THE CARP - Cyprinus Carpio
Find carp fishing takle. The name carp covers a variety of species, the common, mirror, crucian, wild and grass carp. The common and mirror being the most frequently found throughout Britain. There are also the cultivated strains that you and I keep in the garden ponds.
Most carp have deep bodies, broad brown backs, and their flanks vary in colour from Deep brown and yellow of most leathers, to the golden sheen of wildies. The carp with its sensitive barbels and vacuum like mouths are best suited to feeding off the bottom,but as fishermen now they will also feed mid-water and on the surface, but for most off the time they will root around in the mud and silt at the bottom, feeding on snails, crayfish, bloodworms, mussels, shrimps and vegetation.
Though not classed as a predator, large carp have been known to eat other fish and will happily feed on there own eggs and fry when hatched. The carps feeding can be affected by temperature,if the water temperature drops below about 14 degrees centigrade carp feed less freely,tending to lay up in deeper water.
Carp are predominantly still water fish. But because of there hardiness and adaptability,they are common now in rivers and reservoirs and even some river esturies. Spawning like feeding depends on temperature carp spawn when the water rises to between 18 and 20 degrees centigrade,which is usually about late may early June.
The female lays over one million eggs on weeds,the eggs hatch about three to eight days later depending on the temperature. Once hatched the fry feed off the yolk sack for the first few days, then turning to feed on tiny water organisms. The carps growth is rapid,and if conditions right a carp will put on 2lb in weight a year constantly through its life. Though water temperatures in Britain are too cold for them to maximise there size. They can grow to about 50lb a specimen is about 20lb. This is a lot bigger in warmer countries and the world record is over 80lb.
Please select from a wide range of
carp fishing tackle from our online shop.
