# New Common Carp WORLD RECORD 76 lbs.



## RiverRat

http://www.prologicfishing.com/galleryBig.asp?id=501&site=Picturegallery


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## RiverRat

This fish is massive!!


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## crappielooker

looked like it ate a pumpkin..  its a baby.. heh heh.. is that in ohio??


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## PAYARA

I seen that the other day.It really is impressive.i want to go
back to Germany and take a stab at those lakes over there!
i saw so many lakes over there that you just know have giant 
carp in them.i have accually been to the anglers (Christian Finkelde)
hometown,and my little cousin was born there.Awsome town
with a branch of the Rhine flowing next to it.


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## RiverRat

Yea there are tons of great carp waters over there..Romaina, Italy, France, Belgium, South Africa.......who's up for a road trip?...LOL...i wish!!!!
I would just love to see a Carp of that size in person...it looks BIG from the picture, but ya know it doesnt do it real justice to how big it really is.


I bet there are a few bigger than that one swiming in all 3 major rivers in the USA..Mississippi, Misouri, Ohio!!!!!!
I bet in the next 5-7 yrs. one atleast 70+ lbs. gets caught by a CARP angler here in the states, might even come from a large lake..but my moneys on the big rivers for true monster carp in the USA.
Scott


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## PAYARA

Well,iam fairly certin no carp that size will come out of
the Ohio River,IMO its not a great producer of really BIG carp.
IMO no carp will come from the US in that size catagory,period!
You have to put the fact of genetics into it,i don't care if we 
have a water with the greatest potential of growing big carp,
if they don't have the genes.it won't happen!

Iam more inclined to believe that more big carp will come from
big lakes rather than rivers.i think the next biggest carp in the
US/North America will be from Lake Ontario and St Lawerance or 
perhaps some other huge impoundment/lake like the NY Finger Lakes,
Great Lakes,or big lakes up in MN,WI,WA.but there are lakes all over the country, big and small that will produce 50lb fish.its just finding them,and then spending ALOT of time there.

i also believe that the largest carp of the New World will not come
from North America,but rather South America.there are massive carp
down there just waiting to be discovered.


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## RiverRat

I disagree and i'll explain why.
Carp are like flathead catfish...they are native the rivers & streams and thrive in this type of inviroment naturally.
One example is the St. Larry...as its beening discovered more and more by the carp world, it is a top fishery.

Next food..carp eat an incredable range of things from plants to aquotic insects, muscles, snails, ect.
River systems provide way more of these things than any land locked lake...i think it has a lot to do with current flow..imo.

Now if catfish in the US grow to over 150 lbs. in these river systems, why would a carp? We have already had carp taken to 85 lbs.(Minn.)..with the next biggest at 74 lbs.(Miss.).
Now heres some good stuff..." By 1877 citing the above reasons and adding 'there is no reason why time should be lost with less proved fishes' the commission convinced of the value of carp imported 345 fishes of scaled, mirror and leather carp from German aquaculturists. "
The carp in the USA were from GERMANY...home of the true BIG carp, as seen above in the picture.
"In the US, we hold in totality the Galician race of carp, which in actuality is the most widely distributed world wide"
Now we do not have the true "super carp" species that you see topping the record books...but who truthfully knows what the species we have hear can attain in our waters being left alone like it has been for MANY years.
I dont think a 70+ lb. carp inside the USA is out of reach...its already been done....remember carp grow fast, they are not fished for like other species and in most states are not targeted for anything..remember thier "trash" fish.

The only question is...whats going to be the next TOP carp fishery in the USA....?..we already have the St. Larry and Town lake in Tx.


Man ive been 4 lbs. shy of hitting my target weight of a 40 lb. river carp...that fish came from the Scioto river...a small river ..its a feeder river of the Ohio...which is in turn a feeder river of the Mississippi. If theres 40 lbers. in the Scioto....given the step up in size of the Ohio...id say easily 60-70 lbers there....then the Massive Miss. river...i say 100 lbs. top weight.


