Kevin and Kerry experienced first had what has become commonplace along all the oxbows and river chutes north and south of Memphis. These fish were placed in commercial catfish ponds in AR years ago by the AR Game and Fish, and when the river flooded, as it always does–they got into the main river. Fast forward–and we have a monumental mess. The oxbow lakes like Tunica, Desoto, Whittington, and even Ferguson, are loaded with them. Some of the smaller honey-holes are barren of gamefish, as these monsters eat all the phytoplankton, leaving nothing for gamefish spawn and shad spawn to eat. A given unit of water will only support so much biomass–and these carp have filled that space. Nothing else can compete with them, or eat them. I was at an outdoor show, and got to talk to several noted river fishermen, the local game biologist, and this guy with an orange “T” on his cap, and the gist of the conversation was that the river and its lakes that we grew up on in the 70s 80 and 90s is gone forever. The balance of the ecosystem has been forever changed. A shocking survey on Tunica Cutoff three years ago turned up an average of 4# of bass per acre!! It used to take 25-30 pounds(5 fish) to win a summer tournament on the river lakes. Now–15 pounds is a monster sack. Glad Kevin has great memories of Chicot–cause Im afraid that is all that is left. Zebra mussels and snakeheads are small change compared to the impact of these carp. Mike Whitten/Germantown, TN
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