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Norm Hoveling has been arranging carp removals from Johnson Lake for the past 26 years.
JOHNSON LAKE — For the past 26 years, Norm Hoveling has helped oversee the removal of carp from Johnson Lake to promote a better fishing experience for both residents and visitors. Now he is handing over the reins of the operation.
Hoveling got his start when he was hired to help remove carp from some other lakes and he eventually took over the Johnson Lake operation and has been setting up carp removals since 1996.
First imported into the United States in the 1960s and 1970s for use in southern aquaculture facilities and retention ponds, species like bighead and silver carp escaped during flooding and have wrecked fisheries, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Carp reproduce with incredible ease and so its populations can grow at a tremendous speed. Coupled with the fact there are no native fish in the U.S. that can prey on adult carp, their numbers can grow to the point of overpopulation.
As filter feeders, carp consume the base of the aquatic food chain, starving out and outcompeting native fish species. Additionally, silver carp become a safety hazard to boaters and anglers on waters they inhabit, leaping feet out of the air and weighing up to 40 pounds.
The overpopulation of this undesirable or “rough” fish reduces the numbers and diversity of more popular fish and harms sport fishing, according to Johnson Lake Development Inc. (JLDI).
In Johnson Lake specifically, Hoveling said walleye and crappie will spawn along the dam, but the filter feeding carp will follow later and suck up the eggs. The game fish don’t reproduce as much while the carp numbers continue to grow.
A common approach to restoring a desirable fish community is to work to eradicate the carp community and rehabilitate the sports fishery.
That is exactly what Hoveling has been helping to arrange for the past two decades.
The strategy to collect the carp is a seining operation; it is a method that employs a surrounding net, called a seine that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats.
Seine nets can be deployed from the shore as a beach seine, or from a boat.
The JLDI has worked with Jeff Riedemann, a commercial seine operator from Cambridge, Minn., several times in the past.
Hoveling said at Johnson Lake two holding nets that are 30 by 30 feet are set up, then a boat takes out 3,000 feet of net and goes from the outlet toward the Medo’s Resort swimming area and then hugs the shore line heading back toward the outlet.
LEFT: A photo of the last carp removal that was conducted in 2018 by Jeff Riedemann, a commercial seine operator from Minnesota.
The carp are then moved into the holding nets, any game fish caught up in the net are immediately returned to the lake. The process is then repeated the next day.
After the carp are in the holding nets, they are moved into the boat where a skid steer takes them to a refrigerated truck loaded with 25 crates that can hold 2,000 pounds of carp. The fish are put on ice and taken away for use in restaurants, if a buyer can be found.
Hoveling said the removal has to be done at a specific time of the year, when the water is around 60-65 degrees. Carp like to spawn in shallow, warmer water. This time period usually lands around the last week of May.
The removals have usually been done every other year but were done back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, the last time the removals were conducted in Johnson Lake.
In 2017, 40,000 pounds of carp were removed and the fish went overseas to Israel for processing. In 2018, Hoveling was questioned if there would be enough to remove. He was proved right when 71,000 pounds were taken out.
Carp that were removed from Johnson Lake during one of the culls.
Some anglers don’t consider eating carp, but if properly prepared, they are good to eat.
The meat is pink and mild-flavored similar to Tilapia. As with all fish, where it is caught, and how it is handled and prepared is a big factor in taste and flavor.
Hoveling said in fact, carp is the number one edible fish in the world, even if they are one of the boniest.
Carp have thick scales and skin, and a lot of bones. This makes them somewhat challenging to clean and filet. Hoveling said a common way to prepare the fish to eat is to fry them at 400 degrees.
Another use from the removed carp is breaking them down for fertilizer, Hoveling said. Carp can be made into an organic fertilizer through a cold-hydrolysis process. It’s different from an emulsion in that it smells better and retains more nutrients.
After 26 years of helping with the carp removal, Hoveling is now handing the reins over to Ron Pickel, who will now help arrange the operations.
Pickel said he recently started working with Hoveling after he learned he was planning on stepping down.
Having studied biology in college and being an active fisherman, Pickel said he does have past experience with carp removal. He noted he has a love of Johnson Lake and has noticed the ups and downs that come with the fishing are due to the carp population.
Pickel and the JLDI committee are working to have a carp removal secluded for the spring of 2023. A removal has not occurred since 2018 due to scheduling limitations and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The overall goal is to remove 500,000 pounds of carp from Johnson Lake, Pickel said. He noted they have been removing the surplus of carp from the lake but if they can remove this much, the natural environment should help play its part in controlling the overall population.
The current carp population has led to poor conditions for fishing in Johnson Lake, Pickel said getting the carp population under control will contribute to an improved fishing experience at Johnson Lake and help bring in anglers from all over the state and beyond.
He said improving the fishing conditions will take a group effort from Nebraska Game and Parks, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, fishermen and local businesses.
The carp removals at the lake do not happen without some financial backing, thus the Johnson Lake Carp Removal Fund has been a part of the Give BIG Lexington campaign for the past several years.
“With your support, the Johnson Lake Carp Removal Fund will help to support the continued efforts to remove the carp from Johnson Lake. By doing so, the sport fishing at Johnson Lake will greatly improve,” per the Give BIG Lexington page.
Pickel asked that people consider donating to the carp removal fund this year to help improve the fishing at the lake. Their goal this year is to raise $8,000.
Pickel concluded by thanking Hoveling for all his time and dedication he put in arranging the removals to help improve the fishing at Johnson Lake. Pickel said he hopes to fill his shoes.
With his retirement, Hoveling can well and truly put up the “Gone Fishing” sign and know he has done much to make Johnson Lake a desirable place to fish.
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Norm Hoveling has been arranging carp removals from Johnson Lake for the past 26 years.
LEFT: A photo of the last carp removal that was conducted in 2018 by Jeff Riedemann, a commercial seine operator from Minnesota.
Carp that were removed from Johnson Lake during one of the culls.