Officials from ACS Tournaments are waiting to hear if the unprecedented 28,544 pounds " or 14 tons of carp " caught during the 50-hour ACS Northeast Regionals held May 16-19th in Baldwinsville, New York is a world record.  A previous claim of 7.5 tons record during a 72-hour tournament on the St. Lawrence River in 2006 appeared to be shattered at the 24-hour mark of the American Carp Society's competition.

Thirty-four two-person teams from 14 states and four countries vied for the $5,000 first prize which was awarded to Frederic Labrousse and Numa Marengo representing France.  The two anglers hauled an amazing 225 carp weighing 3,018 pounds - validating claims by the tournament organizers that the winners would be determined by three factors: technique, the luck of the draw for the team's peg on Seneca River fishery and stamina.  The team's victory proved to be the right combination after fighting fifty sleepless hours on the course at their peg in Lions Community Park just outside the Village of Baldwinsville.

“The shear number of fish caught and released during this competition is staggering,” said David Moore, ACS Tournaments Director.  “We knew coming in that the fishing would be brisk, but the fish cooperated way beyond our expectations.  The skill and expertise of these anglers is superb, and we knew just a few hours into the contest that we were heading toward record levels.”

The Baldwinsville community invited ACS Tournaments to bring their tour to Central New York last year.  A wide-range of local government leaders, business owners and volunteers served as hosts with the tournament headquarters located at the renovated and restored Red Mill Inn in downtown Baldwinsville.  The historic inn was originally a feed mill dependent on the Seneca River to power its grain production.  And, today the inn at the old mill exemplifies the renaissance of the village's waterfront.

The tournament course followed the Seneca River downstream from the Red Mill Inn to Klein Island just 4.9 miles away.  Angela and John Bramley of North Carolina won the Big Fish category " fishing at the terminus of the course " with a 32 pound, 6 ounce common carp " the largest caught during the competition.

Placing second were Tom Brooks and Colin Peters of North Carolina.  Brooks and Peters took home $2,500 for catching 182 carp weighing 2,502 pounds.  Third place prize of $1,500 was awarded to Jake Sharpe and Dale Dobbins, also of North Carolina, with 124 carp weighing 1,662 pounds.

ACS Tournaments 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 the organization can be found at www.acstournaments.com.

Next year's tournament will be held May 14-17, 2008 and registration information can be found on the website or by calling 918-914-2256 in the USA.

ACS Tournament Director, David Moore, is posing with a happy angler. Photo by Rick Walker Outdoor Photography