| Name | Grass Carp, also known as: Gras Karp, Chinese Carp |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ctenopharyngodon Idella |
| Description | Grass carp have elongate, chubby, torpedo-shaped body forms. The terminal mouth is slightly oblique with non-fleshy, firm lips, and no barbels. The complete lateral line contains 40 to 42 scales. Broad, ridged, pharyngeal teeth are arranged in a 2, 4-4, 2 formula. Very Streamlined fish with the dorsal fin starting in front of the pelvic fins. The dorsal fin has 8 to 10 soft rays, and the anal fin is set closer to the tail than most cyprinids. Body color is dark olive, shading to brownish-yellow on the sides, with a white belly and large, slightly outlined scales. |
| Weight | A Grass carp can reach over 45 centimetres and adults often attain nearly 1.2 metres in length. |
| Length | Grass carp can grow up to and over 18 kilograms in weight. |
| Habitat | The Grass Carp is distributed widely throughout South Africa, but has Chinese origins. As with other carp species you can look for feeding signs such as bubbles on the water's surface from where they are feeding and these fish tend to jump out of the water. |
| Fishing Strategy | All carp type baits should work with the grass carp as well, but the best bait seems to be maggots and corn pips. To catch them medium to heavy tackle is recommended due to the strong fighting prowess of the fish and the large size. |
 |