I dont know man...but i do think that the USA can be a top carp place is things were to change about the views on carp.....after all the REST of the angling world cant be all wrong..."Carp worlds greatest sportfish"


Amen,

Scott


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## PAYARA

i have yet to see a pic of that 74lb carp,and the ''85lb'' 
mirror from Mn has pretty much been dismissed as false.
the measurements do NOT add up.its really a fish in the
mid to high 40's.

the Carp to Flathead comparison has been argued before.
its really not a good comparison. as it may be true they can 
be found in the same habitats,the species are VERY different
in diet and behavior.its relitively easy to find 40lb catfish on
a regular basis,even in OH.it is not easy to find 40lb carp on
a regular basis.this is due to the fact that the Flathead diet,
and growth rate allows them to attain larger sizes with less
effort,in less fertile waters..catfish are not as prolific as carp
either.but the fact is carp need alot more things in their favor
to attain huge weights.ussually large,deep,cool waters with a
hefty supply of food.if there is a lower stock of fish,or the water
is well balanced the growth is faster.catfish can attain 50lb in
creeks,how many carp attain 50lb in a creek? not very many.

the fact that carp and flats are native to rivers dosent matter
a bit.as the both can get massive in lakes.most state record flats
are from lakes,as are carp records.the OH flat record is from a lake.
the real OH carp record is unknown.The 50lb OH carp 'record' is a 
phony!but thats another story  the real record surely will not be
found inland,you can bet on that!

the OH River is a poor producer of large carp.the bowhunters will
tell you that.the buffs run much larger than the carp in most cases.
i have never heard,seen a report of a 40+ carp on the OH river,or
caught a carp bigger than 12lbs in the river.

the face of carp in Germany has change a great deal since the
time in which carp where brought to the US.the carp in Germany
then were mainly for food,as was the plan here.however most of
the big 'super'carp being caught in lakes over there were stocked 
in the last 40years for sport once specimen carp angling began to 
grow over there.and have since introduced new blood to the stocks
of original fish.same thing would happen here in time as well. 


BTW Scott,i thought that 36lb was caught in a lake????that had
an Indian name???


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## flathunter

I would like to hear about the phony ohio carp record which was caught in paint creek, very interesting.


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## PAYARA

Flathunter--in a nut shell....  

the '50lb' Ohio Carp Record was said to have been caught in
1968.In that year Paint Creek was just that,a creek.a rather 
large creek,but very unlikely to have produced a 50lb common
carp.Now the Large 1190 acre reservoir (that would be the only
part of that water system to produce a 50lb carp) did not fully exist 
a time of capture.

the Paint Creek Reservoir was constructed between the years '67-
'74.was probably not to full pool until '75 or '76? as i said before it
is very unlikley that a common carp grew to 50lb in the existing '68
water system.and it surely did not grow in a reservoir which was not
complete for at least 6 more years.the reservoir being the most likely
place to grow huge fish in the system.

the fish was either......

A-- Buffalo that was mistaken for a Carp.highly unlikely a buffalo
would grow 50lb there as well in the water system of '68.

B--the angler lied about where it was captured.

C--was a Grass Carp..dismissed,as grassers only arrived
in the US in '63.and only introduced in the deep south states at
that time.

D--a smaller fish was stuffed with shot,ect to weigh more.but
one would need at least a 40lb+ fish,to look the part,and cram alot 
of shot in it to weigh 50lb...this is highly unlikely.but who knows?

the most likely answer is B,if the fish really went 50lb.but i 
seriously doubt there was ever a carp 50lb caught anywhere
in an inland OH lake up to '68,and certinly hasn't been any since.
the carp in the Paint Creek Reservoir as of now run an average
of less than 10lbs.i don't care how many Flatheads and other
catfish come from this creek over 30lbs or how many deep
holes theres suppose to be.the fact is it can not grow a Cyprinus
carpio of 50lb!

also there is no publicly known photo of the said 50lber?????

if anyone can confirm that there was indeed a legit 50lber captured
at Paint Creek in '68 than i will take back every bit of what i have 
ever said on the matter.but i think you will not find many to dispute
my claims.


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## RiverRat

Man i like you Greg, your OK by me man!!....great points indeed. Its great to debat/chat about stuff like this with another person with such strong views as i do....passion for the species is a good thing.....but too much and your named FlatheadManiac..lol, but thats another story.

