Jeff, I believe your fish story now...
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Greenhead22
- Duck South Addict
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- Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2001 12:01 am
- Location: Mississippi/Louisiana/Arkansas
Bobby Cleveland article this morning in the Clarion Ledger. 
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs. ... 025/SPORTS
Have to go to the link where the pics are, won't transfer here.
July 3, 2005
Carp are flying nuisance
By Bobby Cleveland
bcleveland@clarionledger.com
This silver carp barely missed the head of Outdoor Editor Bobby Cleveland when it sailed up out of the backwaters of the Mississippi River and slammed into the back seat of Cleveland's bass boat. It was one of many to land in the boat Monday. Silver carp may be fascinating to watch as they leap, but they are a growing nuisance.
Imported in the '70s and '80s to combat vegetation problems in commercial catfish ponds, silver and bighead carp are now creating major problems in the Mississippi River.
In addition to competing against native filter feeders, one of the non-native Asian imports pose a health risk to boaters.
The silver carp are terrific leapers when terrified, and boats tend to scale them into missile-like jumps.
Duane Chapman, a Fisheries Biologist with the U.S. Geological Service Environmental Research Center in Columbia, Mo., has had several run-ins with the silver carp.
In fact, the USGS team has added a carp cage to its boat.
Bobby Cleveland/The Clarion-Ledger
The flying silver carp landed in the seat with its head jammed in the crack.
"We do indeed have carp guards on the boat to keep the crew from being hit by flying silver carp," Chapman wrote in response to an e-mail Tuesday. "Because we are performing research on these fish, trying to understand their biology and find ways to control their populations, we are in the thick of them constantly.
"We've never had anyone badly hurt ... the scariest times were probably when fish struck the throttle of the boat, causing the boat to jerk forward rapidly and out of control."
Chapman said most encounters involve fish jumping into the rear of the boat.
"They've jumped over the transom when (the boat was) traveling in excess of 15 mph, so I know the fish can jump at least at that speed," he said. "Add in the speed of a fast-moving boat, and that could be devastating."
Chapman has never been seriously injured, but other researchers haven't been as lucky. Eric Gittinger of the Illinois Natural History Survey was hit 12 times in two years, according to a story on the Northern Illinois University Web site. One hit his neck, sending him to a doctor and requiring a long stint of physical therapy. Gittinger still suffers from chronic pain.
Bobby Cleveland/The Clarion-Ledger
After extracting the carp from the seat, Sidney Montgomery held it up to give proper perspective to its massive size.
"I was hit three times in 2001 and nine times in 2000," Gittinger was quoted in the report. "These things can launch themselves 10 feet vertically in the air and jump up to 20 feet horizontally. Most of the fish that jump are 5 to 15 pounds."
Asian carp first appeared in the Mississippi River after the 1993 flood. Chapman said the likely source was Arkansas.
The fish became very prolific in the upper Mississippi River around Missouri and Illinois, and entered the major tributaries like the Missouri, Ohio and Illinois Rivers.
In addition to being a boating hazard, carp are filter feeders that compete with native filter feeders, like paddlefish (spoonbills) that already live a precarious lifestyle on the Mississippi River, according to Chapman.
In the past five years, Asian carp have spread south rapidly and arrived in Mississippi a few years ago.
"We were late getting them, which is a blessing," said Ron Garavelli, chief of fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "But they are spreading rapidly into the Delta in the tributary rivers. And they will continue to spread in those rivers."
Chapman said silver carp prefer slow moving streams, so the threat of jumping fish striking a boat is considerably higher once a boater enters backwaters.
He advises all boaters to wear PFDs in areas known to have silver carp, to avoid skiing in those areas and, because most of the jumping happens behind a boat, never follow another boat too closely.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs. ... 025/SPORTS
Have to go to the link where the pics are, won't transfer here.
July 3, 2005
Carp are flying nuisance
By Bobby Cleveland
bcleveland@clarionledger.com
This silver carp barely missed the head of Outdoor Editor Bobby Cleveland when it sailed up out of the backwaters of the Mississippi River and slammed into the back seat of Cleveland's bass boat. It was one of many to land in the boat Monday. Silver carp may be fascinating to watch as they leap, but they are a growing nuisance.
