Carp Madness - Commercial Fishing Tournament 

Around 20 years ago, I was working with inland fisheries management. The guys told me the previous year, they did a huge carp kill (common carp, big ones) on a lake. A farmer said he'd take it for his field. Somebody had the idea to back up a big truck at the public boat launch, and run all the carp through a wood chipper. They said no one ever saw so much blood. Bees everywhere. The water turned red. It was August and very hot. People were throwing up. They said you could smell it from far away. Even better, the launch was right next to the public swimming beach. The truck was of course not watertight, and there was a blood stain on the roads all the way from the lake to the farm. I wish they'd do that again.

It’s truly hard to believe how far we still have to go to bring back Kentucky Lake to the status it deserves to rise up to...

Good work! Gov. should just go on doing this every day. Paying this fishermen to get as much of this carps out as possible. This will still cost less than the damage this fish do and will do if nothing radical is done. Even if there is millions of pounds in a lake, if one boat can catch 10'000 pounds a day..do the math..this is gona reduce them quickly!

Glad to hear Kentucky is an *innovator* at something! You rock! Stop viewing Asian carp as a pestilence & view them as a RESOURCE for making $$$$ -- fertilizer, pet food, people food and EMPLOYMENT!

5:59 "that feel goooood"

Cool and very worthwhile project! Last time fished at KY lake there was a drought and my favorite fishing hole was dried up! You guys and gals ROCK! I do realize this video is dated but it is good to see where this all started.

We wish we can have carp madness...we would have camped fished, fried, boiled , dried, fermented,curried each fish have a good time and made money too...jeez America is a land of excess... God really blessed you people😀

This should be a yearly competition at every lake America has. Carp Madness 2021 I can't wait to watch!!

i commercial fished in alaska, and we were lucky to get this many fish with a 40 ft boat and a 150 fathom net

5:57 - 5:59 Thank You for the great interview!

Thanks to all the commercial fishermen who worked so hard to make this successful.

These tournaments should be held every weekend,great job guys. Let’s create a profitable market.

Problem solved in one two three 1) human food, 2) pet food, and 3) plant food.

Kudos to Kentucky for taking a proactive approach to this invasive species! I hope that Indiana follows suit.

Invasive carp were originally imported from Southeast Asia to the southern United States to help aquaculture and wastewater treatment facilities keep retention ponds clean. Flooding and accidental releases allowed these fish to escape into the Mississippi River system and migrate into the Missouri and Illinois rivers. The Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois rivers are all connected and therefore fish swim freely between them. The Illinois River is also connected to the Great Lakes by a manmade connection, known as the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. 1963: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service imports grass carp from Eastern Asia to Arkansas for federal research on controlling aquatic vegetation in aquaculture ponds. 1966: First believed escape of invasive carp into U.S. waters, in Arkansas. 1970: State of Arkansas begins stocking grass carp in weed-choked waters throughout the state. 1972: Bighead carp are first brought into the US by a fish farmer in Arkansas to improve water quality and fish production in aquaculture. 1973: Silver carp are introduced into the US for phytoplankton control in culture ponds and as fish food. 1973: An Arkansas fish farmer who ordered grass carp unintentionally receives the nation’s first shipment of black carp. 1974: The Arkansas Fish and Game Commission report extensive stocking in more than 100 public or semi-public lakes with over 50,000 acres stocked with more than 380,000 grass carp. 1976: Silver carp, stocked in sewage ponds, escape into wild during flood. 1976: First wild sighting of invasive carp in Arkansas. 1980: The first report of silver carp swimming in the wild. 1981: The first record of a Bighead carp caught in natural waters when an individual was caught on the Ohio River below Smithland Dam, Kentucky. 1982: Carp considered “established” in the wild in Arkansas.

Low man on the totem pole? WTH? I'm just a chick from Vegas and even I know commercial fishermen are the backbone of the fishing industry. Bravo to all who participated and who are helping get rid of Asian carp! God bless! 💘

Amazing work by ALL fishermen. I wish they all got some money back for all their backbreaking work.

