When Do Carp Spawn? All You Need to Know about Carps

In the world of fishing, there are important aspects an avid fisherman or an angler must know. When do carp spawn and where, as well as their behavior during this period are just a few of those aspects. 

Learning these things are not just so you could become knowledgeable about carps. These things can also work to your advantage. Many fishermen and anglers actually study carps up close to find out when and where they spawn.

They also make an effort to know how carps behave even what they eat. All these aspects are vital to becoming an ideal fisherman or angler. In this article, I will reveal when do carp spawn and also teach you a few important things about carps.

Carps are known to be prolific breeders as they possess a very effective reproductive system. A typical carp that weighs 4 kilograms can produce around one million eggs. Among these millions of eggs, 90 percent will be fertilized and over 80 percent will hatch.

These eggs are usually deposited or attached to submerged objects. In actuality, there is more than one factor that affects the carp’s reproduction process. The climate, water temperature, length of daylight, amount of oxygen in the water, and food availability also play a vital role in this process.

All these contribute to stimulating the carp’s pituitary gland to usher in the spawning process. With that said, carps do not spawn at the same time. However, depending on the climate and several other factors that were mentioned, carps typically spawn around April until August.

When all of the crucial factors fall into place, this is the most considerable period when the gonadotropin hormones are released and the carp’s eggs start to ripen. You can spot a sexually mature female carp since they usually have a plumped out stomach because of large ovaries.

Sexually mature male carps, on the other hand, possess breeding nodules on their heads and pectoral fins. You can see these nodules as raised fine white spots on the carp’s head or pectoral fins. 

Carps tend to prefer watercourses that are two to three feet deep when spawning season comes. Aside from that, they also go for grassy, weedy, and shallow parts of lakes. 

During the spawning period, carps are inclined to not eat or feed. Usually, they will be feed before or after the spawning period. These are the times which most fishermen or anglers use to their advantage.

Spotting the place where carp will be feed before or after spawning will grant you the best catches and a fulfilling fishing experience. However, interestingly enough, carps also are known to eat their own eggs.

Fertilized eggs or larvae are often considered as an effective source of protein for carps. So, after a hard spawning process, some carps will definitely consume their eggs or larvae.

As the day of releasing of eggs get near, the male carps tend to get more aggressive. Male and female carps will start swimming together. To promote the start of spawning, male carps will typically nudge female carps with their head and fins.

Partnered by the other crucial factors such as climate, water temperature, length of daylight, amount of oxygen in the water, and food availability coming together perfectly, the female carp gets stimulated to release its eggs.

The number of eggs the female carp releases will depend on its health, size, age, and how many times it already produced eggs previously. Once stimulated, the female caps releases its eggs into the water.

With a high motility rate of around thirty to sixty seconds, the male carp releases its sperm to fertilize the eggs. Reaching the micropyle, the sperm fertilizes the egg which will then absorb water and becomes sticky.

Watch this short clip to see how carps spawn 

Small and sticky fertilized eggs usually are scattered widely in shallow waters. Due to their sticky quality, they are mostly found attached to weeds, grass or any submerged entities in the water.

The yolk sac of the egg serves as the source of nutrients for the unhatched egg or fry so it will be able to survive. A carp’s egg contains a yolk that is surrounded by two layers of membrane material.

However, the egg itself float unprotected for the period of twenty-four to thirty hours before it finally hatches. Depending on the stage of its development and the temperature of the water, the egg may be yellow, orange or amber in color.

Once the fry reaches around eight millimeters long, the egg’s yolk sac will be consumed. Be that as it may and before it happens, the swim bladders of the fry will be inflated with air. This will encourage more efficient movement in the water as it begins to feed on water fleas and micro-plankton.

This will help the fry to have enough fat stored before hatching happens. Otherwise, and if in worse case scenarios that hatching came during winter, the fry will perish. To be protected against predators and being swept away by the strong current, the young fry will most likely stay within shallow water that has dense plants.

During this stage, they acquire knowledge on how to escape from danger and be agile. The moment they bigger, they will eventually leave the shallows and forge their way to deep waters and join the school of carp.

Fishing is not just having the right tools and mastering the skill. Observing and learning details about the specific fish you want to catch also play a very critical role. This entitles you to have a better view of how they behave during different periods of their life.

All of which can be used for you to have a very successful fishing experience.