Ok, Im still not seeing why you think that here in Ohio that the waters we have could not produce carp in the 50+ class?
There is so little we actually know about the species that are fished hard by MANY anglers..but so little is truely known about carp in Ohio.

Look, first of all how many natural lakes in Ohio(was a trick question once in school) I was the only one to answer it right..there are NONE...ZERO.
Back to my RIVERs therory...LOL...all these big lakes out east that produce large flatheads, contain big musky..and loads of saugeye are Reseviors..yes damed up rivers and streams. All they did was create a large pool in the river..the dam is the riffle.

Now..lets take Town lake in Tx. its no different than Grigg or O'Shy. reservoir as its a damed up river like them...but yet it contains some of the largest carp in the USA..many 40 lbers..and loads of 50+ lb Buffs. Why is that water system so much better than any of our waters? Dont use the BS about southern warm temps all year stuff, we all know thats crap because the largest carp mostly come from the St. Larry up north. Its just been explored by carpers way more than any other carp lake in the US...man look at how many anglers fish for carp and buffs. in Hoover(none)..but yet there are RECORDED 2-3 buffs taken out of there with in the last few years over 50 lbs. so you think the carp dont get that big in there too? Thats only one Reservoir out of LOADS that could also produce fish of that size...dont even get me started on ake Erie...unreal possibiltys.

Man i fully understand where your coming from, your just like all of us carpers in Ohio. You spend a lot of time chasing them on your favorite water, putting in numerous hours, you catch loads of carp under 20 lbs. but only a few dozen over 20 lbs. so you assume that there are only small (under 30 lbs.) carp in there....WRONG, you have the same fate as the rest of us.. all of the carp in a lake...the biggest % are the 25 and under lbers. they of course find your baits first...they run in much bigger groups.....the BIG carp might run in a tight group of say 3-5 fish..or maybe the very large ones ,thier solitary and roam alone. If they see a school of feeding smaller fish, they move on and dont feed on any of your feebies....no chance to catch them? 
You have to know it is almost impossible to look at a body of water like the Ohio river and say..the biggest carp out of here is 55 lbs., the biggest catfish 75 lbs. there is far too many fish to make that call, far to vast a water to even fathom...for the number of anglers vs numbers of fish in that river is mind boggling...You could fish that river everyday til you die and never see more than 1% of the fish it offeres.

Anyway, i hope to one day change your mind though on all of this and show you BIG carp are right here in our great state of Ohio...only time on the water will tell the tale.


Oh yea, my 36 lber. came from a RESERVOIR.....a damed up stream, NOT a lake..lol...hehe
Out of the Scioto i have a 30.9 & 34.6 lb. carp to my name....and im only into my second year of serious carp fishing it....whats it going to take, a 45 lber to start to change your mind?...wink!

Dude we need to spend some bank time together next year, i bet we could have a blast talking carp.
Tell ya what, next year you come down for a long weekend, stay at my house and i'll take ya to my favorite carping grounds...just give me a shout!!

Scott


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## RiverRat

Alright Greg, ya got me going now.
Im going to contact the ODNR and see if they have records of thier samplings and electro-shock testing on waters all over Ohio.

I know that at Pike Island dam they will electro-shock there by closing the bardge lock and filling it up...then they shock the whole lock. If i remember right they did it once or twice a year and posted results in the local news paper.
They always turned up some big 50+ lb flatheads, very big drum and hybrid stripers...but of course no mention of the carp, since its not an important "gamefish".
Im curious as to if they do this on all of the dams o the Ohio river and which reservoirs have had this done and thier findings.


I know a few years ago we ran into a young guy working for ODNR and he was collecting sauger for pollutant testing....he gave Jake a phone # and jake contacted them about catfish, they sent him a big folder full of years of surveys all along the river and asked what species everyone caught,size, ect. was interesting...maybe i can find the info. im looking for.

If i can prove there have been carp sampled over 50 lbs. from Ohio's waters...you wont have to retract your statements....but you will have to let me say.."I Told ya so"...lol


Scott


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## PAYARA

If you want to call these little steams that feed most
of the big OH reservoirs 'rivers' go ahead,i won't stop you.
very few of our reservoirs are fed directly from a legit river.

