KY Lake Asian Carp tournament

I read on another board that there were 14 teams in the tournament this weekend and that 6,000lbs was leading after day one.....Said they took something like 38,000lbs out in one day....They need to keep that kind of thing going

[QUOTE=Fishin is life;510730]I read on another board that there were 14 teams in the tournament this weekend and that 6,000lbs was leading after day one.....Said they took something like 38,000lbs out in one day....They need to keep that kind of thing going[/QUOTE]

Wow....guess i never realized they were that big of a problem in Ky Lake. You're right....they need to hold a tournament every weekend.

I really hope they can make a regular thing out of it or someone starts a regular weekly tournament based thing out of it where the fishermen can make it worth their time & effort to really try to irradicate them the best they can as they're definitley needed gone from our waters.

Theyre opening a processing plant there and theyre going to start commercial fishing the asian carp. People say theyre good eating just get a bad rap because theyre called carp. I know they had a big fish tasting last night with some big time chefs using the carp caught from the tournament

I've been bow fishing for them on the Illinois river. The commercial fishing for them has really increased and the larger fish have disappeared. Still the river is full of smaller fish.

Anyone have bow fishing information on them for Kentucky Lake? I wouldn't mind taking a weekend trip down there for that. I would want to know where to go and how to find them at night before driving five or so hours to get there.

From KDFW's web site.


[B]Frankfort, KY.[/B] - Commercial anglers netted nearly 83,000 pounds of Asian carp during the country's first freshwater commercial fishing tournament. Barry Mann claimed the top prize of $10,000 after hauling 28,670 pounds of fish from Kentucky and Barkley lakes during the two-day tournament held March 12-13.
"We were in them all day long," said Mann, of Benton, Ky. "They were still jumping around the boat when we had to leave. What we went for was 20,000 pounds. We were pleased with our weight."
Ron Brooks, fisheries director for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, said the tournament underscored the enormity of Asian carp issues in two of Kentucky's most economically and recreationally important reservoirs – as well as other areas in the state.
"Kentucky waters are infested with Asian carp," Brooks said. "The 40 tons of carp removed during this tournament is not insignificant, but this is only a drop in the proverbial bucket. The results were as clear as is the message: We must employ the commercial industry to remove Asian carp."
Two species of Asian carp – bighead carp and silver carp - are plankton feeders and do not take bait off a hook like a sport fish. Brooks noted that these carp over harvest plankton, which are the base of the aquatic food chain. Carp threaten the well-being of native fish and mussels by removing this source of nutrition..
Twenty-one commercial fishing teams originally signed up for the tournament. The number dropped to 15 on opening day, then to 11 teams as some fishermen dropped far behind Mann's team and the team of Heath Frailley, the runner-up.
Frailley, a resident of Calhoun, Ky., brought back 22,000 pounds of carp. His team earned the $4,000 second-place prize. Owen Trainer of Sturgis, Ky., secured third place and a $3,000 prize with 7,790 pounds of fish. Ben Duncan, who only fished one day, won $2,000 for fourth place for 7,160 pounds of fish. Joe Bommarito took fifth place and a $1,000 prize with 4,340 pounds of fish.
Department officials had hoped that each team would harvest 5,000 pounds of fish a day to meet the tournament goal of 200,000 pounds. The most experienced teams managed to exceed the daily goal.
Volunteer monitors for the tournament came from Maine, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. The monitors noted that sport fish species such bass, bluegill, catfish, and crappie were rarely caught in the nets during the tournament. Sport fish were release immediately.
Brooks wants to hold more tournaments. "The numbers of carp are becoming alarming in many waters, including Kentucky and Barkley lakes," he said. "Tournaments are currently this department's only tool for removing measurable quantities of Asian carp."
Brooks said the department has learned much from this pilot tournament and plans to have more if funding can be found to give impetus to commercial fishermen to fish the two reservoirs. "The number of tournaments is dependent upon, of course, funding," he said. "We need sponsors and we need donations."
The first Asian carp commercial fishing tournament was successful because of key sponsors such as the League of Kentucky Sportsmen, Cabelas and the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Those wishing to support future tournaments through donations can do so online at [url=http://www.kentuckywildlife.com]Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation[/url].
Tournaments will continue until fish processing plants can be built to support the existing market for Asian carp. That could generate the prices needed by commercial fishermen to make Asian carp worth their while.
"With just a little economic boost, the fish processing industry in this area would take off," he said. "This tournament brought more media to cover this issue than we could have even hoped for, and hopefully, it will help initiate state and federal funding such as low interest loans to give the industry the small boost it needs."
"This problem was not manufactured by Kentuckians, but it is us who need to attack it now, before the Asian carp cause insurmountable harm to our aquatic resources," Brooks concluded.

People from coast to coast are talking about the country's first freshwater tournament for commercial fishermen.

This weekend, "Kentucky Afield" television puts viewers in the Carp Madness Tournament from start to finish during a half hour special airing on Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

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"This is a reality show - ‘Kentucky Afield' style," said Executive Producer Scott "Bama" Moore. "We didn't tell anyone what to do or say. We didn't ask anyone to cuss or fight. We just followed the fishermen and let them tell their own stories."

The reality documentary shows the amazing 41 tons of Asian carp brought to the ramp at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park after being netted from Kentucky and Barkley lakes during the March 12-13 tournament. The show, however, is more than about the tournament itself.

"We're also focusing on the commercial fishermen, their personalities and how hard they work," Moore said. "We found that during this tournament, sport fishermen started to look at the commercial fishermen in a different light. They began understanding the role and importance of commercial fishermen in doing something about the Asian carp problem in these lakes."

Kentucky Fisheries Director Ron Brooks said he's fielded media inquires about the tournament from outlets as far away as Seattle, Florida and Canada. "I was surprised by the amount of passion that people have for this issue, even in areas where Asian carp are not a problem," he said. "We even had a volunteer come from Maine to work the tournament."

For those who couldn't attend the tournament or want to know more about it, there is "Kentucky Afield."

"Kentucky Afield" airs Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern)/7:30 p.m. (Central) on KET. The show has a repeat airing Sundays at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern)/3:30 p.m. (Central).

Moore said the Carp Madness Tournament show will appear on the "Kentucky Afield" TV channel on YouTube beginning Monday, March 25.

A trailer for this weekend's show is now online at: [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupC4HnBbkE&feature=em-share_video_user]Carp Madness, This week on Kentucky Afield TV - YouTube[/url]

Cool I just set my DVR for this show! Thanks.

Kill'em ALL