Carp get a hard time in most parts of the U.S. many states veiw carp as simply a rough ,trash fish, taking up space for the more disirables. But,this veiw seems to be changing slowly . Here is a write up seen from a local T.V station's unbiased veiwpoint.Well known T.V host fred trost made a show to go on -air with this one.

CARPING -- LET'S GIVE IT SOME RESPECT (11:59 am) Anglers who espouse catch and release should put the carp back on their list of respectable game fish. Yesterday's video-taping of a carp fishing contest at Kent Lake was great. The anglers were primarily members of the Carp Anglers Group, an organization originally formed by a Dr. Keyes from Chicago. CAG has about 300 members nationally, with some members in Europe. The Michigan group, spearheaded by Gary Gillis and Tom Feeny, chummed the area with 600 pounds of corn during the past two weeks, and as schools of carp would move through, "electronic bite alarms" would sound and rods would bend. The fish ranged from five to twenty pounds, and the battles were meritorious. Many of the anglers were trout and steelhead fishermen, and some specialized in bass. They tended to be proponents of catch and release, so the battle of a carp stood on its own in their world of fishing. Carp fishing is not such a simple task as you might think. Much of the specialized carp-fishing equipment comes from Europe, and is not widely available in this country. I am told that Grand River Bait & Tackle in Lansing has an array. I'll have to drop in sometime this week to see what they have in stock. I'll be looking for things like baskets, monkey-climbers, hair rigs, and bait needles. There are rods for carp fishing, and spinning reels with anti-reverse features designed for carping. Both John Ford and I were impressed with the potential of carping. It's time for American anglers to wake up and take advantage of this highly-available urban fishing activity. If we want to get kids and newcomers into fishing, there's no better way to start them than with carping. They're found in most every lake or river in southern Michigan, from muddy ponds to crystal clear lakes. Carp are big, they fight hard, and even a five pounder is a thrill for a new angler. Specialized equipment is not necessary to catch carp, nor is necessary to have special bait. There's nothing cleaner than fishing with canned corn which is available at every grocery store or Seven-Eleven. You don't have to get up before dawn to catch carp. They're big fish, they have to eat a lot, and they tend to bite all day long. Carp fishing is the most accessible, easiest to reach, and quickest-to-find fishing that we have. It's perfectly suited for our couch-potato society that doesn't want to spend much time, money or effort doing things that don't involve a video screen. Carp fishing can be done at any picnic that's near a body of water. It's perfect for rekindling people's interest in fishing. One thing is missing from carping, though. Few fishermen eat the carp they catch. There are two major reasons for this: 1) carp have never been recognized as a desirable food fish in this country, and the disdain for carp meat is largely sociological; and 2) public health warnings put carp at the top of the list of fish that may have an overabundance of toxic chemicals in their fat. But, if an angler is satisfied with catch-and-release, as many trout and bass fishermen are, why not add carp to the list of desirable hook-and-line fish? Catching a big one is an accomplishment. Aside from the social status attributed to various species, it's as much fun to catch a big carp as it is to catch any large game fish. Many times I've seen anglers excited about the trophy at the end of their line, anticipating a big trout, pike, musky or salmon. When the fish shows itself, and the angler learns it's a carp, they get upset. Why? The fight told them the fish was a trophy. Their social attitudes told them it wasn't. Is that logical? I was impressed with the physical quality of the carp in Kent Lake. They were actually quite pretty fish, clean, sleek, and shiny. None that I saw had any blemishes, fungus, bacterial growths, tumors, or the kinds of reddish, unpleasant growths that we often see on warmwater fish in the summer. For the first time in my life, I looked at a carp as a fine-looking, hard-fighting game fish. It seemed logical to see the anglers handle these fish gently, returning them to the water to grow, and fight again for another angler. Another real joy of the Carp Anglers Group was the international flavor of the carpers. There were a number of fishermen from Canada, whose roots were in England or Australia. These guys were fun! They not only had the specialized equipment, but they had the lingo to go with it. I asked one fellow, as he was battling a big carp, if he was upset at the demise of the Spice Girls. He said something like, "If I were 20 years younger, and didn't have a big carp on, maybe I'd be alarmed. But I really don't care." In a week or so we'll post a full transcript of my conversations with these anglers on this site. It's very interesting. I will put a small excerpt from this taping on the show this week, but the main features will appear next TV season. And you can expect increased coverage of carp fishing next year, as well. I met several anglers who fly fish for carp! They have been using stonefly imitations to hook and land some big ones, from Lake Michigan shorelines to the Grand River. You say carp aren't game fish? You need an attitude adjustment. In the world of catch and release, I can't see any reason why carp aren't ranked with the rest of the species. I also believe that after years of discrimination, the carp may emerge as one of the species that rejuvenates fishing in urban America. The carp doesn't have to change, we do. And the change is an easy one -- we only need to change our attitudes, which we have full control over. Those who change will enjoy carping. The others will do their carping on the couch. Too bad. There's some fun fishing awaiting us out there. I'm going to get into it. There's no reason not to.

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