THE MINNOW FAMILY
(_Cyprinidæ_)
This family of fresh-water fishes numbers probably a thousand species,
mostly of small size in America and known universally as "minnows." In
the eastern hemisphere the species grow larger, and of these, two have
been introduced into America,--the German carp and the goldfish.
_Cyprinus carpio._ The German Carp. Body robust, compressed,
heavy anteriorly; head 4-1/2; depth 3-1/2; scales (normally)
5-38-5; mouth moderate, with four long barbels; teeth molar, 1,
1, 3-3, 1, 1; dorsal fin elongate, dorsal and anal fins each
preceded by a serrated spine. D. III, 20; A. III, 5.
THE GERMAN CARP
(_Cyprinus carpio_)
The carp was described and named by Linnæus in 1758. Its original home
was in China, and from thence it was introduced into Europe, and from
there to America.
Since the introduction of the carp into the United States, some thirty
years ago, it may now be said to inhabit every state in the Union,
having escaped from the ponds in which it was placed at first, into
almost every stream, especially in the Mississippi Valley.
The dorsal fin is single, extending from the middle of the back nearly
to the tail, highest in front. In the typical scale-carp the scales are
large, there being about thirty-eight along the lateral line, with five
rows above it and five rows below. But domestication has greatly altered
the squamation; thus in the leather-carp the body is naked, with the
exception of a few very large ones on the back; in the mirror-carp there
are a few rows of very large scales. The coloration is as variable as
its scales. It is usually of some shade of olive or brown, with golden
lustre, darkest on the back, with the belly whitish or yellowish.
In Europe the carp hibernates, or remains dormant during the winter,
burying itself in the mud of the bottom with its tail only exposed. In
America it seems to have abandoned this habit almost entirely,
especially in the more southern waters. It is not strictly, if at all, a
herbivorous fish as has been alleged, but stirs up the bottom of ponds
in search of minute animal organisms, rendering the water foul and
muddy. It also devours the spawn of other fishes, though some persons
contend that it does not, which is absurd, when it is considered that
almost all fishes are addicted to this natural vice. I know from my own
observation that the carp is not exempt from the habit. It grows to a
length of two feet under favorable conditions. One of twenty-four inches
will weigh about ten pounds. As a food-fish it ranks below the buffalo
or sucker. It sells readily, however, to negroes. Chinese, and Polish
Jews of the cities.
I have no love for the German carp, but as it is now so plentiful in
most waters, especially in the Mississippi Valley, and is constantly
increasing in numbers, it may be well enough to devote a small space to
it as a game-fish. It is a very poor fish at best, and as the poor we
have always with us, we will never be rid of it. In England, where it
has existed for centuries, it is considered a very shy and uncertain
fish to catch; and the larger the fish, the more difficult to
circumvent. The best success, and the best is very poor, is met with on
small, stagnant ponds, with comparatively small fish. English anglers
use a small quill float and split-shot sinker, allowing the bait to just
touch the bottom. They then stick the butt of the rod in the ground and
retire out of sight of the fish, watching the float meanwhile. They use
for bait, worms, maggots, and pastes of various kinds, and usually
ground-bait the "swims" to be fished, a day in advance.
Where the carp are large, five or six pounds, the rod, reel, and line
recommended for black-bass fishing will subserve a good purpose. A
leader three feet long, stained mud color, must be used, with small
hooks, Nos. 7 or 8, tied on gut snells. One of the best baits is a red
earthworm.
I think the hook can hardly be too small; Nos. 10 or 12 would probably
be more successful than larger ones, as the fish is apt to eject the
bait at once upon feeling the hook concealed in it. And this is
especially important if such baits as bread paste, hard-boiled potato,
or boiled grain are employed.
The carp has a peculiar mouth, and feeds much like the sucker. It draws
in mud and water and food together, strains the water through the gills,
expelling it by the gill-openings, and probably macerates the residue by
means of the tongue and the cushiony lining of the buccal cavity before
swallowing it. During this process of mouthing the bait the fish is
very likely to discover the hook, if large, and eject it.