West Tennessee's fishing legend, our boy Steve Caksackkar!! 3:06

Back in the early 90's I remember seeing so many carp at a Lake Mead dock that it looked like you could walk on them like wet solid ground. I can easily see how they have become a huge problem today. This is a great solution. More tournaments! Put a bounty on them per fish and help many people earn a living from it.

These fishes are a huge blessing far more than a problem.

Great job guys thanks for all the hard work that was put into this event. Every little bit helps.

Heh, as a sportsfisherman, we have all sorts of quotas, etc. So we can't destroy a fishery. With commercial fishermen on the job, I see no problems with them getting in there and just gathering tons and tons of fish = profit and bringing that population down to nothing or at least a steady state in no time. I also see a bigger market for the fish themselves -- those fillets look pretty darn delicious.

Several years ago I was working in the telephone business. Every morning and evening we would all gather in the "gang room". Carp fishing would occasionally come up. One of the men had caught some good sized carp over the weekend. He came in on Monday with several containers of smoked fish and told everyone to help themselves. Come evening there was a goodly amount of talk about how good the fish was. Finally several guys asked him what kind of fish it was. He said first please tell me your if it was good or not. Of those who had tried it most thought it was. That's when he told it was Carp. The honest guys were surprised. Personally, I thought it was better than smoked salmon. Of course it can be fried same as most fish. I hope the folks can establish a carp for food business. If so everyone will profit.

Thanks for putting the effort in guys, high five to Ron for putting this all together. i would dread the day i catch or see one of those up near Niagara. thank you for this video, and im sure much more has been done since. just takes one pioneer. Fish on!

I kept a silver carp that jumped in our boat one day while working on the West Fork White River in Indiana (they're a huge problem in Indiana as well), brought it home, cleaned it, and grilled it. It's VERY good meat, but kind of a pain to cut the bones out of. I just left the bones in, and after the meat was cooked it was very easy to pick off the bones. I agree with a lot of the other people saying they should take these fish and grind them up to turn them into fertilizer, fish food, or something like that!

Very informative video. In Australia our problem is European carp. Bought in many years ago by Europeans I believe. Our ones are bottom dwellers and stir up the bottom mud and in some areas have starved the water of Oxygen, making the water useless. By the way, people from Europe say the meat tastes great. Aussies say it taste like SHoneT. Mushy. Yuk!!

Thank ALL of you for these efforts! GOD Bless

Strangely I feel giddy and happy and I haven’t been drinking. Yippeee!!! I’m so happy for the fisherman. Food and fertilizer. What do they eat that make them grow so big? AMEN HALLELUJAH THANK YOU JESUS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROVISIONS.

I'm a fisherman from Michigan. I am dreading what these things are gonna do to the great lakes. The great lakes coastline is larger then the east coast and west coast of the US combined. We're gonna have a serious from these fish in a few years. Fishing is a way of life for me. I'm gonna have to relocate to another state.

There has got to be a commercial market for these fish. I doubt if a fresh fish market would absorb enough fish to make a difference, but the pet food industry, fertilizer industry and manufacturers of protein meal for livestock feed should be able to absorb a whole lot of fish.

40 ton in 2 days! Man that's a lot of carp. Kudos to the fishermen!

Interesting video. Learned a lot. Great tournament. Good to eat. Never knew that. Congratulations to the winners.

(KFC) Kentucky fried carp

Someone needs to build a cannery there now!, how frickin funny would it be if Asian carp from KY helped to buy back some of that US debt the Chinese bought.

Here in South Florida, invasive freshwater fish species that can have tasty fillet are Mayan cichlid, which I've caught on rod and reel with bread balls, as well as Oscar and Guapote. The FWC had their way of keeping these invasive cichlid under control while also giving a good freshwater sport fish to local South Florida anglers, like myself. They introduced Peacock Bass in the canals of South Florida in the 80s. A commercial fishery on Mayan Cichlids and invasive cichlids with good fillet, similar to these carp tournaments can be a great idea here.

