I don't get into common carp much. Grass carp and asian carp, by nature of their diet, don't accumulate significant amounts of toxins and taste much better.

Not only are our N.E. IL carp semi-toxic... they also weigh more than their southern counterparts because of all the mercury in them.... The nice thing is... when it gets really hot out.. they expand and are easier to find...... HAHAhahhaahhahhaahaha..

(well, I thought it was funny)

Well, I do not eat carp at all. They do go to good use though. I hunt a creek (about 20' wide) that all the houses in the area dump "sewege" into it. No stretching the truth there, I've seen it coming out of the pipes. Carp get real big in there though and thats probably why no one fishes or hunts it way in the back cause they afraid of the water. lol My grandfather asked me to bring him one one time to cook it up. Said he got like 1" thick fillets but it tasted kind of chemically. Lmao.... I go and theres always an old black lady sittin' on a bucket at the entrance fishing for pan fish. Come back in a couple hours later with a barrel of carp and she quickly dumps her bucket out and stacks them carp in there like chord wood. I hunt the delaware river too, might try one of the carp out of there.

in the Delaware you can shoot catfish also... just a little something to think about...