hammercarp

You are right Art we do follow the European procedures for carp tournaments. But you would be surprised to know that carp fishing tournaments have a long history in your country as well. Paylakes in the southern states run carp tournaments every weekend . There are even paylakes in Ohio. But the paylakes in North Carolina have over a 50 year history of having these events. I fish paylake style. .

I am going to hold you to that Mike when we fish with the Americans in this years CanAm tournament. It will be in your home waters. I expect you to do nothing less for our country. We are ahead 3 to 2 so they will be looking to tie things up.

Rich . Carp fishing is more like trapping than hunting. Carp are drawn into your swim by the bait you put in the water. Carp can follow a trail of scent to your bait from quite a distance away. Although scent is not quite the right description since carp can detect stuff like dissolved salt in the water and find the source of it. This is not the only way carp are drawn into you swim either. An anglers skill and knowledge comes into play. Understanding your quarry, reading the waters, determining what bait to use and where to place your bait and baited hook are all factors in determinating who finishes "in the money". Every peg presents the angler with challenges they need to overcome. If by pole position you mean the peg where you fish. I explained that the angler draws a number and that number corresponds to a peg. It is random. Sometimes if there are a lot more pegs than competitors the organizers will allow anglers draw again if they wish or even draw twice and chose from the two. This has to be made clear before the event to all who are entered. This was done on the St. Lawrence for the worlds championship a couple of years ago. For small tournaments I don't like this as it may give guys with local knowledge an advantage over guys coming from a distance away who are not familiar with the waters being fished.

A typical carp tournament is held from shore . We call it the bank. So, a day or two before the event the person or persons running the event will walk the bank and select spots to fish from. These spots are marked and numbered and are called "pegs". The pegs are chosen based on a number of factors. The first is that there is enough room to cast with a 12 ft. rod and for the angler to set up their gear. The pegs should also be a minimum of 15 m. apart. In some places the number of available pegs determines the size of the tournament. In others there maybe a lots of available pegs. Generally no participating anglers are allowed to fish the pegged area for 3 to 5 days before an event. Here the organizer welcomes the anglers and make any necessary announcements. Carp tournaments follow regulations set down by the MNR and are C&R only . In most tournaments the carp are kept in a keep net until they can be weighed by a marshal. However sometimes it is possible to weigh the fish immediately and a scale is brought to the angler at their peg or the fish is transported to a weigh station. We fish in Ontario with one rod and in tournaments you fish that rod with one hook. Barbed or barbless it's the anglers choice. Mats are recommended to ensure that the fish is protected while it is being unhooked. In most tournaments anglers are encouraged to register before the day of the event, this allows the organizers to make sure they fully prepared for the size of the field It would suck if someone showed up and there weren't enough pegs. The anglers pay their entry fees and the necessary information is recorded. Anglers arrive at a designated place about 2 hours before start time. It is generally close to the pegs to be fished. A draw is then held where an angler draws a number for a for their peg. This is usually accomplished in less than an hour so the angler has plenty of time to get to their peg and get set up. This angler is all set to go. The angler fishes the peg they draw and there are rules about how far from the actual peg marker an angler can set up their rod. Also the angler must keep their line within the confines of their own swim (the area in front of their peg) . If the pegs are 30 m apart then the angler can place their bait anywhere with in an area from 15m to their left to 15m to their right and usually as far as they can cast in front of them. There can be exceptions to this depending on the waters being fished. Additional rods may be used to plumb the depths ( an art all in it's self) , take water temperatures and to place bait/chum in the water. They cannot have hooks on the line of those rods. Bait can also be deposited with a sling shot , a long handled very large spoon or scoop or a throwing tube or stick. An angler is allowed to check the water depth, temperature and bait their swim before the actual event begins. A horn or whistle is used to start the event which generally lasts for 7 or 8 hours. Sometimes tournaments are held for much longer . The types and amount of bait used by the angler is left pretty wide open. Lures, flies and jigs are not allowed but some types of artificial baits are. Worms, maggots and meal worms are allowed but leeches, frogs, crayfish and minnows aren't. Flavours and attractants are allowed. The angler may also choose to pack bait around their weight ,hook or a piece of terminal tackle called a feeder or feeder cage on the rod they are angling with. The method of angling is pretty wide open too. Traditional carp rods , float rods, feeder rods, poles, pay lake outfits and just plain old spinning outfits are all allowed. Rod stands, bank sticks, rod pods are all allowed as well as alarms and indicators either mechanical or electrical. Some of the gear typically used by a carp angler. In general an angler plays and lands his own fish. Sometimes the situation allows for help in landing a fish by another participating angler. The angler should make every effort to keep the fish they are playing within their own swim. When an angler leaves his peg for any reason , say, to answer the call of nature, they must reel their line in. Unattended rods are not allowed. An angler should treat their catch with respect and due diligence should be paid to make sure the carp is released with a good chance of recovering. A horn or whistle will signal the end of the event. If an angler is playing a fish when the signal is given they will be allowed an additional 15 minutes to land and unhook the fish. The moment of truth. This is a typical set up for weighing carp. After the end of fishing and all fish have been weighed everybody generally gathers together for some talk and a bite to eat. Meanwhile the organizers will tally up the totals and determine the winners. Each angler's total weight of carp caught determines this. Generally 1st, 2nd and 3rd are in the money. There may be additional prizes. Somtimes due to generous support from bait and tackle suppliers there may be draws held for prizes. Examples of the payout on a carp tournament can be 100% with 50 % for 1st, 30% for 2nd and 20% for 3rd or the organizers may also have a 75% payout with 25% going towards trophies and food. That's about it. This post covers most of the general rules and procedures of a small carp tournament with entry fees less than $50 and usually around $20 - $30. The rules can be different depending on who is organizing the event and where it is held. On a personal note I find tournaments really help you as an angler because the competition provides stimulus to learn. Here in Ontario small carp tournaments generally don't produce a lot of fish. If you have twenty anglers you may get as little as a 1/2 a dozen carp caught. This may seem bad but the bright side of it is that you are in it right up to the last second because just one fish can put you in the money. Larger tournaments where baiting campaigns are carried out by the organizers can yield incredible results. A few years back a carp tournament held in Baldwinsville New York on the Seneca River had staggering amounts of carp caught. The winning 2 man team for the 50 hour event caught 2,800 pounds of carp and carp under 10 lbs did not count. There are also events held on waters like the St. Lawrence where 6 oz. of lead are required just to hold bottom and 65 lb braid is used. That is hard core angling. The get together, after the fishing is done, is a great time to meet other anglers and pick up tips on how to improve your skills and catch rate. The group photo. Lots of happy faces. I hope this helps with any questions about how carp tournaments. The pictures used came from several different tournaments.

