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Sittingbourne Angling Club

Carp

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Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Description: The Carp was introduced into the United Kingdom by the Romans and is now common in slow rivers, lakes and canals. They feed on bottom living invertebrates and plant materials. The Carp have a deep body with a long dorsal fin and a pair of barbules. All carp and related fish possess a toothless mouth and have pharyngeal teeth at the beginning of the gullet to make grinding food into more digestible sized pieces easier.
They usually spawn in reed beds around May and June and lay hundreds of thousands of tiny eggs. Over the years, many different varieties of carp have bred since they were originally introduced to the United Kingdom. The original wild carp have become more rare than the newer crossbred variety. The different varieties of carp found in the United Kingdom waters include:- The Common Carp: these are dark bronze and fully scaled. The Mirror Carp: these have large irregular shaped scales. Linear Mirror Carp: these have scales present only in lateral lines. Ghost Carp: these are a white version of the common or mirror Carp. Koi Carp: these are an ornamental fish that comes in a variety of combinations of colour, usually red, orange, black and white.

Tip: Look for natural cover such as overhanging trees or lilies and target the margins. Always look for visible signs of fish moving around. Usually bubbles or silt rising as the carp disturb the bottom whilst routing for food will be the most obvious signs.

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