Mitchell Reel Forum

Do any of you fish for Carp?
I observe these monsters feeding, in the sallows,but never see anyone catching them.
Once in 1958 I caught one 12 inches at Lock Haven, Pa.
I know they get a bad rap, however I think they keep the waters balanced.
How would a 300 hold up catching one?
I strictly am a Channel Cat Guy.
Plus mountain Trout.
My fish get placed back after I thank them.
This is the only spot I could place this.

There are quite a few anglers in the UK who regularly fish with Mitchell 300's for carp without any issues at all .

Back in 1953 the British record for Carp was broken by an angler using a half bail Mitchell (pre 300) , that fished weighed 44lbs

John

I have posted this story before, so some may need to forgive me. Back in either 1979 or 80, I caught a 32 inch long Carp in the Trent River near Trenton Ontario. The fish hit my No. 3 Mepps & worm while I was fishing from a boat with a Mitchell 308 wound with 4 pound test line.

It took about an hour to bring it to net. We were fishing for Walleye. So yes, a 300 will handle Carp.

G.Glen Simpson, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

These fish here are what you would call a Monster, some look like giant gold fish, apparently they also top feed,they break water alot. Looks like they travel in pairs.
From what I have seen not very agressive.
Not interested in catching just facinated.
I know Sportex makes a Carp Rod.
Germany has slot of receipts how to prepare them.
On a funny note in Air Force that is what we referred to as an Officer.

Hi All,
As a UK angler in the early 1970s to three years ago, I used three Sportex rods with three Mitchell 300 reels, I never really had a issue with the set up catching big carp until three years ago the sportex rods were bending double and it was hard to control double figure carp, I changed over to 400 Roller bearing reels, several reasons' a faster retrieve, silent anti reverse and the longer handle, this helped with the carp fishing but I finally gave up for three modern rods and reels, I still use a a 1969 Robin Harris match rod with a Mitchell match for float fishing , which is still good after 50 years, some people use a half bail a lovely reel but not for me for fishing with now, we are all different what suits one does not someone else, use what makes you smile and enjoy fishing with, that's what matters, tight lines Allan

Proper fish first pike... Esox Lucius

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ecst1dLhqTAtBqbf7

And carp
410's Terry Eustace carp rods optonics

https://photos.app.goo.gl/unokgeKLeSLFbqKTA

We have a tiny town here in Michigan called Omer. The yearly sucker run has guys fishing with huge nets (12'x12' and bigger) that are suspended on the bank of the Rifle River that runs through town. They drop it them and crank it up every few minutes to catch em'. We also fish by rod/reel. The river is almost shoulder to shoulder on weekends during the yearly run. Just ended about a week ago for this year, was early due to the warm weather.

JeepJeff wrote: ↑Mon Apr 10, 2023 10:29 pm We have a tiny town here in Michigan called Omer. The yearly sucker run has guys fishing with huge nets (12'x12' and bigger) that are suspended on the bank of the Rifle River that runs through town. They drop it them and crank it up every few minutes to catch em'. We also fish by rod/reel. The river is almost shoulder to shoulder on weekends during the yearly run. Just ended about a week ago for this year, was early due to the warm weather.

JeffJeff,
What do they do with those carp?

Ted Lanham

Ted,
Carp and Suckers are two different species. The mouth is on the bottom of the head on a sucker, and the mouth is on the front on a carp.
As to what those Michiganders are doing with those suckers, I haven’t a clue. I have Native American, and Hmong friends that make fish head soup out of them, but, other than that, nobody I know eats or otherwise uses them.
I’ve had both versions of the soup. I like fish more than most people I know, and I don’t need to have anymore fish head soup ever again.

Ted

JeepJeff,
In the spring the suckers run up the rivers to spawn same as the smelt. Back in the day I spent many a spring evening dipping for smelt and catching suckers. Both species are lake run meaning that they live in the great lakes (Lake Huron) all year and run up the rivers in the spring.
As for smelt we always cleaned them, dipped them in breading and deep fried em. The suckers are generally smoked and eaten that way but I never cared for smoked suckers as much as smoked lake trout or whitefish.
Kind Regards,
Bill

Smoked whitefish is the bomb. I’ve spent a lot of time around Lake Superior, and eaten a bunch of lake trout, smelt, and whitefish.

Never seen smoked sucker for sale. A coworker smokes buffalo fish, and then turns it into a spread for crackers, but, only the real fish eaters have anything to do with it. Strong fish taste and aroma. I’m told carp taken from cold water smoke well, but, always buy something I know I like, such as whitefish.

Ted

To All,
I know not why, but I typed carp instead of suckers . Anyway, I have caught both near where I live, but never used suckers for anything but bait for muskies since I prefer to eat all bass, crappie, trout, bluegill. I have never eaten musky, but I have been told they are OK.
Unfortunately, can't eat much of anything now due mercury levels.

Regards,
Ted Lanham

Musky, the smaller ones, anyway, eat just fine. Like a northern, they are full of Y bones, but, skilled cleaning can remove those. Google “Silver Satin pickled fish” for a solution to bony Northerns, as well as Muskies.

The key to dodging the mercury is eating smaller fish. Big fish have lived longer, and accumulate more, especially apex predator fish, walleyes, northern, musky, etc.

Ted

I grew up in Western NY, on Chautauqua lake. A very nice man that I use to fish northern pike with gave me the following recipe for cooking carp.

After cleaning and descaling the carp, place it on a nice piece of cedar wood plank. Grille it for 10-12 minutes on each side. When the meat of the fish is nicely cooked, throw it back into the river and eat the plank!

That story has stuck with me for 45+ years. I can still hear voice.

GreatLaker wrote: ↑Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:38 am JeepJeff,
In the spring the suckers run up the rivers to spawn same as the smelt. Back in the day I spent many a spring evening dipping for smelt and catching suckers. Both species are lake run meaning that they live in the great lakes (Lake Huron) all year and run up the rivers in the spring.
As for smelt we always cleaned them, dipped them in breading and deep fried em. The suckers are generally smoked and eaten that way but I never cared for smoked suckers as much as smoked lake trout or whitefish.
Kind Regards,
Bill

You clean the smelt? We used to simply cut the head off with scissors (or bite them off) fry them up and eat away. Bread and butter was a staple when "dippin." Some nights the smelt dipping was so good we'd fill a 5gal bucket in a couple "dips" but other nights, most often, we'd get skunked. Singing bridge was our hot spot back in the 70s and 80s. I still got two 8' dippin nets (all metal). Also night fished for smelt in a shanty on frozen Higgins Lake. That was a party with all the shanty hopping.

We used a scissors to cut from the bung up to the head, then cut right behind the head from the top down, about 3/4s of the way, then pulled the head down and the gut sack out. I always used an old toothbrush to remove the bloodline that ran against the spine, which makes the little guys taste even better. Deep fried in batter, or breading, or, naked, there isn’t a wrong way to fry fresh smelt.
We would dip near the rivers on Lake Superior, and when the smelt were running it was a party atmosphere. Some years were better than others, but, I don’t believe we ever got skunked.
I have a lot of hours of my life into cleaning, cooking and eating smelt. A good thing.

Ted