Austin, it turns out, is a hotspot for carp fishing. Fairchild credits social media (follow @austincarpangler) for spreading the word about the sport—that and the size of the fish. A 6-pound fish is big in the bass world; that’s small for a carp. The state record was a 43.75-pounder pulled from Lady Bird Lake. Other popular carp fisheries are Lake Walter E. Long east of Austin, Lake Fork near Dallas, Canyon Lake near San Antonio, and Buchanan Lake and Lake Travis in the Hill Country.

Europeans, who have a long history of the sport, brought the fish to the United States in the 1800s. They loved the fight the fish put up. The Europeans also ate them for dinner.