Chap­ter IX – The Com­pleat Angler opens with a reflec­tion on the rep­u­ta­tion of the carp, long con­sid­ered among anglers as the most cun­ning and elu­sive fish. Their high intel­li­gence and abil­i­ty to evade even the most skill­ful bait­ing efforts have earned them both admi­ra­tion and frus­tra­tion. Orig­i­nal­ly intro­duced to Eng­lish waters by Mr. Mas­cal of Sus­sex, the carp was once a for­eign­er but has since flour­ished in selec­tive regions. This fish, along with oth­er new­com­ers such as turkeys and hops, marks a time of agri­cul­tur­al and culi­nary exper­i­men­ta­tion in England’s past. Carp are not only intrigu­ing to pur­sue but also stand out for their adap­tive nature and rich con­tri­bu­tion to pond ecosys­tems. Their val­ue lies not just in size or taste, but in the strat­e­gy they demand from the angler.

A notable trait of the carp is its abil­i­ty to sur­vive brief peri­ods out­side water, a resilience that allows it to be eas­i­ly trans­port­ed between ponds. Pis­ca­tor describes how, under the right circumstances—such as a warm pond with­out aggres­sive preda­tors like perch or pike—carp pop­u­la­tions can quick­ly mul­ti­ply. Spawn­ing often occurs sev­er­al times a year when the envi­ron­ment is sta­ble, espe­cial­ly where aquat­ic veg­e­ta­tion can cra­dle their eggs. In cold­er rivers or streams, this process hap­pens less fre­quent­ly or not at all. Their selec­tive breed­ing habits show how fine­ly tuned their sur­vival instincts are, often avoid­ing places they sense as unfit. This selec­tiv­i­ty con­tributes to their rep­u­ta­tion as a dis­cern­ing and elu­sive catch, draw­ing sea­soned anglers to test their skill and patience.

Remark­ably, accounts have been shared of ancient carp reach­ing ages and sizes well beyond the aver­age, though few such exam­ples are con­firmed in Eng­land. Even in care­ful­ly main­tained ponds, they have been known to van­ish inex­plic­a­bly, baf­fling care­tak­ers and fish­er­men alike. One curi­ous phe­nom­e­non notes frogs attach­ing them­selves to the fish, suf­fo­cat­ing them in a way that defies expec­ta­tion in calm waters. Such sto­ries blend mys­tery and obser­va­tion, cre­at­ing a folk­lore that adds to the allure of carp angling. Even for prac­ti­cal minds, these tales sug­gest a deep­er com­plex­i­ty in aquat­ic ecosys­tems. The carp, more than any oth­er fish in this text, invites spec­u­la­tion, rev­er­ence, and con­tin­ued inquiry into nature’s unseen work­ings.

As for the method of cap­ture, carp require the angler to remain excep­tion­al­ly still, obser­vant, and restrained. Bait must be craft­ed with pur­pose: an ide­al blend of fine­ly chopped rab­bit or cat flesh, flour, and hon­ey, formed into soft pel­lets that appeal to their sub­tle taste pref­er­ences. Vari­a­tion is encour­aged depend­ing on sea­son and weath­er, with some recipes adding pre­served meats or aro­mat­ic herbs to the mix. Fish­ing for carp at day­break or just before sun­set dur­ing warm months is believed to be most pro­duc­tive. It is at these times the fish ven­ture into shal­lows to feed, reveal­ing them­selves only briefly and often retreat­ing at the slight­est dis­tur­bance. Pis­ca­tor cau­tions that the line must be fine, the hook small, and the angler’s hand steady for any suc­cess to be had.

Beyond the thrill of catch­ing, Pis­ca­tor also hon­ors the carp with a rich recipe intend­ed not mere­ly to fill the stom­ach, but to ele­vate the expe­ri­ence. The fish, once cleaned and pre­pared, is gen­tly sim­mered in claret wine with a bou­quet of herbs, onions, oys­ters, and anchovies. The aro­ma is said to be both com­fort­ing and regal, reveal­ing why carp was con­sid­ered fit for noble tables and cel­e­bra­to­ry meals. This prepa­ra­tion not only rewards the angler’s efforts but ties the act of fish­ing to the broad­er joys of life—good food, shared sto­ries, and the appre­ci­a­tion of nature’s gifts. The chap­ter thus clos­es with a sense of rev­er­ence, not just for the fish, but for the entire rit­u­al it rep­re­sents: a blend of skill, obser­va­tion, patience, and reward that defines the angler’s true delight.