Extreme Philly Fishing: 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive (Cancelled)

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Important note:
All events are cancelled until further notice. Sorry for any inconveniences.
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Hello, Blog Readers!

After a long time, I'm finally bringing you the post on the 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive. All rules and regulations are below!

NOTE: The new date for the 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive is May 18th, 2014.

The 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive will be held on Kelly Drive, after the Girard Ave bridge (For more information, google "39°58'37.66"N 75°11'38.11"W" without the quotes). The scheduled date for the competition is May 18th, 2014 (a Sunday). In case of bad weather, the rain date is May 25th (the next Sunday).

Regarding parking: there's a little parking lot right next to the Girard Ave bridge, on Kelly Drive (less than 5 minutes away from the site of the competition). There's also plenty of parking along the Boathouse Row and close to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (15 minutes walk from competition). There's also a Porta Potty under the bridge, in case of emergencies. heh.

Before I state the rules for this competition, be aware that fishing for Common Carp is certainly an art! Thus, if you have never fished or caught a Carp, but you are interested in participating, I highly recommend you to look through the following links:

-- Visit the PA Fish and Boat Commission's Carp page. They have a very good and useful article there, written by my friend Louis Cook -- owner of the Philadelphia Angler's Club and also an international Carp angler. The article explains the concept of chumming, different rigging techniques for Carp, etc. It's a good place to start!

-- Watch videos on Youtube. This video, for example, shows a traditional setup for Common Carp -- similar to the one that you will be using at the site of the competition (rod holder, chum, bait). If you think his drag is making an AMAZING sound, keep in mind that the Carp at Kelly Drive are way bigger than the ones he is landing in the video (range: 6-20lbs). This second video gives you an idea of how to properly use a "hair rig." Although not necessary for Carp fishing, a hair rig is extremely useful and usually increases your changes of catching the big ones. The second video also the range that you will be casting in this competition -- very close to shore (not more than 30 feet out).

And, of course, google about Carp fishing! I'm sure you will be able to find many interesting articles and guides that will help you catch this elusive fish.

Now, let's go for the complete set of rules and additional information regarding the 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive. Interested readers and future participants: read it carefully!

1. The Event and the Rules.

A. The Event:

-- The First Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive will be held right after the Girard Ave Bridge, on Kelly Drive. This will be the first Carp Tourney series for the year of 2014, and the first non-Catfish competition held by Extreme Philly Fishing. The official date for the event is May 18th, 2014 (a Sunday). In case of rain or extreme weather, the "rain date" is set to be a week after -- thus, May 25th, 2014. Registered participants will be contacted through e-mail and/or/phone call one day prior to the event, in case of bad weather and/or rescheduling. Regardless, an e-mail will be sent out to all registered participants one day prior to the competition as a reminder. Thus, make sure to submit and PRINT your e-mail on the registration form, so we don't miss you. =)

-- Contestants may enter the competition "solo" or as a team of 2 individuals. Entering by oneself is allowed; however, teams are highly encouraged. An extra pair of hands helps a lot during the landing and measuring process. The entry fee for the competition is $20 dollars -- cash only. The fee will be collected right before the beginning of the competition, during the check-in around Girard Avenue Bridge (next to the parking lot). Notice that this friendly tourney is profit-free! For more details, see the prize section (section #3).

-- Public Transportation around the area is available (i.e. Septa bus #38); however, it's not highly recommended. There is a 15 minutes walk from the Philadelphia Art Museum to the site of the competition. For vehicles, there's a parking lot right next to the Girard Ave bridge, as well as parking along the Boathouse Row and the Art Museum. Recall that public parking is free on Sundays!

-- The minimum number of participants for this competition will be 10 individuals and teams combined. If there are not enough participants a day prior to the competition, all registered competitors will be contacted about its cancellation through e-mail or phone (if provided). The competition will be rescheduled if there's a lack of participants! Note that a higher number of participants results in a higher amount for the cash prizes (see prize section; section #3)! Thus, feel free to invite your fishing buddies and/or family members to come! =)

-- Instead of the traditional tourney format of 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. (9 hours total), the 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive will start at 9 a.m. sharp and end at 3 p.m. (a total of 6 hours). It's highly recommended for people to show up 1 hour or half an hour prior to the beginning of the event in order to set up or pick a good spot there! Late registered participants will not be disqualified; however, they will clearly have a disadvantage in terms of time and location. Therefore, plan your schedule carefully!

-- Prizes will be awarded up to half an hour after the end of the competition, in sity. The winners: 1st, 2nd, and Big Fish (not third place), will immediately walk out of the event with their prizes: cash and trophies. The distribution of the cash prizes is defined in section #3.

-- Since this is a friendly competition, participants are free to leave the site at any given moment. There's a Porta Potty under the Girard avenue bridge, and there are usually some food vendors at the parking lot right next to it. Participants MUST get their rods out of the water if they are to leave for any reasons. That's to avoid rods falling into the water or tangled lines, in case a fish gets hooked and runs.

-- Children that are 15 years old or below are highly encouraged to participate in a team. According to the PA Fish and Boat Commission's laws, they are not required to have a fishing license to fish. Note that the parent/adult is responsible for his/her child's safety in situ! See the liability waiver in the registration form for more details (this document will be sent via e-mail, once the participants contacts EPF about the competition).

B. The General Fishing Rules:

Important Note: All fishing participants will abide by all PA Boat and Commission regulations and safety guidelines (click here for more details). This certainly includes having a valid PA fishing license for the year of 2014, for those who are 16 years old or above (as emphasized below).

