White carp
He only likes standing water, blind arms and meanders of rivers as well as sand and gravel excavations. It also occurs in shallow dam reservoirs, where it ended up as a result of escaping from ponds or as a result of planned restocking. The settlement of grass carp in our waters is accidental. For this reason, we can only specialize in catching this fish in waters, we know for sure, that they were stocked with it. Fishing period, fishing equipment and methods are similar to carp. Feeding before fishing in shallow shallows with soft vegetation is not effective, because in such waters, rich in food, this fish is not interested in our groundbaits. Successful fishing for grass carp still happens only by chance, when fishing for carp, tench or bream.
The grass carp is one of the fish that requires high requirements and is careful when taking baits, because not all of them suit him. For this reason, it is difficult to get hold of commonly used lures. It follows from foreign data, that it takes good for bread, boiled corn, peas and wheat, cakes with spinach, breadcrumbs, maize noodle balls, and even for so unusual lures, such as bread dipped in spinach paste. Occasionally, it can even take a flash.
The white grass carp is one of the new species of fish in our native ichthyofauna, imported from abroad more or less thirty years ago. The first open water restocking was carried out in 1962 year. Its homeland is the Far East and the middle and lower reaches of the Amur River. In China, it has been cultivated in ponds for many hundreds of years, similar to carp in Europe. It has high requirements for spawning conditions (appropriate temperature and flowing clean and well-oxygenated water). For this reason, Europe does not spawn under natural conditions, and the health of its population is maintained thanks to artificial spawning (in hatcheries) and stocking waters. The main food of amura is soft, green aquatic vegetation, making it both in the joints, as well as in open waters, it can significantly limit its development.
Body shape, scales and a golden shade of color make it, that it is very similar to our farmed and wild carp, the so-called. sazana, and even chub. It grows very fast, reaches a length of over 1 m and body weight over 20 kg. A record specimen of grass carp caught in Germany weighed 22 kg. Anglers rate grass highs very high, mainly due to considerable militancy, thanks to which the catch leaves a lasting impression, and also due to the usually quite large mass of fish caught. Nowadays, more and more grass carp are being caught, the weight of the caught specimens usually exceeds 10 kg. After the cut, the grass carp makes an instant jerk, followed by the first escape (without stopping) at a distance of approx 50 m. Amura meat is very tasty, but relatively greasy. The fat just below the skin forms significant deposits, which look broth when cooked, glassy mass, as a rule, it is removed together with the bones when eating. Thanks to this, the taste qualities of amura meat improve.
However, it must be noted here, that amur cannot stock all waters. The basic condition for successful restocking is a sufficient number of plants (mostly reeds, sticks and others), which are the main food of these fish. Nevertheless, grass carp is a kind of food competition for other species of carp fish.