Rich Sowders used to fish almost exclusively for walleye and steelhead. Then he started selling some European carp fishing tackle in his Little Dipper Bait and Tackle shop in Flat Rock.
"I decided that if I was going to sell this stuff, I should learn how to use it," Sowders said as he removed the hook from the rubbery lips of a 17-pound carp he hooked on the Saginaw River during a fish-in with the Michigan chapter of the Carp Anglers Group.
"It took no time before I was hooked, and I started bringing in all the tackle I could get. Problem is I became my own best customer," he said. "Once you've caught a couple of these big bruisers, it's just addictive."
Don McIntyre from Standish sympathizes. Ten minutes into playing a carp that eventually weighed in at 31 pounds, 7 ounces, McIntyre said, "I used to fish a lot for salmon (in Lake Huron), and when that collapsed I fished for bass. Then some friends introduced me to carp, and it was great.
"They're big, they're strong, they're really smart, and they're everywhere. And we have some of the best carp fishing in the world right here in Michigan."
Long recognized as a superior game fish in Europe, common carp have suffered from cultural and environmental biases since they were introduced to North America from Europe about 150 years ago to replace native game fish that were extirpated by pollution, overfishing and dams.
Only distantly related to the Asian carp now threatening to enter the Great Lakes from the Illinois River system (they're about as close as deer and cattle), Asian carp spread quickly across North America, where they destroyed the habitat in many lakes and rivers.
Carp are now found in every state except Alaska, and in addition to their reputation for environmental damage they are reviled as toxin laden "bottom feeders" by American anglers, who have long equated success with putting fish on the table.
Last Friday, a dozen members of CAG set up on the banks of the Saginaw in beautiful weather and catching carp galore the day before the fish-in.
Competition day -- when the coveted Golden Carp pin was up for grabs -- brought lashing wind and rain, and while the fishermen still caught carp, the numbers dropped off. Another dozen competitors decided to stay warm and dry at home.
That didn't include the Pass brothers from Allen Park, Austin, 14, and Brendan, 12, enthusiastic anglers who saw a show about carp fishing on television and persuaded their dad, Rob, to buy them enough gear to get started.
"I don't know why they became such fanatics," Rob Pass said as he watched Brendan net a 19-pounder for his brother. "But they just love it. They even put their videos on YouTube" (search for catfishmania).
The Pass brothers were using the long carp rods, electronic bite alarms and other specialized gear developed in Europe, but Sowders said that people can get started using the same tackle they use for native American species.
"If you look at the European catalogs and Web sites, you realize that the sky's the limit as far as tackle goes," Sowders said. "It's kind of like fly-fishing, with lots of companies selling $700 rods and $400 reels and other stuff. That helps in places like England where it's really hard to catch carp, but it's not needed in most places here. You can buy a carp outfit for $2,500 or $25."
Andy Sprinkle, a CAG member from White Lake, said that learning the right techniques is more important than having the right tackle.
"You need to learn how to mix ground baits (which attract carp) and tie a hair rig" where the bait isn't on the hook but on a short piece of line coming off the hook shank, he said. "You can learn all of it on the Internet, and we love to have people come to our fish-ins and socials to see how we do it."
McIntyre, the Michigan CAG president, said the group will be doing demonstrations and answering questions July 11 at Kent Lake in Kensington Metropark during the free fishing weekend.
"Everyone is welcome," he said. "It's a social weekend instead of serious fishing, so we hope people will stop by and see how we do this."
Anglers get caught up in carp fishing, Saginaw River - Lake Huron
