Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the common carp
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See the fishing tripsThe Common Carp
All year
40 cm
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The Common Carp belongs to the Cyprinidae family. Its average size is 40 to 60 cm (up to 1 meter for some specimens) with an average weight of 6 to 8 kilos (up to 37 kilos for some specimens). It can live up to 20 years in the wild. Common carp breed from spring to summer. The female lays 250,000 eggs per kg of weight. Carp can be fished all year round in the 2nd category rivers!
It is a massive fish, green in color (except the koi). Its head is conical, its mouth is protractile, it has no teeth but has 2 pairs of barbels. Its growth is fast; it exceeds one kilo in 3 years. The fins are strong and grey, except for the pelvic and anal fins, which are slightly orange.
The Common carp lifestyle
The Common Carp are omnivorous, feeding mainly on aquatic insects, crustaceans, annelid worms, mollusks, plant seeds, wild rice, aquatic plants and algae, mainly by searching the sediment with their protractile mouth. Adults uproot and destroy submerged aquatic vegetation and can therefore harm ducks and native fish populations. The temperature affects the food: below 8° C, they do not eat or hardly eat.
They breeds in spring and summer (May to July), viscous eggs are laid in vegetation in shallow water. Egg laying takes place in water between 17 and 18 °C. This high temperature explains why carp reproduce little in flooded quarries located too far north. The weight of the eggs can exceed one third of the mother's weight. A 47 cm long female produces about 300,000 eggs (250,000 eggs/kg of the female). Eggs hatch after 3 to 8 days. Larvae have a yolk vesicle and remain passively attached to the plants or to the bottom for 2 to 3 days. Young people are prey for pike and perch. Sexual maturity is reached after 3 or 4 years.
The Common Carp habitat
The Common Carp are groundfish that frequent the calm parts of rivers, such as parts of the Dordogne, lakes and ponds in the territory. It particularly appreciates muddy bottom stations with some aquatic vegetation.
From Western Europe across Eurasia to China, and South-East Asia, Siberia and India. One of the first species introduced in other countries and now reaching a global distribution. Freshwater aquaculture and fishing make a very significant economic contribution. The wild population of the Danube, which is the source of European species, is now in danger (see note below).
It was introduced in North America at the end of the 19th century.
The Common Carp angling
Carp fishing is specific and has its own technique. It can even be fished at night on carp fishing trips at night, and can be practiced with other, less conventional techniques: Fly fishing or Fishing with the blow (cap or large rod). Carp can be fished all year round in the 2nd category rivers! Carp fishing is more productive on sunny days.