Imported in the '70s and '80s to combat vegetation problems in commercial catfish ponds, silver and bighead carp are now creating major problems in the Mississippi River.
In addition to competing against native filter feeders, one of the non-native Asian imports pose a health risk to boaters.
The silver carp are terrific leapers when terrified, and boats tend to scale them into missile-like jumps.
Duane Chapman, a Fisheries Biologist with the U.S. Geological Service Environmental Research Center in Columbia, Mo., has had several run-ins with the silver carp.
In fact, the USGS team has added a carp cage to its boat.
Bobby Cleveland/The Clarion-Ledger
The flying silver carp landed in the seat with its head jammed in the crack.
"We do indeed have carp guards on the boat to keep the crew from being hit by flying silver carp," Chapman wrote in response to an e-mail Tuesday. "Because we are performing research on these fish, trying to understand their biology and find ways to control their populations, we are in the thick of them constantly.
"We've never had anyone badly hurt ... the scariest times were probably when fish struck the throttle of the boat, causing the boat to jerk forward rapidly and out of control."
Chapman said most encounters involve fish jumping into the rear of the boat.
"They've jumped over the transom when (the boat was) traveling in excess of 15 mph, so I know the fish can jump at least at that speed," he said. "Add in the speed of a fast-moving boat, and that could be devastating."
Chapman has never been seriously injured, but other researchers haven't been as lucky. Eric Gittinger of the Illinois Natural History Survey was hit 12 times in two years, according to a story on the Northern Illinois University Web site. One hit his neck, sending him to a doctor and requiring a long stint of physical therapy. Gittinger still suffers from chronic pain.
Bobby Cleveland/The Clarion-Ledger
After extracting the carp from the seat, Sidney Montgomery held it up to give proper perspective to its massive size.
"I was hit three times in 2001 and nine times in 2000," Gittinger was quoted in the report. "These things can launch themselves 10 feet vertically in the air and jump up to 20 feet horizontally. Most of the fish that jump are 5 to 15 pounds."
Asian carp first appeared in the Mississippi River after the 1993 flood. Chapman said the likely source was Arkansas.
The fish became very prolific in the upper Mississippi River around Missouri and Illinois, and entered the major tributaries like the Missouri, Ohio and Illinois Rivers.
In addition to being a boating hazard, carp are filter feeders that compete with native filter feeders, like paddlefish (spoonbills) that already live a precarious lifestyle on the Mississippi River, according to Chapman.
In the past five years, Asian carp have spread south rapidly and arrived in Mississippi a few years ago.
"We were late getting them, which is a blessing," said Ron Garavelli, chief of fisheries for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "But they are spreading rapidly into the Delta in the tributary rivers. And they will continue to spread in those rivers."
Chapman said silver carp prefer slow moving streams, so the threat of jumping fish striking a boat is considerably higher once a boater enters backwaters.
He advises all boaters to wear PFDs in areas known to have silver carp, to avoid skiing in those areas and, because most of the jumping happens behind a boat, never follow another boat too closely.
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forcin' the point
- Regular
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- Location: clinton, ms
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If the carp are this bad up at the tunica cut off that is where i wanna be. if anyone is interested in bowfishing up there with me give me a shout. i need someone to go with me that has been up there before and knows the waters. i have never been to this lake or that part of the river, but would love to force the point on a few hundred pounds of these guys.
dont wait for the fish to bite force feedem'
Had the same thing happen to me and two buddies last summer in the shoot out of Chotard into the river. We were idling back into the shoot from the river and one hit me in the back and slid across the laps of my buddies. Scared the crap outta me! It left a slimy film on everything it touched. I just sure hope that one doesn't decide to do that when I am goin fast.
HR Choctaw's Sunset Drake
Mississippi Mallard Mafia
Mississippi Mallard Mafia
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River Hunter
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- Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2002 10:06 am
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I saw several and had one leap over my boat at Chotard a few weeks ago.. The same spot where everyone else encountered them entering the chute to go to the river. Right at the sandbar going in. Scared the @#$%* outta me and my buddies. I saw the 48 hrs thing a while back and had a good idea what they were. Wonder why you see them there and not further up in Chotard or Albemarle? I estimated the ones we saw about 6-8lbs. They could hurt you bad if you were hauling tail.
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. -Ernest Hemingway
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