Carp.  And yes they can be found in Clark Lake.  At this time of year, carp swim upstream in Goose Creek and attempt to jump the dam at Ocean Beach.  This is possibly related to their spawning.  Unlike the fabled salmon runs in Oregon and Washington state, this kind of run is not to be encouraged. According to the DNR, carp are “originally from the Caspian Sea region and East Asia [and]…have long been considered a nuisance species in America.”  Carp disturb and potentially destroy fish beds of desirable game fish and multiply like rabbits.  They grow to great lengths and weigh substantially more than other fish found in the lake.

The CarpGard on the dam discourages this nuisance fish from making its way into our waters.  You can sometimes find a group of them swimming around the pool at the dam and then see them attempt their leap.  In this video, keep your eye on the upper left and center of the view.

The DNR has relatively few restrictions regarding carp.  There is a 365 day a year season, and you can use a spear, bow and arrow or cross-bow (check the DNR website for more details).  Today a group helped reduce the Clark Lake carp population as you can see in these photos from the DamCam.

The crew cleaned up after their hunt, leaving no trace of the activity.

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