I wish I could say some really great things about the status of Carp fishing in my home state.  While we do have excellent waters in which to fish, the prejudices against Carp fishing have created a regulatory climate where the two most effective tools the Carper has, namely sweet corn and ground baiting are expressly forbidden by law.  Unfortunately, we Carp fishermen are looked down upon not only by other anglers, but by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) as well.  These prejudices go further however to all bait fishing and bait fishermen in general.

The perception at the DWR is that 90% of all fish caught with bait and then released will die.  They even site a study claiming to prove this (though it involved only the extremely rare (in Utah) Muskellunge, using a only a single rigging technique).  As a consequence, each year the rules become more and more restrictive against bait fishermen.  Any of us that have fished for either Carp or Catfish, can tell you that 95% of the time our fish are caught in the corner of the mouth, doing far less damage than the lure fisherman using multiple treble hooks.  

I think any European or UK Carp angler could site dozens of fish they have caught repeatedly and released safely each time to prove this study wrong.  Fishes such as the famous Basil and Mary in the UK having been caught dozens of times by dozens of anglers also show these beliefs to be nonsense.  The mere fact these fish can be named and are identifiable is prove this is untrue.

Currently in Utah it is illegal to use corn or hominy in any form as bait.  Bans are also in place against using any live fish as bait, and restrictions are being put in place this year to limit the size of cut-bait anglers can use on numerous waters of the state.  Even the mere possession of these contraband substances will be cause for a citation and possible loss of one's fishing privileges.

This paranoia of corn stems from the late 60's and very early 70's when corn was commonly used as a bait for Rainbow Trout.  Many fisherman of the era, thinking if a little was good, a lot would be better, began to chum (groundbait) with whole dry kernel corn.  Often this was a fifty or hundred pound sack of feed corn tossed over the side of their boat.  The DWR held a common misconception of the time that the consumption of dried corn would kill trout.  This was later proven in laboratory tests by the Pennsylvania Division of Boating and Fisheries to be absolutely false.  

Anyway, since chumming was seen as un-sportsmanlike conduct, a total ban on fishing with corn for all species of fish ("A pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure") has been kept on the books for over 30 years with no scientific reasoning behind it.  To this day the DWR is afraid someone might be tempted to chum with dry corn again.  As fisheries director Tom Pettengill put it in a recent email to me: "We just don't want to go there".

As I said, this ban also extends to chumming or groundbaiting.  I've had no one give me any credible scientific evidence as to why groundbaiting should not be allowed (especially on selected waters) but, the Utah DWR maintains its ban against chumming just the same.  It is interesting to note, while chumming is considered un-sportsmanlike, bow fishing and spear fishing are not.  Go figure!

It is my feeling these are simply cultural prejudices held by the majority of anglers in a state where the Rainbow Trout is king and fishing by any method other than fly fishing on a stream or trolling on a lake will brand one as a "trailer house white trash bait fisherman".

I can report a tiny glimmer of hope however, this past year the State DWR has begun to allow chumming with anchovies while fishing for Striped Bass on Lake Powell.  It is my sincere hope this new regulation (2001) will open the door for a look at relaxing the corn and chumming restrictions on selected warm-water fisheries in the future.  

By the way, the relaxation of chumming regulations was only put in place on Lake Powell after the Striped Bass became so overpopulated, they were beginning to starve to death.  It is this author's humble opinion that if the use of live bait had been allowed (the most effective method of Striper fishing) and had the state early on encouraged the taking of Stripers from the water, this crash could have been avoided.

My intent is to once again petition the DWR to ease the restrictions on use the use of corn and groundbaiting while fishing for Carp.  This time however, I intend to identify specific waters where no trout or other salmonidae species are present and I'll ask for a lifting of the restrictions solely on the selected waters.

Currently, I am looking at:

Stewart's Lake in Uintah County - As far as I know, carp and suckers are the only species of fish in this shallow, weed filled lake.

Starvation Reservoir in Duchesne County - The current state catch and release record Carp 33 1/4 inches was caught here in 2000

I am sure there are a multitude of other suitable waters, but I am familiar with these three.  If you are aware of other waters in the state fulfilling the requirements (no trout, warm-water, good population of carp), please let me know as soon as possible.  I would like to draft this proposal and get as many Utah fishermen to sign on to it by July 1 of 2002. 

My desire in all of this is to promote Carp fishing as a viable alternative fish for the masses of fishermen that can't get away every weekend to the "Blue Ribbon Waters".  Opportunities to fish for the more "glamorous" species continues to become more expensive and inaccessible for the average angler as well as the DWR.  The DWR recently reduced the Trout limit to 4 fish statewide because of the cost of maintaining viable populations in the more popular fisheries.

Carp do just fine on their own.  They need virtually no management or stocking by the Division to provide great fishing for the hundreds of thousands of anglers in this state.  And they thrive in waters other fish are incapable of surviving in.

I have no delusions that suddenly because of this web site, thousands of Utah fishermen are going to begin intentionally fishing for Carp, however if I can make it easier for the few that will begin carp fishing, I can ask for no more.