Description : Introduced into the UK by the Romans this species is now common in lakes, canals and slow rivers feeding on plant material and bottom living invertebrates. They have a deep body, long dorsal fin and a pair of barbules. All carp and related fish have a toothless mouth but possess pharyngeal teeth at the beginning of the gullet to grind food into digestionable sizes. Carp spawn in reed beds around May and June, laying hundreds of thousands of tiny eggs.

Many different varieties of carp have bred over the years since the initial introduction into the UK, the original wild carp becoming somewhat rarer than these crossbred ones. Varieties of carp found in UK waters include :-

common carp - dark bronze and fully-scaled (pictured at the top of the page),
mirror carp - large irregular shaped scales (pictured above),
linear mirror carp - scales present only in lateral lines,
leather carp - totally scaleless,
ghost carp - a white version of the common or mirror (pictured below),
koi carp - an ornamental fish that comes in a variety of combinations of red, orange, black and white.

Angling information : The current UK record for the carp is 56 lb 6 oz 0 drm, and anything over around 25 lb is considered to be a specimen. Carp are the largest, most hard fighting fish commonly sought after and now dominate a high percentage of stillwater fisheries. To catch fish approaching double figure weights and beyond a specialist approach is required. Quite often fishing 2 or 3 rods at a time, set-up on a rod pod with electonic bite detectors. Powerful rods of up to 3 lb test curve are required with heavy duty reels filled with at least a 10 lb line. See the Carp sub-section under Rigs for details of end tackle recommended for this line of attack. Smaller carp are often targeted by legering or float fishing. Pole fishing being a favourite and a match winner at many venues. An elastic around no.10 or no.12, strong line of 3 or 4 lb breaking strain and a good forged hook is sufficient to account for fish up to about 5 lb or even larger if fishing in open, snag free water. The best baits include : boilies, meat, sweetcorn, caster, maggot, worm and bread.

Tip : Target the margins, look for natural cover such as lillies or overhanging trees. Look for visible signs of fish moving, bubbles or silt rising as carp disturb the bottom while routing for food.