-- A PA fishing license is required for anyone older than the age of 15. The license must be shown at the check-in, before the competition, and placed on an outer garment during the entire period of the tourney (9:00-3:00 p.m.).Participation without a license will not be permitted. The license can be purchased online or in certain local stores (i.e. Dicks Sporting goods, Walmart, or Bait Shops -- Brinkmans bait and Tackle, Bob's bait and Tackle; Sportsmaster; etc).

-- Fishing spots will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, no one has rights to complain if the same comes late! You are being advised way in advance and you should time yourself for the event. Also, participants/teams must be at least 25 feet apart from each other (for chumming reasons).

-- Each participants or team is allowed 3 rods to fish. However, only 1 hook per rod is allowed. Anyone who disrespects this rule will be given an initial warning and a penalty of 3lbs on the total weight of the bag (see weighting below). A second time will result in disqualification and no refund.

-- Weight-in: there's no fixed weighting station for this competition. If a participant catches and successfully lands a Carp, shouting is highly recommended. I'll come over as soon as I can to properly measure and record the fish. Every Carp will be measured and recorded in paper (this is a must).

-- There will be a penalty for mishandling fish (5lbs per injury or death). Landing mats for this competition are recommended, but not a must. Every fish should be perfectly CPRed (caught, photoed, and released). Please follow the appropriate guidelines for safely practicing CPR: (1) once landed, do not let the Carp flip on the grass; (2) keep the Carp outside of the water for as little as possible; and (3) release the Carp through the net! DO NOT throw the Carp back into the water. Place it into your net and release it gently.

-- A net is fundamental for landing big fish (drop net or 8-feet long net for the non-tidal Schuylkill River). A Balzer Metallica fishing net is highly recommended for this task. Participants should NEVER land a Carp by the line: that will only hurt the fish and the participants' equipment. A net will be available for rental: 1lb out of the bag per fish.

-- Only Carp will be counted as a part of this tourney's bag. That includes the following types and mutations from the non-tidal Schuylkill River: Common Carp, Mirror Carp, and Koi. Note that there shouldn't be any Ghost, Leather, or Fully-Scaled Mirror Carps in the non-tidal Schuylkill River. Therefore, if you catch one of those, make sure to take a good photo of it! Each participant must weight-in all of his/her Carp catches from 9-3 p.m. The three biggest ones in terms of weight will determine the final bag/result for given participant.

2. Registration

In order to register for this event, please send an e-mail to "sheng12182527@gmail.com" with "1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive" as the subject line.

Once I receive the e-mail, a proper response will be sent back in a matter of 3 days or less. The e-mail will contain two formal Microsoft Word registration files (.docx): one with the registration form and liability waiver (do not worry about the signature portion of it), and the other document with the set of rules portrayed on this post. Once the competitor fills up the registration file and e-mails it back to me, the same will be officially registered in the tourney! In case of a team registration, please make sure to include the names of both participants in a single file.

On-site registration will be available on Sunday, April 16th, from 8:00-9:00 a.m.. I'll be under the Girard Ave Bridge with printed registration forms. Please note: I would prefer everyone to sign in in advance since the event will not happen if there are 10 or less participants a day prior to the event!

3. Results and Prizes

The prizes will be distributed for the following positions: 1st and 2nd places, as well as the "Big Fish" (biggest Carp of the day, in terms of weight).

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Also, please note: PA fish and Boat Commission's Angler Award forms will be available during the Tourney. Apart from the competition prizes, anyone who catches a Carp exceeding 28 inches in length and 14lbs in weight will also receive a certificate of excellence from the PA Fish and Boat Commission for his/her Trophy Catch! =)

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Note that the 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive is a non-profit competition, meaning that Extreme Philly Fishing makes no money out of such an event! 20% of the total cash amount will be donated to the SRDC non-profit organization, which focuses on maintaining a clean environment and trail for everyone. Read more about it here. In other words, $4 dollars of your registration fee will go directly to a local non-profit organization. That part of your money will be focused on the well-being of the local community.

Emphasizing:

-- 20% of all proceeds gathered in the tourney will go to the Schuylkill River Development Corporation non-profit organization. Therefore, as mentioned above, the "Carp Tourney" series is a profit-free event.

The remaining amount will be put together for the following cash prizes:

1st place: 40% of remaining cash + 1st place Trophy

2nd place: 35% of remaining cash + 2nd place Trophy

Big Catfish: 25% of remaining cash + Big Fish Trophy

Therefore, the minimum prize amount for the 1st Carp Tourney on Kelly Drive will be (based on 10 participants/teams):

10 participants = $200

20% of 200 will go to the non-profit organization: $40

The remaining $160 will be distributed as it follows:

1st place: 40% --> $64

2nd place: 35% --> $56

Big Carp: 25% --> $40

Note: if, for example, the first place is also accounted for the biggest Carp of the day, that person will be taking $64+40, and he/she will be receiving both trophies.

Another example: if the number of participants are actually 15 instead of 10, then 15*20=$300. The same calculation is performed (1st -- $96, 2nd -- $84, Big Carp -- $60). Therefore, the higher the number of participants/teams, the higher the amount of money distributed.

A formal e-mail from the non-profit organization will be requested after the donation is in, so every participant will receive a gesture of gratitude.

Here are some photos of Carps that I've caught at the site of the competition: