Common Carp Length - Weight

Common Carp | Credit: USGS

Common carp, a species originally native to Asia and Eastern Europe, have been introduced to environments worldwide.

They are known for their adaptability and size variability, which can be influenced by factors such as habitat, diet, and age.

The common carp's ability to reach substantial sizes is one of the reasons it is prized by anglers and considered a challenging catch.

Typically, a common carp that measures 15 inches in length may weigh around 2 pounds. As they grow, the weight-to-length ratio increases. A 16-inch carp might average closer to 2.5 pounds. This incremental growth continues, with a 17-inch carp possibly weighing around 3 pounds, and an 18-inch carp around 3.5 pounds.

The pattern of growth tends to follow this trajectory, with each inch in length adding roughly half a pound to the carp's weight. By the time a carp reaches 24 inches, it could weigh approximately 6.5 pounds.

Moving towards the upper end of the scale, a 30-inch carp often tips the scales at about 10 pounds. As the carp grows larger, the weight gain per inch can become more variable.

A 35-inch carp might weigh in the region of 15 to 25 pounds, and a 40-inch carp could weigh 25-40 pounds or more, depending on the conditions it has lived in.

It's important to note that these figures are averages and individual weights can vary significantly. 

Notable Carp Catches - Length and Weight

While bowfishing in 2014, Adam Faatz of Hawthorne, NJ, broke the New Jersey state record for common carp with a 45 lb. 6 oz. specimen with a length of 42 inches.

On June 9, 2013, bowfisherman Patrick Johnson took a new Ohio state record carp in Lake Erie. The massive carp weighed 53.65 pounds and measured 45 inches in length.

In 2022, Ayden Minick caught and released a new West Virginia state record common carp caught from Summersville Lake. The record-setting carp weighed 45.2 pounds and was 41.2 inches long. 

In 2012, bowfisherman Zack Seitz reeled in a 59-pound common carp measuring 46 inches long, breaking the Wisconsin state alternate method record.

Related Information

Carp Fishing in North America

Lake Mattamuskeet Carp Removal

Common Carp | credit: U.S. Army

A $1 million federal grant will go towards the removal of large numbers of common carp from Lake Mattamuskeet in North Carolina.

Located within Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, the lake is also home to more popular freshwater fish including largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish, and striped bass.

Invasive carp, like those in Lake Mattamuskeet, compete with native fish for the natural resources and destroy the natural aquatic habitat.

Carp can degrade water quality by muddying the waters and uprooting aquatic plants. Their destruction also negatively impacts migratory wintering waterfowl that feed on the plants.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has partnered with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to remove the carp.

Several years ago, barriers were installed at the lake's four tide gates to keep adult carp from entering the lake. Now, the ones still in the lake must go.

The Service awarded WSB the contract to clear approximately 1 million pounds of carp from Lake Mattamuskeet.

During a similar large-scale carp removal effort in the 1940s and 1950s, large haul seines, baited traps, and pound nets were used successfully.

Another approach, known as the modified unified method, utilizes large seines and herding methods to move carp into nets successfully. Once netted, carp are extracted from the lake. WSB will utilize a combination of these removal methods. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investment will improve the natural environment of the 40,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet and four outlet canals, according to USFWS.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Carp Fishing in North America

Maryland State Record Carp (Chesapeake Bay)

Once considered a non-game fish in North America, the common carp is gaining popularity as a freshwater sportfish.

Bait fishing, fly fishing, and bowfishing are popular techniques for taking carp. In some locations, carp are caught by chumming an area close to shore and still-fishing in the middle of chummed area.

To meet the demand for information, a wide range of carp-specific fishing magazines, clubs, television shows, and internet forums have taken hold throughout the U.S. and Canada as more anglers become active in carp fishing.

How big do common carp get in North America? State records for common carp provide clues about trophy-class carp weights and lengths. Across the USA, state records continue to be broken as the popularity of carp fishing grows.

State Record Highlights

Idaho

In May 2021, an Idaho angler shattered the state rod-and-reel carp record Monday with the catch of a 34-pound common carp on the Snake River. The Idaho archery record for common carp stands at 67.65 pounds, taken in C.J. Strike Reservoir in 2011.

Maryland

In May 2022, Logan Kuhrmann of Essex set a new Maryland state record common carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio) in the state’s Chesapeake Division. Kuhrmann, 24, caught the 49-pound carp while bass fishing in the Susquehanna Flats area of the Chesapeake Bay.

Massachusetts

In April 2012, the Massachusetts state record for carp was broken by Shane Felch of Shrewsbury, with a 46 pounds, 5 ounce mirror carp, taken by crossbow from Lake Quinsigamond. According to local anglers, mirror carp are the most common variety caught from the Lake.

