I confirmed with TPW, that this is not legal:

"Unlawful to leave edible fish taken from public waters of the state to die without the intent to retain the fish for consumption or bait" (page 33 of the 2013-2014 Outdoor Annual), and this explicitly includes all gar species, common carp, and buffalo (page 37).

I would not say extinct, but from what I have read common carp do not benefit our native fish.

Yes extinct they are not original ya native fish they do nothing to improve a fishery

re: Carp: They taste GREAT when prepared properly, give anglers a chance at catching the biggest fish of their life, have impressive runs, take a variety of baits, etc. Extinct? To each their own....

Yea you wrap em in banana leaf lay em on a wood shingle smoke em then throw the carp away and eat the shingle.No I have tried grilled carp and taste wasn't bad but all those little bones. If you want that kind of fish eat buffalo. Carp are a fish the lakes don't need. So by all means eat more carp. Millions of them

They are a blast to catch no argument. Can you post a recipe?

There are hundreds of bow-shot carp, buffs, longnose & spotted gar carcasses
littering the old dam at Lewisville by the end of april every year in the past,
Don't see why this spring would be any different.

maybe I'll post a few pics of it this year..........

I swore I would not comment on your BS threads again, but I just can't resist.

A very large majority of people in the US do NOT consider gar (except alligator gar) and carp (any species) an edible fish.

Read the last part of that sentence. "any fish that is edible OR CAN BE USED AS BAIT"

TP&W does NOT consider carp or gar* an edible fish. They are considered a bait fish!

And Yes, I have read the pamphlet on the TP&W site regarding carp as edible. It is old and written by a European and does NOT say any where that TP&W considers them as edible!

All that said, I do NOT condone dumping fish either at boat ramps or on the side of the road! I / we have turned people in for that several times. (It IS illegal to return dead fish that can be used as bait to the water). Many people use them as fertilizer, turtle food and Coyote / Hog bait and that is legal.

I have seen state park employees dig a large hole for fish disposal at bow fishing tournaments! The local game warden was watching them and was there at weigh in! He said absolutely NOTHING!!!

Most bow fishermen I know leave the carp fishermen alone. We swing away when we see you on the bank and give you plenty of room to enjoy your sport. Isn't it about time some of you sow the same respect for bow fishermen? If you have a specific complaint against a specific individual, then by all means call the Game Warden!!! If not then let us enjoy our sport!

My last post on this subject.

Every lake that has healthy populations of carp and gar has someone shooting them and leaving them. The sad thing is they shoot bass also

Too many recipes to list! lol.. When keeping Carp from the table, the #1 thing is to try to minimize it's stress level, as that's when the fish can get it's bad taste from those chemicals going through it's blood after it's been hooked, etc. So it's best to throw them in ice cold water asap and let them get hypothermia and die humanely. As usual cut the blood line out, etc, etc. If deep frying leave the bones in, but scour the fillet first. The bones will break up and be easily digestible. By far the best way to eat Carp is to have it smoked! I finally tried that not too long ago and was shocked how good it was. I'm definitely going to invest in a smoker this year. Grilled Carp is also good, but if given the opportunity Buffalo is superb on the grill. Note: I rarely eat Carp anymore due to waters I fish for them at are stagnant or slow moving, etc, but when taken from good water environments, Carp is easily as good or better than Catfish.

I know you said this was your last post, but can you verify this? Where was this stated? The common carp was originally imported as a food source, so I would have a hard time understanding why they would not consider it edible. I've said it once and I will say it again...just because you don't find them edible doesn't mean someone else doesn't. There are a lot more people out there that eat them than you think. Just go to any spillway when they are releasing water and see how many people are keeping carp when they catch them. I remember when I was younger we used to go to the Ray Roberts spillway and catch lots of carp and drum mixed in with the sand bass. There were always people there happy to have them.

It's sad to think we should exterminate a fish because they "do nothing to improve a fishery." I could understand if they were being detrimental to another species, but there are people that enjoy catching and eating the common carp more than bass, catfish, or any other game fish.

Here's a little from this article.........I say kill them all!!! http://www.in.gov/dnr/files/COMMON_CARP.pdf

RISKS/IMPACTS: Although this species was originally introduced in the U.S. as a
food source, it has yet to be widely accepted for this purpose. The bottom feeding habits
(rooting) of this fish prove to be quite destructive. When overabundant, carp cause an
increase in water turbidity and a decrease in aquatic plants and invertebrates. Evidence
has also proven that the common carp prey on the eggs of other fishes and their foraging activities can destroy spawning beds of more desirable species. Therefore, common carp
are responsible for the decline of some native fish species.
Predators will feed on young carp. However, due to the fast growth of juvenile
carp, they are vulnerable to predation for a short period of time. If a body of water is
productive and predator populations are relatively low, common carp can dominate a
fishery in a short period of time.

There are your key words. Any fish in overabundance can be a bad thing. Go and present your ideas to the TPWD if you think laws need to be changed. I'm not going to claim that they aren't overpopulated on certain lakes since I don't know, but I have yet to hear about parks and wildlife deciding that a complete extermination is warranted.

They are shooting Bass! Seriously?

I have eaten long nose gar that my friends dad shot with a bow. If I recall correctly We shot two 3 ft fish and that was enough to feed several people. I remember them being great, just with salt and pepper on a charcoal grill. I've noticed live buffalo for sale at several Hispanic grocery stores and common carp at many asian markets. Would love to try both. Smoked fish is one of my favorites.
I was told long ago that Alligator Gar is a very traditional meal in Catholic Mexico when meat is not allowed Lent or Fridays.
I know "gar balls" are very popular in parts of Louisiana.