Good ol country boys out there working hard and trying to help our natural ecosystem

Nice full length video, very informative. Andysfishing

That's an amazing number of carp being caught there. In the UK fishermen will pay hundreds of £'s and camp out on the lake bank for 3 or 4 days at a time to catch 1 or 2 carp.

Thank God for these Men!

The States need to do more of these "Tournaments".

If Asian Carp can survive in climates that see hot weather as well as snow then it would be the perfect fish to raise in African countries. Low maintenance, grows fast, and multiplies quickly. They are invasive in the US but other countries could use them.

Just send those carps here in south east asia. We gonna pay top dollars for that big heads.

the best idea since sliced bread!! this seems like a win,win situation for everybody!! thanks for producing one of my favorite shows on tv! and im from ohio!!

Here in Washington state I fish 5 months each year for Northern pike Minnow (squa fish). I recieve an 8 $ bounty for each fish over 9 in.long , paid from a little known division of our fearless government called "the BPA"

" We're gonna need a bigger boat". Good job guys.

Lmao they let that Mexican guy say few words then cut it off lmao “Da feee guud” lmfao

Now we need a foodtruck festival with this carp. Who comes up with the best recipe. Fish & chips Carp chouder, what ever

I just found your channel by this video. Subscribed!

If they taste good eat em'. I know the market wont like it as it will drive down the price of other fish but it'll give the other species a rest from commercial fishing and time to flourish while making a huge dent in the asian carp population. Plus why waste good meat on fertilizer and fishmeal?

Imagine if McDonalds started using them for Filet'o'Fish. lol

Way to go Kentucky on that carp madness! And seeing these fish being harvested, only makes me want to get one, just to see how they taste! Maybe asian carp can be the new slamon! And like the guy below me says, you got enough fish there to help feed a bunch of hungry people someplace!

Great Work! Awesome Video! Deadliest Catch meets Bottom Feeders Commercial Ice Fishing

Hell yeah... Pay these guy's well to get rid of em all.. PLEASE.. Them damn fish need to be dealt with..

The two dudes who came in with the first boat load need their own reality TV show ASAP!

There's a lot of ways you can prepare the Asian Carp we make sardines and we dry them in the sun for 48 hrs seasoned with salt .then fried them taste like Michelin star restaurants. Just regular stuff you do with a regular fish fry ,stew

I think that a good way to start getting a head start on these fish would be if the states and feds would get together and agree to not tax any proceeds that these commercial fishermen gain from exotic invasives and their removal. If we, as a people, can make it appealing to get rid of these pests, them more people would join the fight.

Howd it feel when you took your first bong hit? Me: 5:58

Very informative and inspiring. I may become a fisherman when i grow up

Awesome Well done Great stuff Great catch Great video That's looks like fun That's awesome Love ya work

As a kid in Minnesota, I lived on a lake. There were six other lakes within walking distance of the lake I lived on. If I caught a carp or even a catfish I would either leave it on the shore or take it home an fertilize the garden with it. When I was about 35 years old I tried catfish. I love catfish now and it is one of my favorites to catch. I would be more than willing to try and eat a carp. But I would want a professional such as the chef from Louisiana to prepare it for me. If my first experience is good I could be a regular!

They should sell the Carp to the Chinese restaurants. They love eating carp...

If they jump all over as u drive the boat , why not have a net that floats on top of the water . Then u can drive up and down the net and as they jump up or jump on top of the net. Just an idea...

I'd eat them fish three times a week. I heard they are hard to clean but from what I saw in another documentary it's not to bad even at a commercial plant. The plant had to be set up for Asian Carp but it was going fast. They used all the inedible parts to make organic fertilizer. The were making good money.

thanks for sharing the story, loved it

wow 40 tons in 2 days, looks like 99.9 percent of fish are still out there

This is crazy, i keep hearing about no food for farmed fish? Cant this be food for them?

I used to use fresh corn kernels to catch carp. My mom used to eat smoked carp in Minnesota...

enjoy all of your videos

22:30 WOW Even Burgess Meredith was there!

Just found this clip from 6 years ago. Is any other state repeating this tournament? Has Kentucky done this every year since?

