You are in luck if you want to catch lots of fish for a good cause.
For the third annual Moses Lake Carp Classic, anglers will be flocking to central Washington on May 21.
The tournament is free and open to all. It runs from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Participants can register at Connelly Park, Moses Lake, between 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Ty Swartout, the 2019 event creator, stated that the tournament serves two purposes.
Participants will remove thousands of invasive common cars, an Eurasian species that causes severe environmental damage in American waters. Swartout stated that the competition also educates the public about the harmful effects carp can cause.
Carp can disturb the lake bottom vegetation and sediment when they spawn and feed. This disturbance can release sediment, silt, and phosphorus into water. These nutrients can fuel algal blooms.
Swartout stated that they are terrible for our lakes.
There are other ways that carp can cause harm. They outcompete native species, for example.
Swartout claimed that Moses Lake is full unwanted carp. He also stated that fishermen will remove thousands and millions of pounds of fish during the classic.
Swartout stated that one tournament is not enough to eliminate all the carp. However, it makes for a healthier lake.
Swartout said that it is something that could help over time. They won’t get rid of them all.
Americans don’t eat a lot of carp. Swartout stated that the thousands of pounds of fish anglers caught on May 21 by fish anglers will be donated to a commercial crawdad fishing boat operator in western Oregon who uses them for bait.
The classic could be won by the best bowfishermen.
The person who catches the largest carp will win $1,000. The pot is growing to $400 for the shooter who has landed the most carp. The boat with the highest total carp weight will be paid at least $400. A fourth prize for the largest koi or goldfish shot will be awarded $300.
Shooters will need to pay $30 to compete in the top 10 or gross weight categories.