I think the reason why carp reach larger weights in reservoirs
rather than rivers is the fact that reservoirs remain stable.Rivers
are changing constantly.Rising,falling,fast,slow,up,down,ect.This
can be stressfull to fish.Carp in lakes live with much less effort.
now iam not saying that rivers do not produce big carp,nothing
is farther from the truth.but on an average basis,i think it is true.

Accually,there are 7 natural lakes in OH,i fish 3 of them.the majority
are in the NE.and most of the big reservoirs in the east that produce 
a large amount of big cats,muskie,saugeye,ect have a small average
size of carp!this is gerenally the norm.

Tx,well contrary to popular belief,Town dosent have THAT many
40's.the 40's that are caught are ussually 30's for most of the year.
there are legit 40's,but not as many as people think.and most of the
true 40's have been recaptured several times.i don't think its very 
hard to catch one at Town,though.if you spend enough time there.

Now, i wish people would stop seeing Tx as the next best place
for big carp behind the St.Larry.because with the exception of
the waters in Austin.Carpfishing is the same there as it is every
where else!.the overly large population of big carp in the Co river
system in Austin is a mysetery to me?nodody really seems to know
for sure why they are there.but one thing is for sure.these big carp
are NOT the norm in TX waters.

Buffalo are not carp.we can agree on that?in Tx, buffalo achive
massive weights in waters state wide,any state really.its nothing 
to find 30-50lb buffalo all through out the south.with specimens
going 60lb+ common.these large buffalo can be found in waters
where the average carp is well under 20lb.the comparison of carp
and buffalo go hand in hand with the carp and Flathead comparison.
you can't compare two species that are completely different in alot
ways.theres big carp and buffalo in Town Lake,but outside that the
buffalo has the carp in size,on a large scale.it has nothing to do with
the water they are in.its a freak thing in Austin.

i don't think a carp in an inland OH water will ever be caught over
mid 40's.,same as TX.i believe this for a number of reasons.Lake Erie 
is the only real shot for a 30 or 40 on a regular basis in OH.and the ONLY 
shot for a 50+.the OH river will never come close.


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## The Kernel

Greg
Your reasoning is sound enough, particularly on the State 'record'. However, I still think that it may be possible for some smaller Ohio waters to throw up some surprise monsters. The chances of locating a biggie in Erie are very very small. I think it is much more likely that a 40 shows up from somewhere where there are very few carp (much like Towne lake).Those huge fish in Germany and France are relatively recent 'discoveries'...and the old UK record prior to Dick Walkers Clarissa was less than thirty pounds...it was generally believed at the time that it was not possible for carp to grow beyond 30lb in the UK...besides we have to DREAM!!


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## PAYARA

Mark--the chances of big carp in Lake Erie is VERY good!
its true that there is a bulk of small fish you must wade through.
but if you were to fish the 'Bay' regularly in peak periods,30's and
40's will be captured on a regular basis.the chances of getting a
40 from the East Harbor is very very small.  

I also believe that big carp can be had in smaller waters,i have said
this earlier.but they are much more numerous in larger waters.and i
firmly believe that you won't do much better than mid 40's inland.
at the VERY most! 

None of those fish in mainland Europe have been swimming under 
the radar.those anglers have known good and well whats in those lakes
for years.in alot of cases they witnsessed them being stocked and or
captured.


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## flathunter

I have fished paint creek "the creek" for the past 25 years...I fish miles downstream from the lake..I have never saw a carp pushing 50-lbs....HOWEVER, I know of one loaction where I personally saw dozens, probably 10's of dozens of carp at one time and all pushing 30-lbs..They were not buffs either because I caught a few of them in my castnet.....They were so thick in this spot that if they would hold still you could have walked across the creek on thier backs. And I saw them just last weekend.


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## truck

Great looking fish


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## BottomBouncer

I haven't read all the above posts, however I would rather have little or no attention paid to the carp by DNR or anyone else outside the small population that regularly fishing for them. Seemingly any popular species becomes harder and harder to find... 

Just look at the recent declines in the popular flatty stretch......

I've considered selling my cat gear just because it is too much of a hassle hiking a mile or more with bait, tackle and rods, etc. etc.....

