Carp shooting

[Fletch]

Maybe a dumb question but educate me... I live in Moses lake and there are many carp shooters... What do you do with the carp? Bury them?

[Special T]

Most people fillet and release... that said our Archery club had a carp fish fry on our last carp shoot trip on potholes. We deep fried them kinda like catfish.  I wouldn't say they were bad, but I also wouldn't  say they are great. Will I eat carp? Sure. Would I bust out the carpet to impress my friends? No, especially when we have salmon, halibut and walleye.  I found the carpet to be a firm white fish with mediocre flavor. I would rate its flavor between a tilapia and seabass. I might be more inclined to eat it if there weren't as many pesky Y bones that just float in the meat. They aren't like the pin bones in salmon that you can pull prior to cooking.

I have heard they make great crab bait and fertilizer for the garden.

[cbond3318]

Most get tossed right back in the water. They can be used for fertilizer , at the tournaments I believe a guy takes the haul for Crawfish Bait.

[erk444]

I heard some second hand info that it was illegal to throw them back cause they're an invasive species Anyone know if there is any truth to that? We have always tossed them back. We shoot some that have scars on them from being shot from prior years.

[cbond3318]

I heard some second hand info that it was illegal to throw them back cause they're an invasive species Anyone know if there is any truth to that? We have always tossed them back. We shoot some that have scars on them from being shot from prior years.

I've never heard that but, for clarity, they should be dead when thrown back.

[Rainier10]

I heard that you were supposed to throw them up on the bank not back in the water.  I don't have anything official on that it was just a rumor I heard from someone.

[cbond3318]

I heard that you were supposed to throw them up on the bank not back in the water.  I don't have anything official on that it was just a rumor I heard from someone.

I haven't heard that either, I guess I am an unaware of any rule regarding disposal.
I would advise against tossing on the shore though as it will cause issue with people using the shoreline and having to encounter rotting fish.

Slit and sink is the preferred method. 

[Rainier10]

I found this on the WDFW site.  Nothing about disposal, it does say to only take what you will use.  I wonder if it would be considered wasteful throwing them back.  Could you imagine getting a ticket for wasting carp?

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/Species/893/

[RadSav]

Since carp shooting happens during spawning they are not in prime eating condition during that time.  Catch them on rod and reel during winter months and they are not so bad.  Eating during spawning is sorta like eating fishy mud cakes.

Back when Bone and I did the competition shooting most shoots would donate the carp to a cat food manufacturer.  Not sure if it was Purina or some other outfit.

When we were really small kids and would shoot suckers we had a lady down the street that would give us $0.50 a piece.  She made some sort of stinky liquid fertilizer out of them.  Remember walking through her tomato garden and fascinated at how big the plants were and how many tomatoes she would grow.  Anyone in the neighborhood who wanted stewed tomatoes or salsa for dinner would head over to her house and buy them from her by the large Mason jar.  So much better than store bought!

[cbond3318]

I found this on the WDFW site.  Nothing about disposal, it does say to only take what you will use.  I wonder if it would be considered wasteful throwing them back.  Could you imagine getting a ticket for wasting carp?

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/washington/Species/893/

Good find, I haven't come across that before.

Yeah that would be pretty ridiculous. You could literally shoot all day everyday during the spawn and not see an impact. You can see the larger fish in certain areas get shot out but quantity doesn't seem to be impacted.

[benhuntin]

I was told slice and sink. So they don't float back up. Also talked to a game warden about wastage,  he had a good laugh at that.


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[Special T]

I was told slice and sink. So they don't float back up. Also talked to a game warden about wastage,  he had a good laugh at that.


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NO its fillet and release!

[KFhunter]

they used to be my bear bait 

[huntingfool7]

Reach in and snip the gills with a pair of scissors.  That way you know you won't have to shoot them next year.

[Stickers]

Here's the official word.......We (Wahshington Bowfishing Association) has been working with WDFW for the last 7 years on removing more and more carp from our waterways. If you can use the fish, please do, we encourage that. Whether you eat them, use them for bait (crawfish, catfish, sturgeon, crab), or add them to your garden. If you cannot.....please keep shooting them. We (with WDFWs support) recommend always keeping a barrel in you boat. It is bad publicity to shoot a fish and throw it right back into the water. Plenty of people in the community will not understand why you would harvest a fish if you do not intend to keep it. Please place all of your fish in your barrel until you are done for the day. Take a picture, and then move yourself out to 15-20 feet of water, or to your favorite catfish hole, away from other boaters. Slice the Fish from vent to gills. This should pop the air bladder and allow the fish to sink.

There is no violation for waste, since there is no monetary value for the fish. Carp stir up the mud, eating roots and crustaceans, thus suffocating the eggs of other fish species. They also account for the loss of wetlands and forage for waterfowl.

PLEASE...do not leave them on the bank, next to a boat ramp, or floating on the water. This gives our sport a black eye and devalues the work we do. Coyotes and birds do not need the food. The reason why WDFW recommends the method of "slice and sink" is due to the fact that the nutrients is returned to the river system to support the freshwater ecosystem.

Scott Estes
Past President of the Washington Bowfishing Associaiton
Bowfishing Association of America State Representative

[gaddy]

I wonder if it would benefit a guys favorite perch fishing hole?

[Rainier10]

Thanks for the info Stickers. 

[duckmen1]

I second getting a good barrel to put these fish into. Last year was really the first time i was getting into it and spent a couple days tearing it up. Filling the bottom of the boat full of spawning carp. Lets just say that floor needed replacement. Smelled foul afterwards trying to get rid of the smell. Pressure washing and heavy soap couldnt get rid of that smell. Took months. 

[duckmen1]

I will be better prepared next time.

[scotsman]

The info from Sticky should be a sticky at the top of this topic.