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| The lakes listed in the study do contain carp. |
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| "The lakes listed in the study do contain carp."
I stand corrected. Carp are listed as a species that was found during the study. A look at the list of lakes however, confirms that most do not contain carp. They would have been a component of a few of the water bodies in the study that were part of river sytems, like the Petenwell Flowage for one. Very few of the water bodies listed would have carp in sufficient numbers to be a meaningful part of musky diet.
That said, carp would be considered a preferred food species in waters where they occur in great enough numbers.
Edited by esoxcpr 2/27/2011 9:06 PM
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| esoxcpr - 2/27/2011 8:55 PM
That said, carp would be considered a preferred food species in waters where they occur in great enough numbers.
I question whether they are ever a "preferred" food species for musky. |
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Location: Maple Grove, MN | Keep in mind that common carp do not stay small for long. They grow very fast, much faster than suckers, and get very large. So, the number of common carp in the acceptable size range for Muskies will often vary throughout the course of the year and may be very limited at times. (Acceptable size would generally be in the 5 to 20 inch range.) That does not mean that Muskies won't eat them when they are available.
To a Muskie, a small carp is just another baitfish species. They will eat them if they want to. |
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| firstsixfeet - 2/28/2011 10:57 AM
esoxcpr - 2/27/2011 8:55 PM
That said, carp would be considered a preferred food species in waters where they occur in great enough numbers.
I question whether they are ever a "preferred" food species for musky.
I suspect not. If opportunity presents itself, I am sure the small ones will get eaten here and there, but my thinking is that carp are like rice cakes and tofu - if you get hungry enough, and it's sitting there in front of you, it will do the trick, but it's no substitute for a nice steak! |
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Location: Maple Grove, MN | I've seen Muskies hit carp right in front of my boat so I know Muskies eat them. And I've caught quite a few Muskies in areas with surfacing carp over the years so I know they hang around carp at times. But I have no idea how many carp a Muskie will eat over the course of a year compared to other baitfish species. I suspect it depends on the availability of small carp and the availability of other baitfish species.
Actually, now that I think about it, if you all ignore the carp in the summer, that leaves that many more hungry Muskies for me to catch. So, no. Muskies do not eat carp. Never, ever, ever happens. If you see carp, leave quickly.  |
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