New Jersey

While bowfishing on the night of May 19, 2014, Adam Faatz of Hawthorne, NJ, broke the New Jersey state record for common carp with a 45 lb. 6 oz. specimen. The massive carp was 42" long and had a girth of 32".

New Hampshire

In 2016, Donald St. Lawrence set a new hook-and-line New Hampshire state record for common carp. Tipping the scales at 35 lbs 13.12 oz "Carpzilla" bested the current rod and reel-caught carp record by almost 3 lbs. The record setting carp was caught in Merrimack River near Manchester.

Ohio

On June 9, 2013, bowfisherman Patrick Johnson of Toledo, Ohio, took a new state record carp in the Sandusky County portion of Lake Erie's waters. The massive carp weighed 53.65 pounds, measured 45 inches in length and 32-1/4 inches in girth.

Pennsylvania

Despite increased participation in American carp fishing, a few state records have withstood the test of time. The Pennsylvania state record for common carp stands at 52 pounds, caught in the Juniata River in 1962.

West Virginia

In 2022, Ayden Minick caught and released a new West Virginia state record common carp while fishing from the bank of Summersville Lake in Nicholas County. The record-setting carp  weighed 45.2 pounds and was 41.2 inches long. 

Wisconsin

In 2012, bowfisherman Zack Seitz reeled in a 59-pound common carp measuring 46 inches long with a 32.5 inch girth, breaking the Wisconsin state alternate method record.

Vermont

In May, 2014, a bowfisherman set a new Vermont state record for carp with a 44-pound 6-ounce fish taken from Lake Champlain. The massive carp was taken while bowfishing in a backwater area of southern Lake Champlain. The previous state record carp, also taken by bowfishing, weighed 42-pounds 8-ounces.

World Record Carp

In addition to fish caught in the USA, monster-sized carp are caught around the world. While vacationing in Thailand in 2013, a British tourist landed a 134-pound carp, believed to be the biggest ever caught. The massive fish weighed 134 pounds 7 ounces, which could set a new world record.

Chicago River Asian Carp

The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) recently announced that intensive monitoring actions would be implemented in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago River after three consecutive rounds of Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling yielded positive results for Asian carp DNA in the North Shore Channel.

Three separate eDNA samples sets were taken at the North Shore Channel between June 11th and September 11th, revealing 17 positives for silver carp DNA out of 171 samples.

At present, eDNA evidence cannot verify whether live Asian carp are present, whether the DNA may have come from a dead fish, or whether water containing Asian carp DNA may have been transported from other sources, such as bilge water.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading an Asian Carp eDNA Calibration Study (ECALS) with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce the uncertainty surrounding eDNA results and investigate alternative sources and pathways for eDNA detections beyond a live fish.

Full eDNA sampling details can be found at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website: 
(http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorksProjects/ANSPortal/eDNA.aspx)

For more Asian carp information, visit: www.asiancarp.us

source: U.S. Geological Survey

Stopping the Spread of Invasive Species Asian Carp into the Great Lakes

The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) recently released its 2011 Asian Carp Monitoring and Rapid Response Plan (MRRP), outlining an aggressive set of actions to track and remove Asian carp in the Upper Illinois River and the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) to prevent this invasive species from establishing in the Great Lakes.

The 2011 MRRP, which represents an estimated $7 million Federal investment, is designed with the flexibility to respond to new threats. Project plans can be categorized geographically as occurring either upstream or downstream of the electric dispersal barrier and grouped into the following five categories:

MONITORING PROJECTS

Includes the use of electrofishing and contract commercial fishermen to detect presence and location of any Asian carp DNA both above and below the barrier; continued use of eDNA to detect potential presence of carp above the barrier; and monitoring for small Asian carp to track where reproduction is occurring.

BARRIER EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATIONS

Efforts will include the use of telemetry to follow the movements of tagged surrogate species to assess movement near the dispersal barrier and through locks; use of sonar to track fish movement and caged fish to determine the effectiveness of the dispersal barrier; and monitoring for potential Asian carp spawning in the Des Plaines River to assess risk of eggs and larval fish passing through the barrier fence during flood events.

REMOVAL PROJECTS

Efforts include contracting commercial fishermen to remove Asian carp downstream of the barrier; a rapid response process should any Asian carp be detected upstream of the dispersal barrier; and suppressing Asian carp during maintenance of the electric dispersal barriers.

TECHNOLOGY EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Efforts will evaluate efficiency and detection probability of technology currently in use for Asian carp monitoring, develop enhancements, and generate ideas for development of new approaches for capturing or repelling small populations of Asian carp.

ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY SURVEILLANCE

Efforts will include expanded education and enforcement activities at locations where live fish would most likely be transported and continued surveillance efforts.

MRRP projects for 2011 also include developing and testing hydroguns that emit high-pressure underwater sound waves to repel Asian carp.

source: Illinois DNR