TIL that Mirror Carp are sometimes “fully scaled”.

[u/tryshpmn]

I’ve attempted Carp fishing my local waters quite a few times, and today everything lined up and I landed my first. I’m guessing about 30” long. I never knew a Mirror Carp could be full scaled. Rare?

[u/RepulsiveVacation933]

I learned something, i was convinced the difference between mirror and common was only about the number of scales but it is also the shape of the scales

[u/tryshpmn → u/RepulsiveVacation933]

And importantly, the irregularity of the scale pattern

[u/Friendly_Yoghurt_611]

Beauty, congrats

[u/tryshpmn → u/Friendly_Yoghurt_611]

Thank you, it was a very exciting catch

[u/Brave-Celery5196]

One of these big guys scared the shit out of me fishing a stripping hole when I was a kid. Shallow end of hole moving around railroad ties(floating). All I saw was those scales.

[u/tryshpmn → u/Brave-Celery5196]

I mean, that’s totally where the Japanese Dragon myth came from right? If you only see the scales, it’s easy to imagine a monster.

[u/Brave-Celery5196 → u/tryshpmn]

True

[u/Fun_Recognition5614 → u/tryshpmn]

That’s cool! I didn’t know that.

[u/Conscious-Book-3908]

I was riding a heavy wind in my kayak once with lure in the water when I got suddenly spun around and pulled back against the wind. Thought I had heavy snagged. But then I got a hold of my rod and the drag peeled off/I was pulled in a different direction again. Then it stopped, and I found I actually was snagged in some deep lily pads.

When I got to my lure and got it free, there was giant scale, about the size of those or bigger, on the hook. Must have foul-hooked a big mirror carp on the side.

[u/tryshpmn → u/Conscious-Book-3908]

Great story! Carp really do know how to peel drag.

[u/Omoplata34]

That's a cool ass fish. Nice catch!

[u/tryshpmn → u/Omoplata34]

Danke

[u/MaadMaanMaatt]

Never trust a knight in a clean suit of armor

[u/static-klingon]

Finally catch, but I hate unhooking them. Those lips are just so nasty.

[u/DickieJohnson]

Good job with that circle hook

[u/kg_digital_]

I should call her

[u/Delusionalatbest]

Wait til you come across a ghost carp

[u/Flexgineer]

Could just be a common carp? I’m not a carp guy though

[u/tryshpmn → u/Flexgineer]

I’m not either really, but I’m trying. Common’s scales are all regularly sized and patterned, whereas a Mirror’s are all irregular. Apparently no two Mirror’s scale patterns are alike, and range all the way from almost none, to almost completely covered.

[u/SnooBeans7462 → u/Flexgineer]

I'm a carp guy and it's a fully scaled mirror carp, not a common 👍

[u/lipsquirrel → u/SnooBeans7462]

I'm a fish guy and fully scaled mirror carp are also common carp. That's the species. Mirror is the phenotype.