We have a community lake that is overrun with grass and common carp. We did a lake survey a couple of weeks ago and estimated that we have 22,000 lbs of carp in the lake (about 150 acres). They have eaten up all vegetation and continue to eat spawning nests. We are looking for carp fishers to come take as many as possible out of the lake.

Taylor Lake is about 20 miles SE of Livingston, 20 mile NE of Cleveland. We may sponsor a rodeo or something to get interest up. I am looking for ideas to entice people to come help us with our problem. Normally, we only allow residents to fish in the lake. But for this, we would make an exception.

Please respond with ideas and I will get back to you.

Thanks,
Damian
President HOA

That's quite a ways South! Grass Carp are the ones eating your vegetation and can be a real problem if overstocked, and are considered invasive. Common Carp are considered naturalized here in Texas, much like European Honeybees or Brown Trout. They don't do any real damage to a lake and can actually increase the average size of bass! If you're really wanting to protect the eggs, Bluegill and other Sunfish species are your prime egg-eaters, although every fish likes to eat other fish's eggs.

Catching these fish on rod and reel can be very effective, and you can catch them both using the same methods or adjust slightly to get significantly more grass carp. I'll post this to our club pages to gauge interest. I will say however that if you really want to rid yourself of these fish, I'd suggest netting the lake. Even then it will likely only stave them off for a short while.

Triploid Grass Carp (the kind that you stock) can't breed. Another option would be just to wait it out they'll all die off. Your vegetation will return shortly after

Netting is best option call around see who�s a commercial fisherman in your area. Or option two have a bow fishing tournament So to speak ! Both spices of carp have their down sides when over populating small areas!! Also not all grass carp are sterile . Yes they do breed in the wild. Good luck!! And please keep us posted!!