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Carp were first introduced into the UK around the year 1400 and the forbears of these fish we now call the wild carp, or 'wildies'. They are thought to have originated from the region of the Black Sea and Caspian, and from the area between Burma and Russian-Chinese border. They were originally imported for food purposes and traditionally kept in monastic or manorial ponds and lakes. In Europe 'fish culture' or 'fish farming' improved the original strain and resulted in carp having the ability to grow quickly and attain far greater sizes. Around the early 1920 stocks of these 'cultivated' carp were brought into the UK and are know today as King carp. Many different varieties of carp have bred over the years since their initial introduction into the UK, the original wild carp is now rarer than these crossbred ones. Varieties of carp found in UK waters include: common carp, mirror carp, leather carp, ghost carp, grass carp and koi carp and not forgetting the Crucian. All carp have teeth - pharyngeal teeth - situated at the beginning of the gullet. Carp spawn in reed beds around May and June, when water temperatures reach 62F, laying hundreds of thousands of tiny eggs. Clarissa, perhaps
the most famous carp of all, weighed in at 44 lb setting an old record
when it was caught by the late Richard Walker from Redmire Pool in 1952. Two-Tone was caught again later in the year by Lee Jackson setting another new record, this time weighing in at 61lb 7oz. A recent survey conducted by the Environment Agency showed that carp are now the anglers favourite fish. The top ten species
anglers most like to catch are: 1st
Carp - 55%, 2nd Roach - 36%, 3rd Tench - 30%, 4th Bream - 27%, 5th Chub
- 21%, 6th Barbel - 18%, 7th Perch - 17%,
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