Asian Carp Caught

[url]http://www.asiancarp.org/[/url] is a link that talks about the spieces.

Probably preaching to the choir here, didn't know so offer it. We caught 2 of the silver, grass carps a week back fishing the Ohio between Brandenburg Ramp and Otter Creek park. They were in the 12 to 18 inch range, caught on bobbers and night crawlers.

I'd heard they had migrated this way, but first I ever caught. Hadn't witnessed them being here, but they are.

These things according to web link above, jump out of the water when scared by a boat motor. Seen shows on TV, and looks like they hurt if they jump and you get there in time to kiss one. Web says this brand can get to 20 or 30 lbs. Eeeeegads.....ballistic fish!

So ya might want to just be aware. Beats me what ya do for protection. Can tell ya this, first time some flying fish cracks my windshield, trashes a tackle box, or knocks over a beer can, this kid is boycotting the Ohio. Ain't got time for that kind of horse pucky ;)

My buddy and I got into the middle of a bunch of these on the Ohio near Paducah 2 years ago. We were bass fishin, throwin traps/cranks but still managed to snag a couple and keep them on for 2-3 minutes. It was wild... we could hear them thumping into the bottom of his Ranger and had a few almost jump in the boat with us. The ones we saw were in the 10-15 pound range.


CC

All I can say is get used to it.

Might make you bass guys with your 50K boats that do 1000 mph reconsider those high speed runs on the river.

seen a pic of one caught in Ky. lake last week in a net, that was over four feet long! Talking about putting a wooping on a man!

I ran into them 6 years ago just up from the junction of ohio river on the mississippi. It was bazare. 2-3 foot silvers were jumping out of the water five feet high and covering a horizontal distance of 8-10 feet. One jumped over my son who was in the front of the boat bent over getting something out of the cooler and landed right in the middle of the boat. This was a 16 pound fish. Freaked us out. Nobody up this way had heard about them yet not even the ky wildlife biologist.

If they get up here as bad as they are on the Mississippi things on the Ohio will change drastically. Ever been hit in the head/face with a 15-20 pound fish? They carry garbage can lids to use as shields over there.

On the Illinois river they were smaller and would hit the bow of the boat, get air born, and land half way back in our wake as we were doing 30mph. Would not want to water ski there. Ever been hit in the face with a 5 pound fish going 30?

My younger brother was a pilot of a barge on the Illinois making a run north from the MIS to Chi town He said they had a deck hand checking lines when one of these critters decided to launch itself. The poor guy caught the thing dead in the face,the barge was barely making 3 to 4 miles an hour and it knocked him off the side if he had not worn his floation device he would had went on down. It took 5 stiches to close his cheek where they think a fin went in. But he was lucky that he fell far enough away so the screws did not draw him under the boat. The Deckhand wore a football helmet back down river.
As a whole, deckhands got it rough any way but when the fish are hunting you it may be time for a career change.

Biggest one I've shot down in the Brandinburg area is 63# for a bighead and around 28# for a Silver Carp.
could attach a photo of the 63.

Try this.
[url]http://www.orba42.com/photopost/data//500/July_05-63.jpg[/url]

Guys,
You need to prepare yourself cause it's coming and here in many places already.
It's funny to laugh about it, but it's happening now down at KY and Barkley lakes. Many reports this year of silver carp jumping into boats and jet skiers being struck. This isn't going away and stands to decimate many of the fisheries that we love. They're fun for bowfishermen like myself, but they stand to destroy the ecology of our rivers and lakes in a short time. Please never return one of these fish to the water alive! They can lay up to 1.3million eggs per spawning and spawn up to 3 times yearly!
Mike

Very sad indeed. I hope the "good old days" don't take on a new meaning because of these fish, but they very will could.