Wouldn't want over exposure to cause this with carp...after all, many people throw carp up on the bank instead of releasing them...some think it's great to shoot them with an arrow......


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## RiverRat

I know what your saying BB...
Years ago when i first got on the internet and found a large fishing forum, the main talk (as always) was nothing but LM's & Eye's..you all know the "old" forum im talking about..lol.
Anyway, there was only one lone catman on there and of course he impresed them with his great perfectly "set-up" photo shots of large flatheads..which for those chaseing fish under 10 lbs. , heck a 20 lb. flathead is a monster.
Anyway, i remember there was NO forum for catfish on there until i bugged the Mods. to create one...as soon as that happened many other catters joined in the talks. We at one time where the main focus on that forum...catfish took off and we had MANY converts to this species. Things went a bit too far and the bandwagon was over flowing..not what i expected.
Catfishing went on a rise and loads of anglers started posting spots and such....now catfishing is a thing of the past, as far as the new "in" thing to do...some guys came into it all charged up and went over board with gear and such, but as soon as cats fell away..so did they.

I sure hope carp fishing doesnt go that way..i dont expect it will, but ya never know..fads come and go all the time.

If you notice on this forum....out of the species forums..Bass, panfish, Eyes, cats , carp, musky and salmon....The carp forum is very far ahead in threads and posts..why?
Maybe just like you and I did...some catters got tired of all the BS and searched for a more unpopular fish, but still retain that LARGE hard fighting abilitys that flatheads have?
I know i for one hunted flatheads for over 10 yrs. and caught 100's and 100's over those years..was great times and i never regretted any of it. I'd do it over again in a heart beat. I spent some amazing times with great friends catching a species that i'll always hold dear to my heart..and will always carry with me on my back(tattoo).

But words spread and more anglers pushed into our areas and then the trotliners moved in....still kills me to think how much better i'd been to never even joined a fishing forum in the first place. but i cant change the past and i have found another species to closely take the place of catfishing..i still fish the ame rivers..even the same spots and still keep on catching big fish...which is always my goal.


Now the new age carp...i truthful dont think carp will "blow out" as fast as the catfishing did...but again not everyone can bring themselfs to go as deep into it as most of the hardcore carp anglers are on here. Trust me ive got a LOT of money wrapped up in cat gear sitting right here in my fishing room...but it dont come close to the carp gear ive collected over 2 years .
Not saying you have to go that "deep" to get into carp..but i think most outside anglers looking in will think you have to..which might keep some of the bandwagon jumpers away...might be a good thing in the end?

Also, unlike flatheads, which once you get to know the species well enough and know the water your fishing very well..there easy to find and catch...BIG carp are not as easy to find and locate, let alone get them to bite.
Big cats...unreal predators, put a big bait in its hole, it will eat. Big carp are more spooky and are much more smarter than a big cat. Cats lead with thier stomach..carp lead with thier brains.

I do think many will try this newly disovered sport of carp and it will only last a season(ive already seen some dive in head first, only to land in 3ft of water..lol..and get back out as quickly) ...there will be those that try it and get frustrated because they cant catch consistantly...which is OK..but if you dont have the true passion for this fish...you will not last. There will be a few that will get into this carp fishing, love it and stick with it....these are guys that are not into fads and enjoy carp for what they are..nothing more, nothing less.


All i can say to new anglers looking to give carp a go...give it a shot and see what its all about...but ya better not tell your Eye or LM buddys about it...they might lol at you because your fishing for a trash fish, trully a waste of time.......WINK!!!!

Scott


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## BottomBouncer

I just can't wait until next Saturday. I plan to get there pretty early to stake my spot and get'em feedin'. 

I haven't been out in a while. Been doing a little shooting and getting ready for some hunting. Rabbit season starts pretty soon!!! Gotta start scouting for some deer spots for gun season.

Hopefully though, I'll get a good fix on Saturday to carry me through the winter and help me figure out exactly which combos and rigs I want to use next season. You gonna be there?


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## PAYARA

I have seen my share of people come and go in carpfishing.


