Herding Carp

[Chip]

The first week of December was my week for massed wildlife sightings. On Monday, birds. On Wednesday, it was carp.

I was paddling the tip top of the tidal Severn River on the lowest tide I can recall in that area. Maybe it was the super moon. Paddling through 6 inches of water over a very muddy river bed on a windless afternoon, I was seeing mounds of water rise up and move away from the canoe, which I assumed were caused by carp. Suddenly, I heard all these wavelets breaking behind me. I turned and there was an a 50-meter wide circle of water where the surface was frothing, with fins breaking the surface. I thought, well, that's unusual. Never seen that before except when schools of blues and rocks are feeding way out on the Bay, but never saw it in 6-inch deep water.

I went up on the south side of the river and came back on the north side and began to encounter big freaking carp. The water was murky and I couldn't see below the surface, but I was hitting large, solid fish with every other paddle stroke. Eventually, I saw some of their backs and could tell they were carp about the size of my leg. They were banging against the canoe and it felt like hitting logs. Eventually, all the water in front and around the canoe was just boiling with these big carp. There had to be hundreds of them. I was a little upset about stabbing them with the thin blade of the ZRE, but I think most fishermen feel carp are pests, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much.

Have you ever run into a huge school of carp like that?

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Linesville Spillway at Pymatuning. Check the link:

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...bb/82/b7/linesville-spillway.jpg&action=click

 

[Jim Dodd]

Not that many, But I've had to fend off Flying Asian carp on the Big Sioux River, here in Iowa. For some reason they seem to bother Aluminum canoes the worst !

On a solo evening paddle one Summer, I had a Grass Carp swirl next to my canoe ! It Freaked me out. I've never seen a fish swirl that big !

My younger days were spent shooting carp in the shallows with an old Fiberglass bow. Summer fun for sure ! Bringing back some good memories !

Thanks !

Jim

 

[Holmes375]

No shortage of big carp in my area. Its always a hoot to see them during the spawn, churning the shoreline into a frothy and noisy mass of deranged fish flesh. When I'm in the shallow warm spots of the local lakes a large spooked carp will often scare the hell outta ya as it escapes under the boat giving you a good thump as it torpedoes by.

When I was SAR years ago some of my fellow divers were terrified of the big fish in the dark water work. Carp seem to frequently careen off swimmers and divers and big ones can spin you pretty good. One must wonder about their visual and directional capability

 

[gumpus]

Hey Chip, I ran into the same thing on the Huron River in Ann Arbor some years ago. Masses of carp clumping and only around this time of year I think. It's a rush to run into something so unusual and cool. Also in about 6 inches of muddy water and always in the same spot.

 

[MagicPaddler]

I sometimes paddle in back waters that is 6 to 10 inches deep. The carp will move away from you till they get trapped between you and the bank. Then in mass they turn and run at you trying to go under the canoe. When it is too shallow they will lift the canoe and push it sideways. I call it riding the carp.

 

[Guest]

We often run into them a little south of here on the little connowango. They can scare the daylights out of you when you startle them and they explode away sometimes banging your canoe with their tails!

 

[Chip]

I was back in that area on Tuesday and the carp are still there. The tide was higher, and I was curious to know if the carp would behave the same. Yes, they did. I turned around when I started hitting them with the paddle--it's too unsettling, and what's the point? Judging by the other observations you've posted, I guess it is not that unusual, but I still think it is weird.

 

[Guest]

On time I came very close to capsizing was when floating still eating a snack on an isolated quiet stretch of the cassadega, I must have drifted into a carp. they exploded away banging the sides of my canoe---nearly lost it!

 

[lowangle al]

That used to be called "carpooling" before the term was taken over by commuters trying to save a buck.

I used to see carp congregating in the spring when they spawn I believe.

 

[pblanc]

The 'silver carp' variety of Asian carp are very common now throughout tributaries of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in the Midwest, and are ascending toward the Great Lakes. These very commonly congregate in schools and leap out of the water, sometimes dozens at a time. They are somewhat more inclined to jump at dusk, but may do so any time of day. They are large, slimy, ugly, and smelly. I have had them leap completely over my canoe side-to-side, and had them jump into my boat on multiple occasions and once had two flopping around in my canoe simultaneously. If you tend to paddle over them in the shallows, they are almost guaranteed to jump. They will hit the side of the boat with such force that you might fear damage to it, and when they hit your body, you will notice it. They also can make a slimy mess of the inside of your boat, and typically thrash around until they injure themselves and start bleeding, then continue to thrash around bloodying your boat.

I can no longer paddle with my small dogs in the canoe on rivers like the Wabash or White in Indiana for fear they will jump into the canoe and injure my animals.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

 

[Guest]

got me thinking,could they be Asian carp? One did jump into a friends canoe. The dam on the Allegany at kinzua must block them--I hope.