Colorado is renowned for its fishing industry which has thrived for decades now. According to a 2018 analysis, fishing reportedly contributes 2.4 billion dollars to Colorado’s economy and supports 17,000 jobs. The thriving fishing industry in the state is naturally tied to its abundant aquatic resources. Colorado’s water bodies are home to a variety of fish species. The common carp fish is a common target for anglers fishing in Colorado. Although the fish doesn’t grow very big, the largest common carp ever caught in Colorado was of considerable size. Read for more details about this remarkable catch and other interesting facts about the common carp.
Largest Common Carp Caught in Colorado
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In 1992, a 29-pound common carp fish was caught in Pueblo County. That record stood as the largest common carp fish caught in Colorado for nearly two decades. Finally, in 2001, Adam Wickam reeled out a 39-inch, 35-pound common carp from Glenmere Lake in Weld County.
Wickman’s catch broke the existing record by more than six pounds and made his catch the largest common carp ever caught in Colorado’s waters. So far, there has been no catch on any official record that beats Wickman’s record. This means it remains the largest common carp caught in Colorado in the last 20 years.
How Was the Largest Common Carp in Colorado Caught?
Interestingly, Wickam wasn’t out to break a common carp record when he set out to fish that day. He had actually been fishing for catfish on that fine Sunday evening when he pulled out a carp using a 25-pound fishing line.
Adam Wickam had set out to Glenmere Lake that day to land a big fish. The lake was getting drained for repairs by the Greeley Parks Department, and they were moving the fish to a different location.
Wickam started out fishing for catfish using a goldfish bait on a 25 pounds line. He was copying the tactics used by guides on an ocean fishing show. After fishing for a while without success, he switched the bait to a “crawler ball.” With eight crawlers at the end of the line, Wickam threw the line again and waited. In just 30 minutes, he got a big bite on the line and started reeling it in. This giant carp was Wickam’s biggest catch in three years of active fishing. The largest he had ever caught before then was a six-pound bass.
Overview of the Common Carp
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Common carp is a popular freshwater fish from the Cyprinidae family prevalent within Asian and European waters. It goes by the scientific name Cyprinus carpio. They were first introduced into North America in 1877.
The common carp fish is also one of the most frequently introduced species worldwide. Despite being considered an invasive species, its relevance to aquaculture economics emanates from its adaptive capacity for food and new environments.
Common carp is usually golden brown, silvery, brassy green, or yellow. It grows to about 12 to 15 inches and can weigh up to eight pounds on average. Of course, as the record catch discussed above indicates, it is clear that this fish can grow much bigger in the right conditions.
Common carps are voracious, benthic, omnivorous eaters that feed on mollusks, fish eggs, aquatic plants, crustaceans, and insects from the floor of their marine environment. However, this feeding style is problematic because they uproot submerged aquatic vegetation in their search for food.
The repercussion of this is that it stirs up sediments that contain phosphorus and contribute to the growth of algae blooms. They also make the water turbid, reducing visibility for other fish species that hunt for food by sight.
How Big Do Carps Grow?
Averagely, common carp fishes grow between one to eight pounds in mass, with a typical length of one to two feet. However, the right habitat and the right diet give them the space to grow bigger over the course of a long lifespan. Common carps grow to about 30 to 40 pounds. Other carp species can grow even bigger (as much as 90 pounds).
Skilled anglers like to target common carp fishes that are about 20 pounds or more because they are some of the most challenging to catch. Common carp has been considered a food fish since the 13th century. There are possibilities that its parent species is the East Asian carp. They have disparate reputations in North America and Europe. While they are prized as excellent fighters and good sportfish by the Europeans, North American anglers view them as nuisances.
In recent times, North American anglers are becoming more interested in them as sportfish. Common carp fishes can live up to 20 years or more. Common carp is an edible fish that contributes immensely to China’s ever-growing fish industry. It is eaten in European and Asian countries, but North Americans regard it as unpalatable.
Largest Common Carp Ever Caught In Recent Times
2022 was a year of common carp record catches. The current record for the largest catch in the world was caught in May 2022 by 11-year-old Callum Pettit in the UK. The common carp fish weighed 96 pounds and 10 ounces. Pettit is the only one with such a record in the junior angler’s category.
In the adults’ range, Colin smith set a record when he caught a 100-pound common carp. The last remarkable record was caught in 1987 in Lac de St. Cassien, France.
The Maryland Department of Water Resources also recorded a record-breaking catch on June 4, 2022. Logan Kuhrmann, a 24-year-old Essex native, caught a common carp that weighed 49 pounds, shattering the 1978 record previously established by Jimmy Lake, who caught a 40-pound common carp.
Conclusion
Common carp have their remarkable advantages and disadvantages. They are famous for both, and they have two-dimensional lives. Nevertheless, their contributions to the ecosystem cannot be overemphasized. It is a collective responsibility to ensure that their population does not continue going through a downward spiral. Their threats to the ecosystem would hopefully inspire a series of game-changing scientific innovations. It also cannot be denied that they give anglers and fishermen exciting challenges which further enhance their skills.
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