If you have ever spent a late afternoon on the riverbank bowfishing for carp, you have likely pondered what you can do with the ever-growing pile of fish that end up on the bank behind you. The most logical solution that comes to mind is often to eat them, but this can be a divisive topic.
The very idea of eating a carp may make you turn up your nose; carp are considered a bottom feeding "trash fish” by many people, deeming them far from palatable. Yet, there are fisherman out there who continue to make the effort to cook and clean the fish that they shoot or catch.
A popular recipe for carp reads as follows:
1 whole carp, cleaned and fileted
1 cedar plank
Seasonings of your choice
Season the carp well. Place on the cedar plank and cook until the meat is flaky. Discard the fish and eat the cedar plank.
As an avid bow fisher, I tend to agree with the aforementioned recipe…. there is little room for carp on my dinner table, despite trying it several times. I have always been of the mindset that if you shoot something, nothing should go to waste; bow fishing is no different. And while I don’t always filet and eat the fish that I shoot (it varies per species), I have found that there is always a way to put them to good use.
REGIFTING
This option is the easiest one in my opinion. If you shoot a stringer of carp and don’t want to eat them, there are many people who will. I have often pawned them off on another fisherman who enjoys them. This can be as simple as asking a random fisherman you see on the water, or putting feelers out on social media and local groups to see if anyone wants some free fish.
FERTILIZER
If you are a gardener, this is a great option. There is an old wives tale claiming that burying dead fish in the dirt before placing your seeds or plants, will add nutrients to the soil and boost plant yields. The fish breaks down over time and replenishes the earth in the best kind of fertilizer you can ask for. Just make sure you bury it deep enough and have a fence around your garden to avoid any unwanted critters digging up your plants to eat the fish.
BAIT
This is a great option on many different levels, as cut up fish can be used as bait for a variety of mammals and aquatic species. If you are someone who baits coyotes to hunt, using dead fish is an easy way to draw them in as the smell emanates quickly. Cut up fish is also a great option for catfishing and turtle fishing; snapping turtles in particular love carp as bait and you can get a lot of bait off one fish. If you are planning on using some carp as cut bait, you can also put them in a trash bag and toss them in the freezer to use as a later date.
ZOO/GAME FARM
Many summers ago, I was shooting carp on the banks of the Paulinskill River when I was approached by a local zookeeper who had been driving past. He asked if I was going to do anything with the fish that I shot and asked if he could leave a 50-gallon barrel for me to fill with fish. The carp would then be used to feed animals at the zoo, resulting in zero waste on my part. If you live close to a zoo or game farm, many will pay for fish to feed their animals.
No excuses this summer – make use of the fish you shoot.
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