Bartlesville OK – An amazing 33,283 pounds – over 16 ½ tons – of carp were caught and released throughout the non-stop 50-hour CARP Tournament Series Northeast Regionals May 13-16, 2009 in Baldwinsville NY. This year’s total makes the three-year tally an unprecedented cumulative 98,109 pounds of carp for the annual competition on the Seneca River.
Teams representing Romania, Hungary, Poland, Canada, Bosnia, Czech Republic, England and ten U.S. states – New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Illinois – participated in the competition.
Tom Brooks and Colin Peters of North Carolina hauled 2,804 pounds of carp and took first-place honors among a field of forty-two professional carp angling teams. Taking the $3,000 first-place prize for landing 182 carp was a valued moment for the duo who placed third and second in the previous two-years. Their three-year total for the Seneca River is 7,849 lbs., or nearly 4 tons of fish. The pair also took first place in the South Central Regionals at Hominy, Oklahoma earlier this spring which won them a trip to the World Carp Classic in France in September.
t fish weighing in at 34 lbs. with just minutes left in the competition. The biggest four total weight category was won by Lonnie King of Canada with partner Andrzej Tyminiewski of Poland at 117 lbs.The winners shared a prize pool which totaled $10,000 in cash along with tackle prizes provided by Fox International, K-1 Baits, St. Lawrence Experience, Big Carp Tackle, EconoLodge, and Highcliffe Clothiers.
"The Seneca River could not have been more perfect this year," said David Moore, CARP Tournament Series Director. "This river never ceases to amaze me. Baldwinsville has a reputation among carp anglers throughout the world as the place to test technique and stamina combined."
"We’re honored to bring tournaments to Baldwinsville, and we’ve already committed to the local host committee for 2010 and beyond. The hospitality of this area is fantastic. We’re grateful for the amount of work and effort the local host committee, volunteers and sponsors who host our tournament do. We’re looking forward to next year."
The historic Red Mill Inn in downtown Baldwinsville serves as a major presenting sponsor and tournament headquarters. The tournament course followed the Seneca River downstream from the Red Mill Inn toward the Onondaga Lake outlet near and around Long Branch Park, the Wegmans Good Dog Park and Mud Lock just 4.9 miles away. Competitors fish non-stop for fifty consecutive hours.
The competition will return for the third year May 12-15, 2010.
CARP Tournament Series is dedicated to the education and sport of catch-and-release carp angling. Competitions are open to those who exhibit good sportsmanship and show humane stewardship of the common carp species. More information about CARP Tournament Series and how to register for tournaments can be found at www.carptournamentseries.com.