Thanks Bruce Mike I don't know yet.

Nice ones Bruce.

If your are interested in participating in and or taking part in running carp tournaments? Please PM me, or email me at [email protected].

It's going to take multiple shovelings here in Hamilton as well. First one done.

Photobucket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXupKCzrGw

WTG Bruce. Good to see you got into some..

That was really cool and informative. He doesn't appear to know though that he was using a front shoulder not a hind quarter. Kinda like not knowing your arse from your elbow. Just kidding eh.

Some part of us never grows up. Your right about the fight though.

I just wanted to clarify for others. Didn't mean to imply anything else.

Neat looking fish Mike.

I saw an osprey get one .

There are lots around here. We catch them all the time. When I was a kid the harbour here was loaded with them. I caught my first one back in the 60's at Valley Inn. They were even along the shore of Lake Ontario. I can remember swimming amongst them where Cofederation Park is now. There were imported to north america even before common carp were. I caught two in one day. This one is a little fancier. They are not coloured common carp but are a different species carassius auratus.

What a battle this must have been.

Here is an article that may be relevant. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9797948/Fish-cannot-feel-pain-say-scientists.html

Butchering an animal that is still alive does not sit right with me. Bleeding out is not butchering it is killing. Either bonking or bleeding should be done before you take a knife to butcher it.

Sorry, I completely misread your intention.

Here's a pike carp hybrid.

Everybody can be a sharpshooter now. http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/futuristic-rifle-turns-novice-sharpshooter-1B7916613

Tim decided to tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend. One evening, after the honeymoon, he was assembling some loads for an upcoming hunt. His wife was standing there at the bench watching him. After a long period of silence, she finally speaks. "Honey, I've been thinking. Now that we are married, I think it's time you quit hunting, shooting, hand-loading and fishing. Maybe you should sell your guns and boat." Tim gets this horrified look on his face. She says, "Darling , what's wrong?" ”There for a minute you were sounding like my ex-wife.” "Ex-wife!" she screams, "I didn't know you were married before!" ”I wasn't!“

From Rice Lake last Friday. Every one thinks about the ice breaking in front of you. Nasty Surprise.