CTFishTalk.com: Carp acting strange - Connecticut Conservation & DEP ( CT Conservation & DEP ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

therieldeal · Joined: 20 Oct 2010 Posts: 245 Location: Thompson, CT

Question for any of you guys who know more about carp than me:

Last weekend I was kayaking & bass fishing at a local pond in the northeast corner that I knew contained lots of carp, as I’ve carp fished it before and had double-headers on multiple occasions. At a certain part of the pond “way in back” I came across literally dozens of carp schooling/cruising around right on the surface. They all seemed to be either feeding off the surface or trying to suck in air? If I was quiet they didn’t notice me until I came very close, within 5-10 feet of them… usually carp seem to scare more easily than this. I couldn’t see anything on the surface for them to eat, so I was a little concerned. Has anyone ever witnessed this behavior? I went back yesterday and they no longer seemed to be doing it, although all the rain this weekend may have raised the oxygen content in the water? All of the bass I caught last weekend in the same pond were behaving like normal, so… not sure what it could be??
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PB's:
LMB - 4 pounds - Stump Pond, Thompson
Carp - 11 pounds - W. Thompson Lake, Thompson

Still searching for some toothy critters big enough to be worth weighing...

JustinSolak · Joined: 17 Jul 2011 Posts: 245 Location: East Hartford, CT

Carp, as well as some other members of the cyprinidae family, are able to suck in air when the oxygen levels drop. As you may have seen first hand if you had cartain types of goldfish, or have been to a chinese buffet that has a small koi pond. No source of oxygen is really needed as they can travel to the surface for air.

This is one of the reasons carp can be so abundant in some lakes or ponds, while other species of fish don't do very well. many people view this as the carp are outcompeting other fish for food, affecting their reproduction, or any other reason they can conjur up. But the simple fact is, carp can survive in the worst conditions while most other fish cant. Low oxygen levels, high water pollution, small forage base, etc.

To get back on topic, my guess is they were coming up to gulp air. Slight chance that they could have been feeding on something on the surface so small that you couldnt't see it, as carp do have extremely good eye sight. The fact that you were able to get so close is a bit surprising, but i've seen weirder things happen.

Seen a snapping turtle fart... Yep, they fart.
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