Kentucky Lake Asian Carp epidemic !

[adam7456]

There are different things in the works on how to control these fish. Most end up harming the native fish anyway. Considering the fish escaped from Mississippi, passed Kentucky, and decided to take of the Illinois river I'm hoping that the conditions in Kentucky are less than ideal for them and will help keep their numbers in check.

The Illinois river around Peoria IL is where the largest concentration of the fish are. Outside of that area the population is greatly reduced. That area must have the right combination of water temperature from the power plants and nutrients for the fish. They have implemented a heavy commercial fishing program in the river and it has helped reduce the numbers some. The huge fish, 10 pounds and greater, are rare to see now. The smaller fish are still there in large numbers though. My brother is a conservation police officer for Illinois and lives right next to the Illinois River upriver from Peoria. I've been on the river several times. Other than doing things that will kill off all the fish in the river I don't know anything reasonable that can be done to completely stop them.

For some reason the carp were dying off in large numbers this summer. All up and down the banks were dead fish. Hopefully a university or government agency is doing research on what killed them off and can use that as a way to target just those species in the future.

[sweetwater]

There are different things in the works on how to control these fish. Most end up harming the native fish anyway. Considering the fish escaped from Mississippi, passed Kentucky, and decided to take of the Illinois river I'm hoping that the conditions in Kentucky are less than ideal for them and will help keep their numbers in check.

The Illinois river around Peoria IL is where the largest concentration of the fish are. Outside of that area the population is greatly reduced. That area must have the right combination of water temperature from the power plants and nutrients for the fish. They have implemented a heavy commercial fishing program in the river and it has helped reduce the numbers some. The huge fish, 10 pounds and greater, are rare to see now. The smaller fish are still there in large numbers though. My brother is a conservation police officer for Illinois and lives right next to the Illinois River upriver from Peoria. I've been on the river several times. Other than doing things that will kill off all the fish in the river I don't know anything reasonable that can be done to completely stop them.

For some reason the carp were dying off in large numbers this summer. All up and down the banks were dead fish. Hopefully a university or government agency is doing research on what killed them off and can use that as a way to target just those species in the future.

Unfortunately, it looks like last summers heat and drought was the major cause of the die offs. I don't think we need to go there again. http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=686262

[Lowerider]

They'll hurt the shad population which will hurt the gamefish. Catters I know that travel the country report great difficulty netting shad in areas where the carp have been for a while. Only natural predator are big cats but they're getting commercial fished out. Not all species jump. It's a tragedy for our area.

[the pyromaniac]

I've researched these fish a lot in preparation for the inevitable occasion when they make their way up the Clinch, Holston, and Powell River into Virginia (so I can catch them). Here's a few things I've picked up...

"Asian" carp.
This is not the proper name for them. All carp are Asian carp. The fish being referred to in the media as Asian carp are two separate species, the silver carp and the bighead carp. Silver carp are just that, a solid silver. Bigheads look similar, except that they have some brown mottling like a flathead catfish.

Jumping.
The jumping behavior these fish are famous for is only seen in the Midwest.

Fishing.
The most reliable method I have run across is a Mister Twister curlytail grub in a lime green color, on a jighead. Several reports on the Roughfish forum confirm this.

[brucehampton]

Is there a market for them? Can they be fished commercially? Catfood etc.?
Does the Kentucky Dept of Fish and Wildlife promote their extermination?

Sounds like all snagged should be made land food for coons and coyotes.

[sweetwater]

Is there a market for them? Can they be fished commercially? Catfood etc.?
Does the Kentucky Dept of Fish and Wildlife promote their extermination?

Sounds like all snagged should be made land food for coons and coyotes.

http://fw.ky.gov/asiancarpinky.asp

[Fishin is life]

I've been on ky lake since sunday have yet to see one And saying they only jump in the midwest is incorrect as we had one jump and land on the side of the boat before falling back in last year. Weve seen a ton of fish laying in the middle of the creek/bay channels on the graph this week and most of the locals and guides seem to think theyre asian carp. A general concesus around the lake seems to be that people are all for commercial fishing them Right now theyre a nuisance but if they take off like they have in other places itll be just a matter of time before theyre a major problem

[sweetwater]

We came back from Pickwick Reservoir last week. Did not see any in the lake but the AC's were thick below the dam. Big ones too.