Fishing w/o a pole in Indiana

MLBob Furia

MLBob Furia

Well-known member
When you fish in Indiana , you don't need a pole. Some of you may have read about the "invasion" of Asian Carp that are infesting the Illinois River as well as the Wabash River . If you haven't witnessed the spectacle of these creatures leaping out of the water when "agitated" by the sound or vibration of a boat propeller, take a look as this video. They are a menace and biologists and state natural resources people are trying to find a way to get rid of them --- or, at least, keep them from reaching Lake Michigan.


http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=x3Bf0WhvsNk&vq=medium
 
I have seen video of those carp a few times. It seems they are becoming a big problem. Funny to watch in video but what most people don't realize is they are a major problem. Next will be snakeheads.
 
Lots of effort going to keep them out of Erie too, Bob. All the Great Lakes for that matter. Last I read there was a 4yr plan that many feared would be 3yrs late...
 
I have seen these clips on major news sources and back a few years they talked only of a river.
I sure hope they don't get to the Great Lakes.
Al
 
I saved this off when I first read it. Found it interesting.

Carp_zpsa4474c0d.jpg

 
Too bad they don't open a season. Tow a couple of decoys, my 12ga and a few boxes of steel shot. Are they migratory??? Could get dangerous. What kind of lead do you need???
 
Too bad they don't open a season. Tow a couple of decoys, my 12ga and a few boxes of steel shot. Are they migratory??? Could get dangerous. What kind of lead do you need???
Click to expand...


Now this is what I call a practical approach to a big problem. Can you imagine a bunch of drunk fishermen shootin fish as they are motoring down a river? That's a Youtube video I'd pay to watch. too funny.....

Mark W
 
Mark - I don't know if it's still on youtube, but there was a video of them being shot from a movng boat. If memory serves, it was on the IL River.
 
they are in the Missouri River and have been for some time. they are quite a bad deal when you are running down the river and they jump up to hit you. Stories of facial fractures have been proven true. They do make good bait and can be easy to obtain by driving in a circle in a protected area. Have seen pictures of fellas carrying metal trash can lids to use as shields as if they were jousting. It is cool the first time you see them after that it is not. big sport is shooting them with arrows when they jump and those guys are always willing to part with their harvest if you need bait.
 
That video is just crazy. I remember seeing some these Carp jumping into the boats while watching Swamp People (a small guilty pleasure).

Do these things taste good? Or can you at least eat them? Make dog food out of them? Something?
 
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They are here to stay and are going to spread to nearly every place that the common carp has. It is going to happen no matter what we do now. A big flood year will spread them all over.
I caught/snagged my first in SD about 10 years ago but now they have really gotten bad in the past couple years. I think it is because of some high water then a couple warm summers. Like many invasives they will likely boom and then settle back into a lower population.

Most of the threats to native species are 'potential' at this time, it's early on but the last I looked some predictions were slow to be showing up. I guess we will see because I don't see an electric fence in a river keeping them out.

I just dread that with all the hype everyone will be dumping them on the bank. First that will do nothing to stop them and second it makes it a smelly fishing experience when the weather warms up.

btw I may be going fishing in some infested water soon so if I catch one I'll try eating it. They are suppose to be good but boney.

Tim
 
Greg - We are so covered in them, we find we have to have a sense of humor about them otherwise, you'd go nuts. Actually, USFWS dropped the North Pool of Chautauqua Refuge and killed off everything in that pool. Nature took care of our lake, Clear Lake, last summer with the draught. The carp kill was so huge, their white bellies being belly up looked like massive numbers of snow geese on the lake. Of course, you can imagine the smell. No, not really, you can't... :(

The only upshot of it was after they died and decomposed, we had amazing fertilizer for our moist soil plants. Sadly, when the water from the river came back into our lake, the carp were coming in just as fast. One of our club members tried to take his wife and grandson out for a boat ride in the spring, they got 200 yards out into the water, they were getting pelted so bad, they had to turn around. Needless to say, they are a real problem. Another bright idea of "improving" nature by man...

The good news is, they are more dormant in the fall, thus, we don't have problems with them during duck season...
 
I can tell by watching the video that when they are around you can't really do much boating. Are they like that all year(jumping), and are they there year around?
 
I am not sure on that one Greg. I believe you need a commercial fishing license to fish with a net in Illinois but, I am by no means an expert angler. Pat
 
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