When once hooked, the fish is not to be lightly esteemed. The angler
will have all he can attend to with a light rod in a weedy pond, or even
in clear water if the fish is of large size. As most other game-fishes
may in time disappear before the Asiatic carp, the analogue of the
Mongolian boxer, it may be well and prudent to learn some of the ways to
outwit him. In China and Japan the carp is considered before any other
fish for food, and is emblematic of strength, vigor, and other good
qualities. It is a custom in Japanese households, upon the birth of a
male child, to hoist a flag representing a carp, in order that he may
grow in strength and all manly attributes. In England the carp is not
much liked. On the continent of Europe it is considered a good
food-fish, but it is confined in clear running water to deprive it of
its earthy flavor before it is marketed or eaten. It is likewise kept
within proper bounds, although it has been cultivated for centuries. In
the United States, however, it has spread over the Mississippi Valley
and elsewhere from overflowed ponds until it bids fair to become a
nuisance, inasmuch as our waters seem to be particularly suited to it.
As there are so many better species of food-fishes in this country, both
in fresh and salt water, there was no excuse or necessity for its
introduction, which I consider as great a calamity as that of the
English sparrow or the Shanghai chicken, and adding a third foreign evil
that we will never be rid of.
I have experimented with carp fishing, but I think the results were
never twice alike. A great deal depends on the condition of the water.
In ponds that are kept constantly muddy by the rooting of the carp, it
is difficult for them to see the bait, and they must then depend on the
olfactory sense to find it. This may take a longer time than the
patience of the angler will admit. When the water is clear, as on a
stream, the carp is too apt to see the angler, and being naturally a shy
fish will not go near the bait under these circumstances. There is then
nothing to do but to fix the rod in the bank and lie down beside it, or
behind a bush or screen, until the moving of the float announces the
hooking of the fish. By using a small float, fine line, and very small
hooks, and a variety of baits, as earthworms, boiled grain or
vegetables, pastes of various kinds, and a good stock of patience, one
may eventually succeed in taking a few fish; but the game is hardly
worth the candle.
As the fish has its advocates, however, I add the following account of
angling for carp in England, where it has been acclimated for several
centuries. The directions given are abridged from Cornwall Simeon, a
writer on natural history and angling:--
"The tackle required will simply be a long rod, a reel containing not
less than fifty yards of fineish line, a fine but sound casting-line
nearly as long as the rod, hooks of about No. 9 size tied on gut to
match, and a small, unpretending float, besides a good lump of the crumb
of new bread, and a landing-net. Select a quiet, shallow part of the
pond, especially if the weather be hot, and near its edge stick a few
small bushes as a screen. Then plumb the depth of the water, and cover
the whole of your hook, leaving not the slightest part visible, with a
piece of bread kneaded into paste, and setting the float two or three
feet _farther from the bait_ than the depth of the water, throw it well
out, drawing in afterward all the slack of your line. You may then rest
your rod on a forked stick, and sitting down, smoke your pipe if you
like, and proceed to ground-bait the place by filliping in bread pills
all round your bait and pretty wide of it. The two great objects should
be not to alarm the carp and to get them to feed. They are very timid,
and if they once take fright at anything and leave a place in
consequence, it will generally be a good while before they will return
to it. For this reason I prefer not to throw in any ground-bait when
fishing for them until all my preparations are made and the actual bait
is in the water. When they begin to come to the bread, if the bottom is
at all muddy and the water not too deep, you will see lines of mud
stirred up by them as they come on, nuzzling in it like so many pigs.
You have then only to keep quiet and bide your time. The float will give
you sufficient warning when to strike, and you should only do so when
the carp is going well and steadily away with it. If your tackle is
sound, and you are not intoo great a hurry, you may make pretty sure of
landing him."