Grass Carp Fishing Guide

The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a massive herbivorous fish native to large rivers of China and eastern Russia, introduced to the United States in the 1960s and now established across much of the country as a result of escapes and intentional stocking for aquatic weed control. It is one of the world's largest cyprinids, capable of exceeding 100 pounds, though most stocked fish encountered by anglers are 20–50 pounds. Grass carp are extraordinarily efficient aquatic plant consumers — a large individual can eat vegetation equal to its own body weight daily — but this efficiency makes them ecologically disruptive when they escape weed-control ponds, stripping lakes of vegetation and destroying waterfowl and fish habitat. Certified sterile triploid grass carp are now the only legal form for stocking in most US states. They are difficult to catch on conventional tackle because they are largely vegetarian, cautious, and easily spooked, but dedicated anglers target them with floating bread, cherry tomatoes, and grass flies.

Grass Carp is a freshwater species.

Habitat

Grass carp tolerate a wide range of conditions but thrive in warm, productive lakes, ponds, rivers, and reservoirs with abundant aquatic vegetation. Native to large turbid rivers in Asia, they have colonized diverse habitats in North America following escapes from aquaculture facilities. They are commonly found in the backwaters of large rivers throughout the central and southern US.

Diet

Grass carp are almost exclusively herbivorous, feeding on aquatic macrophytes, submerged grasses, algae, and emergent vegetation. They will occasionally consume invertebrates or terrestrial plant material but plant matter overwhelmingly dominates the diet at all life stages.

Fishing Techniques

Best Seasons

Summer, Spring

Size & Records

Average weight: 20 lbs. World record: 87.1 lbs (Santee Cooper Reservoir, South Carolina, USA (2012)).