# Olentangy River: Dead Carp Everywhere!



## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

There were dead carp in vast numbers near the damns regarding the Olentangy River. I was scanning a couple of web pages and there are specific viruses or bacteria that just attack carp. Today wasn't a lot of fun catching dinks and smelling rotting fish.








*The deer didn't smell like dead fish!​*


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## Ðe§perado™ (Apr 15, 2004)

I guess that is gods way of saying there is too many carp.


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## austie (Apr 14, 2010)

yea i was out the other day and i was seeing the same thing i was curious as to why it was just carp


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

I'm sure God has nothing to do with it. You may be seeing just carp because carp are 75% of the Tangy fish inside the beltway. Do you have any specific locations where they were piled up? It might be a good idea to notify local media to stir it up and see if there is something behind this.


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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

A couple of internet articles stated that when it gets really hot during spawning season. Carp get stressed and become susceptible to some type of bacteria. I didn't see any other dead species of fish except for carp. There were a lot of big dead carp. I just kept pushing their dead bodies over the damn as I fished.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Which dams? I contacted local TV News, and they are expressing interest.


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

Hmm... This guy said he seen a bunch of dead ones also, at Winton Woods. 

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=203053

Interesting.


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## mdisalvo85 (Jul 15, 2008)

Saw a few dead ones by the ramp at the end of Nationwide Blvd last week


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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

I'm headed back this afternoon and can report what is seen. I could careless about the local news. There is not even memory of the last time the local news was even watched.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Well, I'm not a fan either, but if there is a story in it, such as a spill or sewage problem, they can be useful in drawing attention to it. That was my only thought.


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## dirty sea (Oct 23, 2011)

Fished the Olentangy this morning from 7-12, north of the outerbelt, south of highbanks. There were tons of dead carp up that way too. I would guess 25-30, scattered. Big ones too.

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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

There were a lot more dead carp out there today. The smallmouth were not biting except for one that missed my Mann's Minus One. It was a good day to get a tan and get out of the house.


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## dirty sea (Oct 23, 2011)

I had a fast bite early. Caught 4, all in the 10 inch range. 1 on a pop r, 1 on a tiny torpedo, 1 on a solid tube, and 1 on a rage baby craw.

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## BBO Ohio (May 7, 2012)

Well there is one theory in my educated guess....... Basic summer kill.... The water could have warmed up way to quick for the carp to comprehend with the hot weather. Although carp don't need a lot of oxygen in the water to live in..... They need the food also.... If there was a BUNCH of carp..... It could be they all died of hunger. But the virus and bacteria theory is also on the table because like all fish when the water to really warm, they can be hit a virus.... Once again in my educated guess, I could be wrong just going on what I've heard about other fish


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

I sent a question to someone in FLOW, and they sent this response:



> ODNR says that this was to be expected because of the high temperatures and low DO levels.


(DO = dissolved oxygen)


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## leckig (May 11, 2005)

talking about carp - can someone explain this behavior?

I saw dozens of carp doing this yesterday on Alum. They seem to be... kissing the shoreline.


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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

That video represents what the carp are doing within the Olentangy River at this moment. There is not any comprehension what the carp are doing unless it's some sort of mating ritual.


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## ice climber (Sep 1, 2011)

leckig said:


> talking about carp - can someone explain this behavior?
> 
> I saw dozens of carp doing this yesterday on Alum. They seem to be... kissing the shoreline.


Carp survive in water with low oxygen by gulping air. Most game fish have to move to cooler/ more oxygenated water or die pretty quickly. 
I'm going to guess you didn't catch any fish in that area?
Any idea of water temps at Alum or the 'tangy?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

The carp at Alum sucking the bank has nothing to do with low DO, they are feeding, sucking the mud and the cottonwood seeds. Yes, I caught fish in the same immediate area. I also watched them out from the bank cruising the surface sucking in all of the cottonwood seeds. I have seen this in most lakes since I was a little kid.


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## leckig (May 11, 2005)

but why would they do it only right at the shoreline? I have seen them doing this before, also in high temp, on scioto.

water temp was 80F.

I got some crappies 50 feet away but in a deeper water.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

leckig said:


> but why would they do it only right at the shoreline? I have seen them doing this before, also in high temp, on scioto.
> 
> water temp was 80F.
> 
> I got some crappies 50 feet away but in a deeper water.


It is hard to see them sucking on the bank when they are not on the bank Josh and I watched them suck cottonwood seed from the surface for a long time out in the main lake a couple of weeks ago.

I have seen carp suck for air. A big spill many many years ago in the Scioto just north of 270, I watched hundreds of carp and everything else die, the carp were last to go.

The carp I have been watching and hearing at Alum are not distressed. I have no clue what is going on anywhere else or what has caused the witnessed carp kill.


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## BBO Ohio (May 7, 2012)

Lots of dead carp today on deer creek.... Amazing I caught one (live) catfishing!!! Water temp on deer creek was an boiling 85


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## bjpatrick (Jun 18, 2010)

I caught another dink smallmouth this morning and witnessed a lot of dead small carp. All of the previous carp were quite big that were seen dead. Something is happening to the carp but the other species seem fine. A big bass was seen darting around the shallows for couple of seconds. I cannot wait to get a kayak and fish the Olentangy River! June is just around the corner and I typically start catching the big bass during Ohio State's summer quarter.


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## fid (Apr 8, 2009)

I fished the Olentangy between Worthington Hills and Antrim last Friday and there were dead large carp all over the place - I was kinda surprised myself, as I've been fishing the Olentangy for a few years and never seen this phenomenon before.


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## dreamstalker (Sep 8, 2011)

Since Carp are fish that sift through mud for food I would expect that if you find the farthest upstream dead carp you will find a pollution source that is contaminating the silt. Solid waste type or chemical that is binding with the bottom. Fish kills point to the source.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

These massive carp die offs happen every single year, somewhere. With high temps coinciding with the spawn, dead carp shouldn&#8217;t be surprising. But, every year people start worrying about pollutants and such (for good reason) and some dead fish are tested. It always comes back as &#8220;natural causes&#8221;. I suspect this will be the same. I&#8217;m surprised that someone who spends any time fishing would find it odd to see carp sucking the top of the water. It&#8217;s very common, particularly where there is some sort of &#8220;slick&#8221; on the surface, or something such as cottonwood seed. But, it&#8217;s also common for them to feed along the shoreline.


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## dreamstalker (Sep 8, 2011)

M.Magis said:


> These massive carp die offs happen every single year, somewhere. With high temps coinciding with the spawn, dead carp shouldnt be surprising. But, every year people start worrying about pollutants and such (for good reason) and some dead fish are tested. It always comes back as natural causes. I suspect this will be the same. Im surprised that someone who spends any time fishing would find it odd to see carp sucking the top of the water. Its very common, particularly where there is some sort of slick on the surface, or something such as cottonwood seed. But, its also common for them to feed along the shoreline.




Carp Herpes.
While I have never seen the carp dying in large numbers in my area I have been reading about KHV that is a persistant carried disease that kills carp in large numbers during spawn season coinciding with a very warm May.


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