John Gillio

That was entertaining Rob. What a mess! That's what we are dealing with here too. Thanks for sharing that one.

Scott, you were very lucky not to run into any. I know of a number of instances when they have ended up in boats or bouncing off of passengers in the main channel which is 12 feet deep at least. They do seem to freak out easier in shallow water. I had them go ballistic when I was yaking uppstream on the Vermilion one afternoon. I was afraid I'd have one in my lap. They all seemed to jump almost straight up out of the water. Many jumped out higher than my head all around me. I'm not sure what spooked them. Schools of them were under me a good part of the afternoon, and that's the only incident I had.

Catchers seem to make good managers. I remember those in the broadcast booth mentioning that he would make a good manager someday. He has big shoes to fill though. I wish him the best. He was a good ball player and has the respect of alot of baseball people as well as fans.

Rob, could the name of your fly possibly be the Redbird "Catcher". Were you toying with us ,and knew all along that Mike Matheny Was to be the next Redbird manager .

Rob, thanks for the compliment. I have tried them smoked. They were very good. The next one will be on the grill. I cleaned one up today. Ryne, it is extremely frustrating. I was at my sauger spot on the Vermilion this morning. I had carp scales with every cast. I landed another big tailhooked Asian Carp, ran him home, cleaned him up, then headed out to Starved Rock in hopes of sauger. Almost every cast in every hole brought back Asian Carp scales. I landed three in the 15 to 20 pound range and gave them all away. It is the thickest I have ever seen them. If the sauger are there they can't see my lure through the mass of carp. Someone with the DNR told me that a processing plant is in the works downstate. The sooner it gets built the better,if you ask me.

Agreed, and if the game fish are there it's hard to get past the carp to get at them.

The game wardens have been ticketing for intentional snagging with a treble hook, so be carefull with this even if it is just for carp. The trebles do a number on any other species that get in the way.

Tom, I was fishing for sauger by dragging a twister along the bottom. The carp were so thick I kept snagging them in the dorsal fin. They were everywhere in the water column. A friend who used to fish for them said he had good luck drifting boilies made from flour and chicken feed. He would mix the ingredients into small spheres with a diameter of about a centimeter, then boil them a few minutes until they felt like a small rubber ball. They supposedly stay on a small single hook quite well. Some recipies call for algae but he said chicken feed works just fine. I haven't tried it myself. I've found that if you cast a jig upstream and work it back you often snag them in the mouth while they are filter feeding. They are often facing upstream.

Paul, that is pretty much all I eat too, but I thought the taste was about like that of a crappie. It was caught on a cool day and I cleaned it as soon as I got it home. It was still jumping. That may have been the difference. It is said that they do spoil quicker than most other fish if they are not gutted right away. I may try to bake one or grill one. I like eating fish, but I don't keep many. I may keep a few of these and do my part at putting a tiny dent in their population.

I agree. Finding a way to market them for consumption here in the states would solve alot of problems. I grew up eating European Carp, and they are a strong tasting fish. These Asian Carp have a very mild flavor. It's just the idea of getting people to try them. They are not the bottom feeder that other carp are.

Went to a favorite spot on the vermilion for late fall sauger. Instead of sauger, the hole and nearby flats were loaded with every kind of carp that call this stream home. The asian carp inthe first picture below is the same fish that is in the pictures that follow. With the aid of the video provided ,on another thread by Rob G., I was able to tame the bones and end up with an exceptional meal of tasty , flakey white, deep fried Asian carp. The stripps were served during lunch at work today. All brave enough to try them were very impressed . Thanks Rob! I definitely will be cooking them up again.

I totally agree with Steve. That's a "Star Quality" video. I also send a heartfelt thank you to your nephew for serving our country.

Rob, that's a bummer. He was my favorite pitcher the 15 years he was there. I just read his book,"Tales From the Cardinal's Dugout". He seemed like a real class guy who had alot of fun in the Cardinal jersey.

Dave Duncan was born in 1945. It would be a great loss if he were to leave.

Jonn, I think Jose would be a great choice. There has been talk of that for years. You may be right about radio too. I'm afraid it may slowly become a thing of the past. So far it has been able to morph with the times. I hope it can continue to.

That fish didn't sing for you, did he? He kind of looks like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.

When I was a youngster in the 60s ,I remember going to bed at night ,and dad having the ballgame on the radio in my parents bedroom. Jack and Harry were calling the game. The signal was in and out as we were so far north of KMOX radio, but I would strain my ears to hear the game. That is how I became a Cardinal fan, surrounded by Cubs, Sox, and Yankee fans. Mike Shannon was a player back then and I recall that he almost had to give up ball because of a kidney operation. It hit me pretty hard when Jack passed away. His voice was a part of every summer for almost as long as I could remember.

That's a nice piece of work Rob. In the words of the late great Jack Buck,"That's a winner.... Thanks for your time this time till next time so long."

Nice work Terry.

Very nice Manny. I like those coneheads and the little nymphs.

I imagine the high waters the last few springs could have had an affect on the spawn. The river can be like chocolate in the spring after a good rain.

Thank you Mike, for picking up the ball.

Not much development happening on the lower part of the river. Actually sedimentation seems to have slowed considerably. Farmland isn't plowed right to the river's edge like it once was. The river has cleaned up fairly well. Steve, cut the beard off and I'm back in my late thirties . I guess I like the "aging fine red wine" look. Aside from a few summers, I've had the beard since about 1982.

Thanks Rob, I think I'll give it a try. I have an Asian friend that tells me they are quite good also. He says they can be caught with hook and line using boilies. There are many recipies, but a simple effective one is made with chicken feed and flour. Make a thick paste with the seed and flour then roll it into small "pinky nail" sized balls. Drop these into boiling hot water a few minutes and they get rubbery. They stay on a single hook much better than doughball does. For those who prefer the fly rod, they can be taken inconsistantly with a size 22 hook,scud-like flies, and a very fine tippet. The problem is that here in the states they are under fished and reach much larger sizes. In Asia they are a major food source and rarely reach five pounds, from what I'm told. I know for a fact that they fight like a salmon, with long hard runs. If things keep heading in the direction they seem to be headed, I'll be fly fishing for flying fish.

Rob, I believe that is true. I've read that about them. Shad and shiner populations in both rivers are way low from what I can tell. I am seeing more gobies in the Illinois, though they are invasive also. As I had mentioned crayfish pops seem to be way up, but that could be due to a drop in the smallie population. I never thought I would like to see the return of commercial fishing in the area, but it may be the only thing that puts a dent in the carp population. They can grind as many of those things into patties as they want. I hear they are a fairly good tasting fish when you get past the bones. Much less fishy tasting than the European carp. It would be nice to find a profitable market for them. Fish patties ,fish meal, fish oil, the Chines fish market,fertilizer, pet foods, etc. should be able to turn a profit for someone. Nice action shot with the carp jumping out of the bucket. Or, was that two carp with one shot? I've been seeing quite a few bow fishermen in the area. Spring Valley even has some sort of bow fishing/Asian carp festival. Do you have any good recipies for Asian carp? I'm always snagging the things accidentally. I may as well give one a try. I did taste a smoked one and it was quite good.