Carps are oily freshwater fish that derive from various species of the Cyprinidae family. The mirror and common are the most popular type of carp found. They are close relatives to the leather, linear, and ghost carp. Certain breeds can weigh as little as 5 lbs and be as big as 150 lbs! This article will outline the sizes of these unique creatures.
Carp Species, Sizes, and Lengths
| Carp Type | Weight | Length | ||
| Common | 64 lbs | 4 ft | ||
| Mirror | 15-30 lbs | 2 ft | ||
| Grass | 55 lbs | 4.5 ft | ||
| Ghost | 4-30 lbs | 4 ft | ||
| Crucian | 6 lbs | 1 ft | ||
| Koi | 35 lbs | 1.5 ft | ||
| Silver | 100 lbs | 4.5 ft | ||
| Bighead | 40 lbs | 4-5 ft | ||
| Black | 150 lbs | 5 ft | ||
| Rohu | 55 lbs | 5ft |
Size Comparison
These fish can be the size of a human child.
©malgosia janicka/Shutterstock.com
An average adult-size carp can be the length and weight of a 10yr old child. As you can see in the picture below, if this man were to stand up straight, the fish would at least be 75% of the man’s height.
The bigger these fish get, the larger their stomach are. Their stomachs look as if they swallowed an enormous bowling or yoga ball. The largest mirror carp in history obtained weighs 108 lbs!
The largest mirror carp in history obtained weighs 108 lbs!
©Vladimir Wrangel/Shutterstock.com
In the picture below, even at its smallest size, the common carp is twice the size of the white bream fish.
This carp photographed here weighs at least 5-6 lbs and is about 2-3 ft in length.
©Greens and Blues/Shutterstock.com
Largest Carp Ever Caught
The chart above is an overall depiction of how big these fish can get. Of course, the larger the fish, the more difficult it can be to reel in. The black carp is the most robust captured in the USA weighing in at 118 lbs! The Oklahoma angler that reeled the fish in took about 20 minutes to get into the boat. In 1959 however, a British man named John Harvey reeled in a Siamese carp weighing in at 232 lbs in Thailand. This fish reportedly took about 80mins to reel in.
Best Places and Time of Year to Catch Carp
The best time to capture these massive creatures in the United States is between late spring and early Autumn. Anglers will fish all year round for these fish; however, for beginner anglers, it can be a bit more difficult during the colder months. Carp are cold-blooded creatures, meaning the warmer the water, the hungrier they will get. These fish live in lakes, ponds, and shoreline perimeters. If you are searching to capture large carp, the great lakes are a great place to visit. Big rivers such as Illinois and Mississippi also contain these massive creatures.
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