I bow fish and eat jar and bighead they aren’t bad , love shooting them it’s so much fun plus I get a little time with my bow. Nice to see others taking them out. If everyone tried them they would be on the menu in most restaurants.

"It feel goood"! LMFAO! I kept watching it over and over again!

I always understood that the problem with Carp is they are muddy Fish? Before you can et them they have to be held in ponds of fresh water for a few days to get rid of the muddy taste which normal fisher men are not prepared to do. If you go to Asia they buy them still alive and keep them in fresh water until ready

They can end hunger, send them to Africa.

We did the same with trout in a water with a small river to get population down by setting nets across the water and river and scare fish into the nets by runing beside river banks on foot with sticks we slapped on the river, so there would be more food for the fish so the fish could become bigger cause they had only stayed at around 10 inches max for a long time cause not enough food, and within 5 years they started growing when we did this each year.

Hands Free Fishing... I LOVE that dude haha good on you man

some asian markets , bighead goes for about six dollars a pound.

All that comes to mind is "Merica"

No Asian carp where I live, but I wouldn’t mind trying it. Great video.

Big Headed Carp known as Head Carp is a source of fish oil for industrial use in paints and lubricants because fish oil will allow paints and lubricants to penetrate right through the hard solid grey iron oxide rust also and not just through the reddish hard to remove rust after you use a steel brush to brush away all loose flaky reddish colored rust.

5:58 LOL!

Do this twice a week till they're all gone!

Great video, very informative

5:58 That feel goood. Way to go Jose!..

"Dat feel good"... Lmfao omg I'm dying laughing 😂 5:57

Turn them into a blessing. Make fish cake and make them food for schools, prisons, homeless people,,,, until people develop a taste for it. Then you wont be able to get enough of them... not even for cat food... Kentucky did it with chicken, they should do it with their fish too..

They say they are really good to eat. Luke from the Catfish and Carp RU-vid channel, and the Catfish Dude Steve Douglas have a video fishing for them below a dam in Kentucky. They caught them on like 8" spoons. Their rods bent damn near in two. They caught a bunch , had fun and cleaned them. Everyone seems to love the meat. Growing up we always thought all carp were trash fish full of mud and mushy meat. Maybe we were wrong.

Seems that now, in 2019, that most of the asian carps are being exported to asia, mostly to china and thailand. Yet, it could be processed as a food resource here in the states if folks would stop with the prejudices and try it. I can see a potential market of canned smoked asian carp.

3:04 Steve Caksackkar...what a lastname lmao

That feel goooooood

Holy Carp! That's alot of fish. Great vid

Very good job God bless you all

Dec. 2019 If memory serves, Kentucky also has a no-nonsense kill rule for its wild pork invasion.

catch all of them and send to us in Philippines, i think this was better than tilapia and it will be a business for all of you there, we will buy them in cheap price. we eat tones of fish every week. make sure you freeze them to preserve freshness, we are out of fish cause of restrictions in West Philippine sea by China. the bigger fish the better.

Great video I live in Oklahoma and I have learned a lot from this

Football & Basketball turned the cheapest part of the chicken "the wings" into the most exspensive . The right marketing could put carp on menus all across America and the world . It's been proven a million times Americans will buy anything . Carp tacos, B-B-Q'd Carp , Carp on a bun, Carp tossed salad, Carp jerky , Carp in a can , Carp burgers , Larry the cable guys Carp dinner in a box , Carp McNuggets , Just open a commercial cannery in the middle of the problem and create jobs . Once they start putting em in cans the can sell em and ship em anywhere .

What about turning them into some kind of fertilizer?

What did they do with the fish they caught? I hope they can keep them down, but they're here to stay. I hope they can alleviate hunger somewhere. I have targeted Kentucky spotted bass.Most people consider them a nuisance fish, and there is no size limit or number limit on them in many places. They're easy to catch and great eating.

awesome episode! They are a huge problem.

This is a great idea to get the commercial fishermen to fish these carp and for there to be an industry where they can sell their catch