The Yellowstone Lake area was buzzing with activity this past week. The weather was still too cool for most fishermen who were yet to get boats and gear out of storage. However, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) had commercial fishermen busy netting carp from the lake. As of last Friday, April 6 as many as 120,000 pounds of buffalo carp were caught, loaded, and shipped to New York. According to workers, the carp ranged from one to twenty five pounds with the average fish about ten pounds. Any game fish netted were released back into Yellowstone Lake.

Although carp, a rough fish, is not considered good eating by most fishermen, that is not the case for many parts of the world. Proper preparation makes it a highly regarded food fish. The internet shows numerous sites for preparing carp for eating.

The elimination of carp by the DNR is intended to improve Yellowstone Lake’s fish habitat. Removing carp will make more food and space for other fish species like walleye, northern pike, and muskies. Water quality tends to improve with reduction of the carp population. According to the Yellowstone Lake website, the lake is open to boating during the netting operation but caution should be used around work crews.

The Yellowstone Gun Range

The Yellowstone Gun Range was also busy with many shooters. The 100-yard range drew more individuals than the 50 yard range but both were being used last Friday, April 7 afternoon. The most popular area seemed to be the pistol range where a variety of handguns were being shot.

The ranges open at 10:00 a.m. every day except Tuesday, when it’s closed for maintenance and police department use according to the Yellowstone website.