The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Well, we all know by now how ugly the coarse fish can be. As for the bad -- no sport fisherman expects anyone to ignore the destructive influences carp have had on our marshlands and spawning areas. Despite the remarkable job these fish have performed in checking the encroachment of aquatic vegetation (that is one of the reasons they were introduced from Europe in the first place), their overall damaging effect has to rank as one of the biggest and most unfortunate errors in judgment ever made by turn-of the-century environmental science. However, there must be some satisfaction in knowing that they do the job they were meant to do. Their constant vacuum cleaning of our lake and river beds helps keep accumulations of dead and decaying aquatic animals to a comfortable minimum. And their taste for tiny plant and animal life forms helps to maintain a natural balance that otherwise could easily overrun our shallows.

But every cloud has its silver lining. Coarse fish are sufficiently numerous that they have created a sport fishery accessible to anglers of virtually every age, everywhere. Certainly more than one generation has been introduced to the pleasures of fishing -- and to the intricacies of the sport -- while dangling minnows, worms, and doughballs in countless waters throughout North America ... and the value of that education can never really be measured.

Another important feature is that coarse fish are a readily available, inexpensive and tasty source of protein. In addition to the tons of carp, catfish, bullheads, and suckers caught by anglers every year, millions are netted by commercial fishermen who depend on them for their livelihood. These fish can provide a delicious meal as rich in taste and nutrition as any game fish can. You'll be surprised by the flavor of even the lowly bullhead which can taste like the finest trout. Try a few of the recipes at the back of this book and treat yourself to some truly delectable meals.

All the evidence seems to indicate that, for the foreseeable future at least, and surely for as long as anglers are eager to visit their favorite fishing holes, coarse fish are here to stay as an integral part of the North American sport fishing scene. The sport involved in catching and landing them can measure up quite comfortably against some game fish. No one who has fished for walleye, for example, would rank them exactly as first-class fighters. And popular pan fish like crappies and perch would be hard-pressed to out-muscle a carp or a bullhead of comparable size. So on that score, at least, coarse fish are certainly more than worth their weight in sheer entertainment value. So take advantage of the super opportunities they hold for you today. Take a friend coarse fish angling soon!

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