve to catch them. tried eating them but they are boney as hell.

[catfan]

its been mentioned and me and my buddies have been fishing them hard for the last few years. it takes a learning curve to catch them. tried eating them but they are boney as hell.

Would you care sharing you secret for catching the carp? I would love to bonk a few this year.

[JareS]

Yep they’ve been here for quite a few years now. Started showing up after the 2005 flood.

In the Bow, RDR, Oldman, SSR etc, all the way down to Diefenbaker Res in Saksatchewan.

By now with all the published research, its no secret that these invasive carp are extremely detraumental to our ecosystem and fisheries

No they are not a good thing that will end up benefiting Pike and Walleye.

Before anyone tries to say otherwise :argue2:

[the local angler]

ya sure you have to really down size every thing like hooks #16-20, line 4-6LB, shy biter floats as the bits are extremely light. you don't need to cast just a flip out really close to shore. bait is maggots, homemade dough balls, corn.

[calgarygringo]

Yes it is old news.
Been reported around here for at least 10 years and now and are everywhere. Seems the finesse fisherman seem to do the best. Friend of mine has had several over 150 catch days.

[JareS]

I targeted the smaller ones in Dewitts and Blood Indian Reservoir for a good year before I started fishing the rivers and catching full grown specemins.

The little ones were frustrating. Other shore anglers that come from countries where Carp originate would be filling their buckets and I’d be skunked. Tried corn, dough balls and worms on the lakes and would get bites but never hook up, even with size 18 or 24 microhooks.

Started fishing the prairie rivers with worms on the bottom. Would catch full grown Prussian Carp while getting bycatches of suckers, goldeye, mooneye and walleye and burbot.

[catfan]

ya sure you have to really down size every thing like hooks #16-20, line 4-6LB, shy biter floats as the bits are extremely light. you don't need to cast just a flip out really close to shore. bait is maggots, homemade dough balls, corn.

Thanks for the info. Can’t wait to try it

[HowSwedeItIs]

Makes you wonder if we have any of those mutant self-cloning crayfish (recently discussed on 'As it Happens') here yet. Can't imagine they're good for the ecosystem but at least they would have more culinary value than the carp

[pinelakeperch]

Tons of them in Blood Indian. I haven't seen any catchable ones, but it's well documented that they're in there.

[the local angler]

not a problem catfan, if you love catching them but don't want to keep/eat any you can always ask the other anglers there usually European and asian anglers if they want the ones you catch most are happy to take them. to find them look close to shore on the surface you should see disturbances of them jumping close to weedbeds. you can sometimes see their dorsal fin sticking out of the water's surface. i am told they also hit dry flies so this year that is my goal is to target them with the fly rod. once you figure them out and get the hang of them you can easily catch them in the hundreds. my average is about 80-90 per trip of the 4"-7" casting/dropping literally 10 -15 feet from shore. for these small ones you just drop in the water light hookset and lift onto shore the reel is sorta optional lol good luck.

[TROLLER]

Anyone ever fish them through the ice?

[Mackinaw]

ya sure you have to really down size every thing like hooks #16-20, line 4-6LB, shy biter floats as the bits are extremely light. you don't need to cast just a flip out really close to shore. bait is maggots, homemade dough balls, corn.

beef or pork liver

mack

[Lornce]

Last fall went for a walk and noticed guys fishing in Two Towed Pond in the NW. One had quit a number of Asian Carp.

[the11fisherman]

I was posting videos of fishing for these in 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSIKkCrJ2v8

They are not hard to catch, especially when you get a school of them around where you are fishing. I personally use a size 14 hook with a little piece of worm on the hook (like a pea-sized chunk). When I know there is a school around I just put on a pickerel rig and get them easily with that.

[The Spank]

Oops!

[Joe Quiroga]

I was posting videos of fishing for these in 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSIKkCrJ2v8

They are not hard to catch, especially when you get a school of them around where you are fishing. I personally use a size 14 hook with a little piece of worm on the hook (like a pea-sized chunk). When I know there is a school around I just put on a pickerel rig and get them easily with that.

Is that the Bow above or below the dam? Wouldn't mind taking a shot at them next season.