4 Interesting Facts About Grass Carp

Ctenopharyngodon idella, in its Latin name, grass carp is one of the species of fish with the biggest reported production globally in aquaculture, meaning over five million tons every year. Grass carp belongs to the Cyprinidae family which is native to eastern Asia, and it is a herbivorous freshwater fish.

Finding grass carp

The fish is cultivated in China for food, and in Europe and the United States was introduced in order to take care of aquatic plants control. In the United States, the fish is also known as white amur, from the Amur River.

Grass carp can be found in large, turbid rivers and floodplain lakes and it has a large degree of temperature tolerance. The fish will come into the reproductive state and spawn at a range of 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

The fish can be found in backwaters of large rivers, large, slow-flowing or standing bodies of vegetation, pools, ponds, and lakes.

The eggs are a bit heavier than the water and develop to be white, and they end up drifting downstream, being kept in suspension by turbulence. That is why, in the wild, the fish spawns in fast-moving waters. A very interesting fact is that the eggs are thought to die in case they sink to the bottom.

Feeding

Adult grass carp fish feed mostly on higher aquatic plants and submerged terrestrial vegetation. Even if we are talking about a herbivorous fish, the grass carp can also feed on insects, detritus, and other invertebrates.

Purpose

Although one might think that a fish’s most common usage would be food or at least ornamental, the grass carp is also used for weed control.

For example, it was introduced in New Zealand to control the growth of aquatic plants. In 1973, it was introduced in the Netherlands in order to take care of over-abundant aquatic weeds.

One important fact to know is that each instance requires specific authorization for this process. Grass carp is unlikely to reproduce naturally because of their special breeding requirements, but in other instances, the control is done by using sterile, triploid fish and that is why introducing a species for weed control must be done with proper authorization.

Fishing for grass carp

We cannot talk about fish, without mentioning fishing. Since we know that this is a herbivorous species, it can prove quite hard to catch. However, there are solutions — the grass carp can be lured with canned corn or cherry tomatoes, or bread, although they sometimes eat other insects. You’ll also require the service of the right carp rod and reel combo for this purpose.

Conclusion

In short, grass carp is one of the most widely spread species of fish in the world, and it is used not only for feeding humans but also as an aquatic plant controller. It mostly feeds on plants, but also some types of insects.

Fishing can prove to be a bit tricky. However, there are solutions to catch it. In case you are fishing in areas where this species is used as biocontrol for damaging aquatic plants, please return them unharmed.

What baits should you use to fish for grass carp?

The grass carp is a tricky species when it comes to fishing, as it is a herbivorous fish and in areas where they are introduced for controlling the growth of aquatic weed, you ought to return it to the water alive and safe.

Grass carp can be found pretty much all over the world, starting from Asia, but also in Europe and in the United States.

Why grass carp?

Usually, any serious fisher knows what type or types of fish he or she is going for, and prepares accordingly. It is crucial to take into consideration the reasoning – sports or for eating, but also the correct type of bait and the suitable equipment.

If you want to go for the grass carp, it is a good example for both sports and consumption. Carp fish usually weigh within the range of 40 pounds to 110 pounds.

When hooked, the fish goes airborne. They are also net-jumpers, so fish farmers often wear catcher’s masks and also pads. A long grass carp resembles tarpon, so fighting one with a rod and reel has been compared to battling a tail-hooked tarpon, with their large scales and upturned mouth.

Grass carp is a delicious fish as well, so if you want to go home with some fresh fish to have for dinner, you can go for this type.

Chumming

In order to be able to catch any type of fish, you need to know not only where to find it, but also its eating habits. You need to make sure you are using the right kind of bait and how to chum them.

First of all, it is necessary to know that grass carp fish do not have teeth in their mouth. It has, however, comblike teeth in the throat. You should also be aware that this fish can consume 2, even 3 times their weight every day and it can gain between 5 to 10 pounds per year.

Therefore, the grass carp will pretty sure not react to the normal type of baits, so you should use veggies. Salad, cherry tomatoes, celery, coontail, muskgrass, duckweed, pondweed, watercress, pea pods, and lettuce are some of the recommended vegetables you can use to fish for grass carp.

Putting the bait into practice

A simple method to catch a grass carp is by scattering some fermented corn in the area or areas you want to fish, in order to attract the fish there.

Then, you can throw in some cherry tomatoes – grass carp is known to be a great fan of these fruits. From then on, having the right type of equipment, you should be able to catch the fish.

To sum it all up, if you are going to fish for grass carp, you need to select the correct spot on freshwater rivers or ponds and you should use vegetables, such as corn, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, salad, pea pods, but not only. Once this is done, you are ready to go!