Carp are actually originally from the Caspian Sea in Central Asia, although the increased popularity for carp fishing in the United Kingdom and other areas of Europe often leads to the misconception that they are native to these regions. Although there are no accurate records giving a specific date, a thriving carp population was found in the United Kingdom by the end of the 1600's, and we assume slightly early for other parts of Europe. Certainly author Izaac Walton seems to support these dates with his book The Complete Angler, as he says "the carp is the queen of rivers; a stately, a good, and a very subtle fish; that was not at first bred, nor hath been long in England, but is now naturalized"
Carp in the United States is much easier to date. It was 1870 when the first carp was imported by the Fish Commission and presented at the Philadelphia Exhibition. In 1877 the first federal carp ponds were introduced and were sited in Washington D.C.
Anglers now see carp as an excellent choice for sport fishing and the appeal is great. However, initially in both the UK and the US carp was bred just for food. No longer just for food, carp is now very much for sport. Since the 1950's the UK angler has seen carp as the best sporting fish, and the rest of Europe agrees. Such is the popularity that special specifically designed carp fishing tackle is used, and the development of the best tackle really is an art form. In 2006 in Austin Texas, The American Carp Society was the proud sponsor of a carp fishing competition on Lady Bird Lake. It was this one single event that saw the US angler see carp as an excellent sporting fish choice, and in less than 5 years it has become as popular as bass fishing.
The World Carp Classic is the most important competition on the carp angler's calendar. In 2009 the 12th annual contest was held, attracting 260 anglers all hoping to be crowned carp fishing champion. There is no doubt that carp fishing has international appeal, as for the first time Japan and Portugal competed alongside 22 other countries, and next year looks set to see even more new entries.
Unfortunately the introduction of carp to none native regions is causing much suffering and devastation. India is reporting the carp putting pay to the populations of the native Catla catla and Tor putitora in their Govind Sangar reservoir. China reported that the Donghu Lake in Wuhan saw the submerged macrophytes totally decimated by carp in 1989; the problem was further compounded in 2004 when they further reported the complete disappearance of the 60 species of fish that had also been native to that lake.
Moving to Nepal, the country fears its fish paddies will be overrun by carp, and that their indigenous species will to be completely wiped out. In the US, government action is being sought, with Governor Ted Strickland at the head, as they seek to shut down the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, as this connects the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes where carp moving up to the lakes are having a devastating effect of the biodiversity there. It is hoped this will allow anglers to continue their sport without damaging the environment.
Don Eigermeyer is a relatively recent newcomer to the carp fishing world, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming quickly obsessed with it. Interested readers can find out more about carp fish, learn some great recipes and approaches to baiting, and get a lot of really good technical information on carp fishing tackle at his website Carp Fishing Tackle And Enthusiast at http://www.carp-fishing-tackle-and-enthusiast.com. Tight lines, everybody!
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