Just wondering if these Magikarp can be used as a quick way to collect a shiny gold Magikarp? using the same method of soft resetting like when encountering a legendary Pokemon. Also does this method work with all such Pokemon, for instance the voltorb that appear in the Power plant in FireRed.

http://www.psypokes.com/platinum/walkthrough.php?part=7

You can't fight them.

But I've always wondered what's behind the mysterious huuuge pile of Magikarp on the far upper left of the map... After the lake refills that area becomes forest.... Mysterious!

Can they really not be encountered? I seem to recollect enaging them in battle in my Diamnond, although my last play through was a few years ago.