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AUGUST 19, 2010
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07-22-2010 Over 200 Attend Carp Rodeo
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Over 200 Attend Carp Rodeo
By Dave Maxwell
Over 200 people attended the first Carp Roundup held July 17 at the upper lake of the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. Manager Chivia Horton said she was surprised, but very pleased. “I didn’t expect to see so many come to participate. We wanted people to also learn about the value of our native fish species.”
However, even though the day was a success in the number of people who turned out, the carp were not biting, and Horton said only three carp were caught that were reported. Others may have been taken, but were not reported to the information booth, she thought.
In some oriental cultures, carp is considered a delicacy, and there were a number of oriental families at the roundup.
Chum had been put into the lake in the morning to encourage the carp to feed, Horton said, but they were just not biting. “I don’t know why the carp were not active, they are certainly in there. We caught tons of catfish.”
Horton said she decided to have the carp roundup because, “The resource speaks for itself. Historically, the valley and the refuge had a lot of carp. They are not native species. You just let the mission statement of the agency tell you what to do. We are here to protect and conserve native plants and animals.”
She added, “We have a lot of non-native species in the valley, and in order to give our native fish a chance, we want to try to prevent our non-native species from propagating. Carp is like the worst weed in your yard. They can reproduce at astounding numbers, and they just basically change the whole habitat. So, from clear waters to mucky waters, that is not favorable for just about any other type of species that needs the water out there, or needs that habitat.”
She said even though Upper Pahranagat was drained dry as a bone for about two years, carp are all through the water system in Pahranagat Valley, so when the lake was filled, the carp came back.
Since their introduction into Nevada, the species have spread throughout the state. As bottom feeders, carp stir up materials in search of vegetative roots and insect larvae, making the water muddy. This disrupts the calm, clear environment that native fish need to reproduce and thrive. Carp can grow to an enormous size, rapidly consuming the natural lake vegetation and destroying habitat. The Nevada state-record carp weighed 34 pounds 10 ounces, and measured 38 inches in length. The largest known carp was caught this past January in France, and weighed 94 pounds.
During the Roundup event, Refuge personnel provided information about native and non-native fish species in the Pahranagat Valley. NDOW representatives gave out free rods and reels to those who did not bring or have their own. They also offered clinics on casting, baiting, knot tying, lure selection, and fish handling, and in some cases, even baited the hook the first time. Anglers were asked to use steel sinkers instead of lead, since lead is toxic to fish.
State fishing regulations were in force. Those aged 12 and over had to have a Nevada fishing license. A one-day license costs $9. An annual fishing license costs $13 for persons 12 through 15 years of age and $29 for persons 16 years of age or older.
“It was great to see families out here for the Carp Rodeo,” said Chivia Horton, manager of the Pahranagat NWR. “While we need help ridding our waters of carp, we also want more people to experience the wonders of this wildlife refuge.”
Other organizations supporting the event were the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership, the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association, Friends of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and the Audubon Society, each of which had either a manned or unmanned display booth.
Angelina Yost, of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, brought up a free bus tour of about 40 people from Las Vegas. The brand new bus was contracted from Ryan Express in Vegas.
“We wanted to give people the opportunity from Las Vegas to come to the Pahranagat Valley,” she said. “A lot of them are not sure where it is or they don’t want to spend to spend their own resources to get up here, and we wanted to encourage as many people to come to this event as possible. If they wanted the convenience of not having to drive, it made it easy for people to say to their friends, ‘Yes, I’ll join you if this is an organized event,’ instead of people just coming up on their own and they are not really sure whether they would come or not.”
Yost said the bus was provided as part of the Fish and Wildlife Services’ “Get Outdoors Nevada.” Money came from a SNPLMA fund, to provide transportation to get people to educational events. The transportation issue she said is something they do not want to see be “one of the cost prohibitive reasons why people don’t come and visit our refuges, or any of our federal lands. The money makes it easier for people to come and visit the area.”
Lunch was provided after people concluded their fishing at 12:30, with hot dogs, veggie burgers, and black bean salad.
Holly Hutchings of Las Vegas, came up with her two sons, her sister-in-law and her two girls. “My sister-in-law invited me,” she said. “We decided to take the bus and come for something to do.”
Matt Cawley of Las Vegas drove up with his two sons. He heard about it from his brother, he said. “The kids love to fish. We haven’t been to Pahranagat Lake yet, so we wanted to come up here and fish them out. Carp are fun, they fight real well, the kids love ‘em. Better come up to Pahranagat and fish for carp to help them get rid of these things.”
Not everyone was fishing for carp. Some fishermen and families went to other parts of the lake and fished for bass and other native species.
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