In late August, hundreds of fisherman from across the country gathered along the Illinois River in the fight against Asian carp.
It was all part of the annual Redneck Fishing Tournament in Bath, Illinois. The participants use nets to catch the fish as they head down the river in boats.
Tom Matych of Muskegon shot home video of this year's tournament. As an avid fisherman, he's concerned about Asian carp getting into West Michigan lakes and streams. "This is the destruction of the Great Lakes. Once they get too big, they're immune to any predator."
The Asian carp have taken over the Illinois River. Boating is nearly impossible. People can get hurt by the jumping fish.
The residents of Bath, Illinois started the tournament to bring attention to the problem. "We've got 17 of them in the boat in less than an hour. My wife caught one with a net, the rest, jumped in the boat."
The tournament gets bigger every year. Media from around the world come to cover the event.
One camera crew had to bail out when their boat sank. In the end, no one was seriously hurt, and a good time was had by all.
For Tom Matych, it's become a tradition. Like most of the people at the tournament, he's passionate about controlling the spread of Asian carp.
This year, 108 boats entered the competition and over 3,000 fish were caught. The largest weighed-in at 20 lbs.
Updated Sept 1, 2010
Video on Flying Asian Carp
Hunting & Fishing News 2
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Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of Backcountry Taxidermy or The Backcountry Press.
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