Species guide
How to catch Black carp
Mylopharyngodon piceus
The black carp is a large freshwater fish known for its specialized pharyngeal teeth used to crush hard-shelled prey. It primarily feeds on snails and bivalve mollusks but starts life consuming zooplankton and aquatic insects. Its mouth size limits the size of prey it can consume.
Where they live
Found in freshwater and brackish habitats across North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. It inhabits waters from shallow depths around 5 meters to deeper areas up to 30 meters, dwelling near the bottom.
Typical size
Up to about 180 cm
What they eat
- snails
- clams
- bivalve mollusks
- aquatic insects
- zooplankton
- shrimp
Best baits
- snail-imitating bait
- clam-imitating bait
- soft aquatic insect lures
Best lures
- bottom bounce lures
- soft plastic lures mimicking mollusks
- jigs
How to fish for them
- bottom fishing
- bait fishing
- still fishing near the substrate
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