What does carp actually feed on?

[RNH]

I was at a local dam today to do some fishing. There was lots of vegetation on the surface of the water! After i waded in about 20m or so... , i was waist deep in the water and i then noticed that there was carp all around me!! I could actually see them surfacing between the vegetation in the water. They were all making these slurping sounds, i was wondering what they possibly could have been feeding on, because they were not interested in anything i had to offer????

[Kabouter]

Sorry you were in paradise and didnt know how to get them.Just take a size 12 caddis or bigger work good for me and dip it about 10 to 15 cm in front of him then let him swim of with the fly before you strike you will never look at carp the same again.

[frikb]

No idea what they actually eat. I agree with the previous comment. That technique really works and trust me that is some adrenalin pumping moments before the carp takes the fly.

[pieterkriel]

Hi

Here goes with the little I know about carp.

Carp is omnivoures(sp) which also make them very opportunistic feeders. They will eet certain vegetation and algae, and while at it will pick off the insects they find as well. What you discribe sounds like they may either have been nibbling on the vegetation, or the algae on the vegetation, but will eat insects they come accross while doing so, so dipping a fly into their way will certainly catch them.

When you see them tailing in the shallows and muddying up the water they are probably eating a mix of vegetation, and insects found in the mud. If you put a fly in their way on the bottom, you may catch them.

[Ron Clay]

In addition to agae, carp also eat vast amounts of daphnia. These are those little water fleas that are found in vast clouds at various depths in still waters and slack areas in rivers.

virtually all fish eat daphnia. I have found these little beasts in the stomachs of LM and SM bass, trout of course and even eels.

But probably the most important food source for many of the species of freshwater fish, is the obiquitous chironomid, or midge. These things are taken mainly in the larva (bloodworms) and pupa states where many UK anglers call them "buzzers", mainly because they do not buzz!

It is only in the adult stage that they actually buzz.

[Nymph+O-]

This might be slightly off the point but I spoke to a dude that fishes a local river and they catch Carp on flying termites aswel - some of the Carp weighing in at double digits in Kg's.
Some guys have caught Carp on river crabs (crustaceans) while fishing for Sm.
I've seen both Carp and Barble sip off mulberries dropping from an over hanging tree.
This tells me that fish will eat anything that's found in it's natural habitat should it be presented opportunistically.

[pieterkriel]

I do not like to generalize too much, but I have to agree with your obsevations. Fish are probably firstly opportunistic then they become selective. The way I see it is they have to first find the food, so they go along eating what they can find (opportunity dictates), but now they happen apon a nice hatch, the hatch becomes the easy pickings and they now go into selective feeding. Hatch being used loosly here as it may be an exeptional bloom of good algae, or mulberries falling into water, or actual mayflies coming of.

[Nymph+O-]

I do not like to generalize too much, but I have to agree with your obsevations. Fish are probably firstly opportunistic then they become selective. The way I see it is they have to first find the food, so they go along eating what they can find (opportunity dictates), but now they happen apon a nice hatch, the hatch becomes the easy pickings and they now go into selective feeding. Hatch being used loosly here as it may be an exeptional bloom of good algae, or mulberries falling into water, or actual mayflies coming of.

Cheers Pieter! That sounds about as near to the truth that we as humans will ever get.

[RNH]

Ok, that sounds logical, but how do i catch them? These carp that i'm talking about did not even look at the flies i presented to them!? There were lots of them, and they were feeding within 10-25m from me in all directions!! You would'nt believe how much adrenaline was flowing through my body!!! Man! not even one of them looked at my fly!!

[E.T.]

There was some previous posts made by Sean Mills concerning Carp. Browse the Archives and you will know exactly what to do....