The common carp can be found in small numbers in most canals. Growing into huge freshwater fish and living for up to 40 years, carp are prized by some anglers.
The common carp is a non-native species, introduced to the UK in the mediaeval period.
Carp facts
Scientific name
Cyprinus carpio
Family
Cyprinidae (Carp)
Diet
Water fleas, midge larvae, small insects, worms, small snails, mussels, small fish and fish spawn
Predators
Otters, cormorants, mink and pike
Size
40-100cm
Weight
20lb
British record
68lb 1oz (30.875Kg)
Lifespan
25-30 years
Carp and our canals
The carp is a common fish that can grow up to a metre long. Bred to a variety of colours and forms, including interbreeding with goldfish and crucian carp, their natural range is across the Black, Caspian and Aral Sea basins in eastern Europe and Asia.
The species was introduced to the UK in the 13th or 14th centuries as a food item. And like many species introduced to new habitats and outside of their natural range, the carp can upset the natural balance and diversity of our waterbodies.
How to identify a carp
Carp are easily recognised by their colouring, which ranges from dark brown to bronze. They have a large, rounded body and powerful fins. Their upper lip has two long and two short barbels.
Decades of selective breeding have resulted in three common strains. The common carp is fully scaled; mirror carp are partially scaled, and leather carp have virtually no scales at all.
Lifecycle of a carp
Carp typically lay about 300,000 eggs, spawning in the spring as temperatures rise.
As canals are not quite warm enough, there’s no evidence that the common carp reproduces in our waters. However, climate change might change things in the future.
Where to find carp
The common carp is not a native fish in the UK. However, they are widespread and common across freshwater bodies in England and Wales. They typically live in weedy ponds, flooded gravel pits, lakes and most of our canals. Look out for them amid overhanging offside vegetation or reed beds.
How to catch a carp
Canal fishing for carp is a challenge, but potentially highly rewarding.
Carl Nicholls, fisheries & angling manager
Carp are described as a rare fish in the first angling book that we know of, probably written by Dame Juliana Berners.
She wrote, ‘The carp is a dainty fish, but there are only a few in England. He is a bad fish to catch as he is so strongly reinforced in the mouth that no weak tackle can hold him. And as regards his baits, I have but little knowledge of them. But I know that the earthworm and the minnow are good baits for him always, as I have heard reliable persons say and found written in trustworthy books’.
They are a rewarding catch with a hard-fighting nature and can be an impressive size. Most canals hold a few carp, and on warm and sunny days, they can be seen basking in the warm water near the surface.
Your tackle needs to be appropriate to the circumstances – for instance, a weedy location will need a stronger line and a larger hook size than open water. While carp are generally bottom-feeding fish, they can often be caught off the surface with bread or dog biscuits as bait.
Pellets, boilies and fjuka are the current favourite bait for carp. However, carp are greedy, and smaller specimens will, on occasion, eat almost anything you put on the hook.
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