Call To Arms: Chatty Carp Rescue

This spring a good number of carp managed to get themselves trapped in a small backwater slough at Chatfield Reservoir in CO.  They moved in for the spawn when the water was high and got trapped when the water dropped.  The slough is about the size of a family home and has somewhere between 20 and 60 carp in it. 

I have been keeping a close eye on those carp and so far they have been doing well.  I even caught one a while back.  

Unfortunately their luck has started to run out.  The high summer temperatures and dropping water table at Chatfield have resulted in a massive drop in depth.  Last weekend it was waste deep in most of the slough.  Now it is knee deep.  At that pace these carp probably only have a week to live. 

I have talked with the Park Manager and he has given us permission to move the carp across the 15 foot wide sandbar from the slough to the main lake.  He indicated that this is the same body of water so we will not be violating the rules against transporting between bodies of water.

So here is the deal.  We are going to save these fish at 6:30PM tomorrow July 22nd.  We are going to meet in the swim beach parking just inside the Wadsworth entrance starting at 6:00PM. The plan is to make a wall of people across the slough and herd the carp into shallow water where we can net them and move them to the main lake.  It could an idiotic plan - sure to result in lots of muddy fun but few saved carp.  I suspect that depends on how many people show up. 

I will supply beer, pop and pizza.  Please email me using my contact page if you would like to come help so that I can plan appropriately!