They lurk in the turbid waters of most ponds, lakes, and streams. Their gargantuan proportions are intimidating and formidable. Their strength is immense and overpowering. Who or what am I taking about? - The common carp. These freshwater horses will give the most stalwart of angler's bone jarring run off and smoke the best of fishing reels. With all that said, why isn't everybody fishing for these brute? Many consider them a "trash fish" and unglamorous. Rodney Dangerfield would say, "They Get No Respect". I say, "Give me the corn or dough balls-I'm going carping".

Capt. Henry Robinson of New York first introduced the carp in North America in 1831. This parent stock was shipped across the Atlantic Ocean by boat from France. Introductions into American waters continued through the U.S. Fish Commission. By 1877 the common carp was well established throughout the United States. The common carp, (Cyprinus carpio), is copper colored cousin of the minnows. They are late spring spawners waiting until the water temperature ranges between 63-79 degrees. Depending on the water depth, this typically occurs during the first two weeks in June. For spawning rituals, carp move into grassy shallows. During this time, it is not uncommon for their serrated dorsal fins to protrude out of the water like a shark - any carp bow fishermen can verify this. Additionally, these overgrown minnows have an extremely long life span, living 12-20 years (probably due to lack of fishing pressure). The current state record, caught on the Raritan River, weighed in at 47 pounds, measured 38 inches long and had a 32-inch girth, a colossal specimen by anyone's standards. For a fish with a soft fleshy mouth and two sets of barbells, they certainly have a sweet tooth. Carp have the ability to "taste" their food before eating it.

This is possible due to the thousands of taste buds located down the length of the barbells. During their normal foraging routine, carp root around in the bottom sediments inhaling insects and other invertebrates. Carp are not choosy, in addition to insects, almost any other edible plant or vegetable matter will be devoured. Any carp angler who has used dough balls sweetened with sugar or molasses, kernels of corn enhanced with fruit flavors, mulberries, or even blueberries will swear carp are diabetics. They like sweet stuff if it's available. Don Harris, an elderly gentlemen, who has been carp fishing for more than 40 years gave me the following dough ball recipe. "One a cup of wheat flour, a cup of oatmeal, a cup of cornmeal and two tablespoons of sugar, add together and make a thin dough. Bake in oven until done. Let cool, then moisten to soften and add a small quantity of lint cotton. Knead the mixture until the cotton is mixed in. Make dough balls as required." Don also offered advice on catching carp. His first rule is to avoid the use of floats or sinkers, which create a taut line that carp seem to detect. If a weight is needed for casting purposes, it should be rigged fish finder style. Ideally, a spot should be chosen which is calm and glass-like. The logic here is that if dough bait is used, it will stay on the hook better. Don contends that quiet water will also make chumming more effective. Yes I said chumming. For this purpose, nibblet corn is recommended. Strong water currents will move your corn slick away from the chosen area. Once the slick is laid out, corn kernels can also be used for bait. Don recommends using 2-3 kernels on a bronzed #8-14 bait holder hook. To condition carp to a particular area, Don recommends corn chumming an area one to two days prior to the fishing excursion. Now comes the waiting game. A beach chair and rod holder will make a long stay on the fishing grounds more comfortable. Remember that carp stay away from taut lines. The reel should be set on free spool or the bail should be flipped. The addition of a bobber stop on the fishing line makes strike detection easier. Your eyes will home in on this little marker. Additionally, a monstrous 40-pound Clydesdale can pull your entire fishing outfit into the water. Sit back and ready yourself to grab the reins because you may be in for the ride of your life. Carp as table fare? Yes, believe it or not, carp have been utilized as a food source for thousands of years. The Jewish delicacy gelfilte fish utilizes carp. Small to medium sized Carp are a perfect food fish. Fish markets sell the fish alive, as well as, cleaned and iced, or smoked. The smoked product is usually skinless, reddish or orange in color, cut in strips, and sometimes highly spiced. Don Harris printed the following carp recipe in his book "The Complete Angler." Izaak Walton created this recipe in 1653: "Split a carp open, scour well, and place it in a large pot. Then take a handful of sweet marjoram, thyme and parsley, and a sprig of rosemary and savory. Put all into the carp with four large onions, twenty pickled oysters, and three anchovies. Next pour claret wine over all and season the claret well with salt, cloves, mace, plus rinds of oranges and lemons. Cover the pot and place on a quick fire till it is sufficiently broiled. Take out the carp and lay it with the broth on a large dish, and pour upon it a quarter pound of best fresh butter, melted and beaten with a half dozen spoonfuls of the broth, the yolks of two or three eggs and some shredded herbs. Garnish your dish with lemons and serve it up."

Don't feel guilty about harvesting carp for eating purposes or trophies. Carp are actually detrimental to the native fish community. While foraging, they stir everything up by rooting around. Occasionally, they will uproot submerged aquatic plants, which provide oxygen, cover and sometimes spawning sites for a wide variety of gamefish. Security cover is essential for largemouth bass, sunfishes, and black crappies during their early development. Fisheries biologists consider them such a nuisance that the New Jersey's Division of Fish,

Game and Wildlife has imposed regulations prohibiting the stocking of carp in any freshwater in the state. I spoke to Hugh Carberry, Senior Fisheries Biologist for the Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries. He informed me that even during " fish salvage" operations carp could not be relocated. Fish salvages occur during dam repairs or lake dredging projects. The Bureau of Freshwater Fisheries recommends that the carp either be destroyed, disposed of properly or left in the water to fend for their own. Carberry noted that carp are a hardy fish and can survive an event like this. The common carp is indeed a worthy opponent.