Carp Fishing? Pt. 1
- lucidoutdoors
- Apr 12, 2017
- 4 min read
Alan Hansen (33) also known to some as "Carplifer" which, as his name implies Alan has literally spent most of his life catching carp. He has been fishing as long as he can remember. "Some of my first conscious memories are my grandmother and I on Utah lake or Bear Lake. I would fish in the irrigation ditch in my back yard almost every day from age 8-17." Alan has been catching carp since he was just a little guy. Like most people in Utah his family considers them a trash fish. "We would always take them and use them as fertilizer for the garden or bait for big lake trout and catfish."
However one fishing experience he remembers vividly changed his early perspective on targeting carp. "I will say I do remember the fishing session that changed my mind on what I was going to be targeting in the future though. I had a day in early march on the lower Provo river that changed me forever. I usually fish 2 poles when bait fishing but this was not an option for me that day. I caught 30+ common carp between 4-12 lbs and 4 mirror carp all around 6-8. I fished until I was exhausted. As I felt this fishes powerful runs and slow meaty head shakes that only stopped long enough for them to change direction and bulldog you right to the bottom. Cliches aside I was hooked. Now I target them on at least 60% of my outings. Even at large lakes with lots of other things to fish for."
His favorite species is the grass carp, "there is just something unrivaled about watching a 30 lb grassy slurp up a top water bait." While most of his time is spent chasing carp and smallmouth bass Alan enjoys fishing for anything that will bend a rod! Bluegill, wiper, crappie and catfish are some of his favorites. Alan can usually be found fishing Utah Lake and its connected waters, Jordanelle reservoir, and Deer Creek reservoir. When he is fishing these waters he uses: boilies, garbanzo beans, bread, worms, cherry tomatoes, peas, or bird seed and oat mixes used with a method weight.
When asked if carp are "Trash Fish" Alan responded, "Simply stated no. Carp are misunderstood and most people only hate them because their elders did or because of the "trash fish" cliche. Anyone I have ever taken to catch carp loves them by the end of the day. They are the #1 sport fish in the U.K. They undoubtedly have population problems in a lot of places but if more people fished for them and were encouraged to eat them who know what population would look like. I know many people that eat them. Just like anything you have to know how to prepare them. In the Midwest and on the East Coast the Asian carp which is actually three different species of carp is a very very serious problem. Trash fish implies they have zero use. In actuality they make great dog food, fertilizer and human food."
Most anglers feel that carp are damaging and causing devastating affects on other fisheries in Utah. Alan says otherwise, "In my opinion there are only a couple of fisheries in Utah that have been dramatically affected by the presence of carp. The obvious one is Utah lake. Our state is spending millions of dollars every year to cull out a majority population of the carp. Even though millions of pounds have been extracted it hasn't seem to affect the population much. At least through my fishing experiences. In my opinion the Utah chub has been more damaging to more bodies of water than the common carp has. Strawberry reservoir had to be poisoned and completely cleaned in the early 2000s because of their presence."
"Fishing is my escape from the world but my connection to it at the same time. No where else do I feel as free and as grounded. It gives me time to think without any distractions. Not everybody will understand this but there is a feeling you get with a bend in the rod that you just can't explain and it keeps you coming back. That's why I'm up late at night looking at topographical maps of lakes. That's why I watch the fishing channel every available moment trying to learn every new trick I possibly can. It's the most cliché thing in the world but the tug is the drug." - Alan "Carplifer" Hansen
Alan's advice when targeting carp:
1. My best advice to people new to carp fishing would be to go online and read European fishing blogs and watch European fishing videos. They will clue you in on all of the best gear and baits you can use.
2. Next advice go to places where you know they are and just spend time and figure it out with all the information you gathered online. Every time I think I have something figured out I will go fishing and a fish will teach me something new.
3. Be patient. Just like any fishing the conditions affect how good fishing is. For the most part if you know where to go and what to use it is fairly reasonable that you could expect catch 5 to 10 fish in a day out. I have had days where I caught upwards of 40 and I have had days where I could see 30 of them hanging in front of me and just can't get a bite.
"If anybody would like to go out carping they are more than welcome to hit me up on Fishbrain as CARPLIFER almost all of my good fishing buddies I have got from there."
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