Agree with Boondoggle. Fishing for them is fun - especially if you hook one up for a small kid or grandkid! They would remember the fight with a 15# carp for the rest of their lives.

However, that removal method would probably be slow to make a dent in their numbers.

I also agree with Retired. I also had a buddy that bowfished for carp. He was pretty successful, but he also went on to become a tennis pro so his skills at that kind of stuff was very high.

Are your grass carp triploid (sterile)? If not, there may be a time during the spring when your carp will move up onto the shallow mud flats in your pond to spawn. You will observe them rolling over each other in the water. One time we saw the carp doing that and wanted to see how big they really were. We were able to wade up with our large fish landing net and actually scoop them up into our jon boat. They were actually that "preoccupied"!

If you do catch them doing that behavior, then that would be your easiest time to shoot them with either bow or rifle.

The other option with the rifle would be to go to a larger caliber and go out in your boat. However, you must be standing in the boat and shoot almost straight down. That would ensure no water surface deflections, and the bullet would probably at least wound or stun a large carp in shallow water.

Of course, loaded firearms and unstable platforms do NOT mix. I would only try that with another buddy in the back of the boat holding the platform absolutely stable with a pole into the pond bottom.



P.S. Does anybody know if triploid carp still engage in spawning behavior? I do not know the answer to that question.