Carp Species

COMMON CARP - The second largest of the United Kingdom carp family weighing in with a pretty impressive 56lb 67oz. Common carp can be found in almost any lake across the UK and a number of rivers.

Spawning: Common carp spawn within the spring months where eggs are layed onto water plants.
Distinct Features: Bronze coloured, fully scaled bodies, twin barbles, long based dorsal fin.
Favourite foods: Boilies, luncheon meat, sweet corn, cheese, bread, crust, dog biscuits, nuts, trout pellets, paste, worms, maggots.
Feeding time: carp tend to feed mainly in the summer, mainly within the morning or evening but can be caught all day and night.
Locating carp: Common carp mainly feed off the bottom but can also be found feeding off the surface especially on hotter days. The bigger carp are normally located within the margins, nestling in the reed beds or linguring under trees waiting for falling food.
Growth: in the UK the largest common carp caught weighed in at 56lb 67oz. Fish in France and you might catch carp to over 80lbs.
Fact: the common carp has been around for over 1000 years. In the past many people would eat common carp after unscaling there bodies.

MIRROR CARP - The largest of the United Kingdom carp family weighing in with a massive 61lb 7oz. Mirror carp can be found in almost any lake across the UK and a number of rivers. Mirror carp are partially scaled fish, some with just a few scales and others with a large amount of scales. Each mirror carp is different from the next. Mirror carp can be identified by their distinguishing pattern of scales. This is the reason why so many large mirror carp across the UK have names.

Spawning: Mirror carp spawn within the spring months where eggs are layed onto water plants.
Distinct Features: the main distinguishing feature is that there bodies are not fully scaled they are scattered over their body mainly around the tail.
Favourite foods: Boilies, luncheon meat, sweet corn, cheese, bread, crust, dog biscuits, nuts, trout pellets, paste, worms, maggots.
Feeding time: Mirror carp tend to feed mainly in the summer, mainly within the morning or evening but can be caught all day and night.
Locating carp: Mirror carp mainly feed off the bottom but can also be found feeding off the surface especially on hotter days. The bigger carp are normally located within the margins, nestling in the reed beds or linguring under trees waiting for falling food.
Growth: in the UK the largest mirror carp caught weighed in at 61lb 7oz. If you were to fish in France you can catch carp to over 80lbs.

LEATHER CARP - The leather carp is a relative of the mirror carp, they are basically a mirror carp with no scales.

Distinct Features: the main distinguishing feature is that they look like a mirror carp but they have no scales.

GHOST CARP - Ghost carp are usually a very pale, almost white looking common carp. Unlike the common carp, ghost carp are not very widespread across the UK.

Spawning: Ghost carp spawn within the spring months where eggs are layed onto water plants.
Distinct Features: very pale looking, fully scaled bodies, twin barbles
Favourite foods: Boilies, luncheon meat, sweet corn, cheese, bread, crust, dog biscuits, nuts, trout pellets, paste, worms, maggots.
Feeding time: Ghost carp tend to feed mainly in the summer, mainly within the morning or evening but can be caught all day and night.
Locating carp: Ghost carp can generally be found any where in a fishery but in particular they can be found roaming bottom gravel bars and the margins.
Growth: Ghost carp are not the largest carp in the UK but they are gradually growing in size, there have been ghost carp caught in excess of 30lb from UK waters.

CRUCIAN CARP - Crucian carp are the smallest member of the carp family with the current largest fish caught in the UK weighing 4lb 9oz.

Spawning: Spawnings from may to june. eggs are layed and stick to plants and weeds.
Distinct Features: has a deep bright golden body, small head and is one of the only carp species without barbles.
Favourite foods: maggots, casters, sweetcorn, worms, bread
Feeding time: Crucian carp can generally be caught any time through the warmer summer months before becoming more reserved in the cold winter months.
Locating crucians: can be found anywhere in a fishery including: surface, middle, bottom, gravel bars, margins.
Growth: Crucians are the smallest of the carp species, the current largest UK crucian carp currently weighs 4lb 9oz.