SANTA ANA, Calif. - They are called trash fish, junk fish, the bottom of the barrel among fishes, a nuisance, a pest.

They are otherwise known as carp, the Rodney Dangerfield of freshwater game fish.

Anglers mistakenly catching them enjoy the fight until they see that at the end of their line is a fish with a vacuum-cleaner snout, large scales and a golden-brown complexion.

As big as carp fishing is in Europe and Asia - it's as huge there as bass fishing is here - it is generally frowned upon by most fishermen in America. Carp are unwanted, disrespected and most definitely underestimated.

The American angling populace doesn't know what it's missing, those who fish for carp say. But, slowly, the word is getting out. Evidence suggests carp fishing is being taken at least a little more seriously in the United States nowadays.

"I remember 20 years ago, me and a friend would go carp fishing and people would give us a funny look when they asked what we're fishing for," said Jered Carlson, 41, of Yorba Linda, Calif., an avid carp fisherman for more than 20 years.

"Now people ask more about it. 'Carp? Really? How big?' They seem a little more interested in it."

Interest in carp could get a boost June 5 to 10 when the first World Carp Championship is held in the United States on the St. Lawrence River in New York.

The International Carp Fishing Association, based in Europe, has almost 40 member countries. The ICFA is sanctioning the event, and the American Carp Society is putting it on.

As a message that carp should be taken seriously, the ACS is offering a $1 million prize to the competitor who catches a carp that breaks the New York state record of 50 pounds, 4 ounces.

"This definitely raises the bar for carp-angling competition and sends a strong message about its future here in America," Wayne Boon, a director of the American Carp Society, said in a statement.

Carlson already knows how fun and productive carp fishing can be. When he was in high school, he watched a carp rip line off an angler's reel and break it off. Intrigued by the battle, Carlson asked how to fish for carp, was told how, and 15 minutes later was landing a 15-pound carp.

"Ever since then I've been hooked," he said.

Carp are considered very easy to catch in the spring and summer, a little tougher in the colder months. They are prolific breeders and can be caught in just about any body of water.

Last fall, Carlson landed a 27-pound, 10-ounce carp out of Tri-City Park in Placentia, Calif. Earlier this month, he caught a 7-pound, 15-ounce carp at Yorba Regional Park in Anaheim.

The experts say the trick is using light line, since these park lakes are overfished and the fish are line shy. Most of the members of the SoCal Carp Club use 2- and 4-pound-test line. Oh yes, there's even a local carp club now.

Shawn Kloth of Bellflower, Calif., a transplant from Wisconsin, founded the club last summer with six members. The club has grown to 82 anglers, and more than half are from Orange County.

Club membership is free, and so are the tournaments.

They catch carp on light tackle, a small treble hook baited with sweet corn and a split shot 18 inches up the line.

"In the summertime, when they're aggressive, it's about as easy as it gets," Carlson said. "You don't have to do anything. Just put the rod in the pole holder and they'll take it. And if the pole isn't in a good pole holder, they'll take the pole."

Typical catches weigh 6 or 8 pounds, Kloth said, though in the club's derby last month only two were caught, each weighing more than 10 pounds.

Pound for pound, carp are considered heavyweights and put up an excellent fight, especially when the angler is using light tackle.

"They're extremely powerful fish," Kloth said. "I'd say a 3-pound carp would be equal to a 6-pound bass as far as strength is concerned. If you hook up a double-digit class, it's common to take a half-hour to 45 minutes to bring them in."

Local anglers mostly catch and release. Carp are eaten by people throughout the world, but North Americans and Australians don't consider them table fare.

Carp are native to Europe and Asia, where they are as respected as bass, catfish and trout are here. In those parts of the world, it's been said that carp have been one of the most frequently sought sportfish for centuries.

To the bass-fishing purist or other anglers who might shun the thought of catching carp, carp anglers simply say, "Try it, you'll like it."

If you do, you might discover what other American anglers are discovering: That one man's trash fish is another man's treasure fish.