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## RiverRat

BB, no i will not be there. Even though the CAG events are open to OGF members and the public..i still think i would PO a few if i showed up to any of the events since i quit CAG .
Just think it would be better for the group if i didnt attend....plus i have to work.

Hope everyone catches some carp and has a good time...hopefully the water comes down in time to fish that area?

Well im heading out right now to try to bank a few.

Scott


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## BottomBouncer

Ahh...oh well....you gonna be doin' any fishin' Sunday or do you have to work? I'm gonna drop yah a PM


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## liquidsoap

that carp is actually really nice looking, carp are cool fish but when they get to big, they get real real ugly.  cool fish, i dont mean to put my 2 cents in but i feel that the ohio river could easily hold a world record carp, i mean i live right by rocky river and i pulled a few big ones in on bread, and that place is really small.


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## PAYARA

'Soap-your views are welcome here.

The Rocky River(depending on where you fish) has a direct link
up to Lake Erie.its not uncommon to find big carp in these(ussu
ally small)drainage rivers in the peak times.spring time is prime.i 
know of a legit mid 40 common to come from the Chagrin River 6 
yrs ago.these above average fish are in these river systems as a 
direct result of Lake Erie,the rivers did not produce them.

the Ohio River is IMO a poor big carp water system ,and i suspect 
it has always been this way.if it had an abundace of large carp one 
should have been produced by an angler or a bowhunter.veteran OH 
river bowhunters have stated that carp of 20lb are VERY rare.


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## The Kernel

Greg
Details of the legit Chagrin 40 please...Thanks.


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## PAYARA

summer of '99/'00 a 40+ was had by an angler,not a carp 
angler.believe the guy was fishing bass or something.anyway,
the fish was brought to a(then existing)bait store on Portage 
Lakes drive which was run/owned by a well known Bass angler 
in the area by the name of Ron(?).hes WELL known with local
bass anglers.anyway,in the store there was a spead of photos
of this BEAST!the fish was dead of course .and had a stringer
jammed through the gills and mouth.i bet a few on the site know
exactly the pictures iam talking about?it was an impressive carp
indeed,and drove me the rest of that year.i made several trips to
this 'bass geared' establishment just to look at the pics over and
over  much as i did with Mandas and Party Line Beverage to get
a glimps of the old 30+'s from TurkeyFoot.


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## GMR_Guy

Not only is that fish HUGE, but it is in perfect condition.


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## H2O Mellon

Scott, 

I'll take your Classic Cat rods.  

Anyway man you got me going freakin trotliners & netters. I'm into nothing but cats now. I've been paying my dues, doing it legit (no paylakes) I cant wait until land the 1st 40#. I think both you carpers & us catters can agree that our two specices will never be respected until they are labled as Game Fish.


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## RiverRat

Mellon, sure you can have my St. Croix Classic cats rods...along with the Shimano Calcutta 700's on them......when you pry them out my cold dead hands...LMAO.

I'll always be true blue flathead's to the day i die....but ive found a new fish to get me through the tough times and a well needed break from the cats.

I hear ya man.....but i think even if they listed cats & carp and "gamefish" the thoughts on them and the anglers chaing them, would remain the same..sadly!

Good luck on the 40+ lber....just dont take any advise from Jackster and you'll do fine....hehehe.

Scott


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## PAYARA

Catfish don't have anything too worry about in this state.
i have always been under the impression that catfish were
classed as 'game' fish to a certin extent?its illegal to shoot
catfish and or snag them in OH?noodling is illegal as well?

Catfish are stocked by the state in just about every public 
water.only thing catfish do have against them in OH is trotlines.
trotlines are a serious issue for catfish and catfish anglers.but at 
least the catfish in OH do not have to contend with bowhunters,
snagging and nets!cats are not netted on a large scale anymore 
are they?

Anyway.the point is that catfish ARE respected more than carp,in 
OH.In other states,they are subject to alot of the same BS carp are.
One day,when all the fish bigots and facist morons come to their
sences our fish will get the respect it deserves.but not likely to
happen anytime soon.


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## johnboy111711

greg, i know what pictures you were talking about, drop me a pm with your email i got to tell you a thing or two....


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## PAYARA

PM sent,John.


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## johnboy111711

got ya greg, you need to set that up buddy!


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