wintertime carp contest

[MrTwisters]

Jan 1 fishing event--from the CAG HSOforum

Are you a really obsessed carp angler? Are you crazy enough to go fishing on New Year’s Day? Snow, hail or rains are no excuses… Try The Carp Anglers Group First Fishing Folly of the year, the FFF.

Nothing to pay, this is entirely For Free & For Fun! A Friendly Fishing Fantasy between CAG members and their fishing Guests.

1. How to participate

To participate, first you need to register for the FFF. Just fill this form before December 31st on the Carp Anglers Group Web site, and you’re done:

Now here are the rules... quite simple...

1. Go through a tough negotiation with your spouse or whoever you have to answer to... whatever the outcome, decide to go fishing on Jan 1st. Don't forget to go home, your catches after midnight won't count...To count, a carp must be hooked and landed between 00:00 and 23:59.

2. Pick a good spot and go with at least another angler (or spouse or friend), so that he/she can witness your success (and bring you home if you become frozen solid).

3. You can fish the way you want, using as many rods as locally allowed, using whatever fancy gear, pre-bait the year before (!!), whatever you like, but please catch carp with a single hook and practice catch & release.

4. Record time & weight of all your captures, but also very importantly the water temperature (right after your catch). So don’t forget to bring a thermometer…

5. Only Cyprinus carpio counts. Crucian carp, buffalo, grass carp, dirty socks, frozen anglers and icebergs do not count.

6. All carp must be caught on January 1st and must be landed on a rod cast on January 1st.

7. Carp anglers from any country, any age, and any gender are most welcome. The more participation, the better! ALL are welcome… Non-CAG members (guests) are welcome to participate as long as they go fishing with a CAG member. Contact us for info on a member near you.

2. Who are the winners

You should really participate in the FFF for the challenge of catching a carp on New Year’s Day, but maybe you will actually win something, either on a regional basis or on a worldwide basis! Here are the awards you may win:

1. The FFF First Carp Award: first carp of the year (time to be recorded = when the carp is landed; local time zone). Please send a picture of carp & angler.

2. The FFF Monster Phone Award: biggest carp caught during the FFF in a water under 50°F. Please send a picture of carp &angler and thermometer.

3. The FFF Baby Phone Award: smallest carp caught during the FFF in a water under 50°F. Please send a picture of carp & angler and thermometer.

4. The FFF Emperor Award: total weight of all carp caught by the angler divided by (lowest water temperature you recorded for one of your catches - 30). Please send a picture of the angler and the thermometer at its lowest point. Biggest score wins.

5. The FFF Prince Award: same principle as the Emperor Award, but only for juniors (17 or less). Note that juniors are eligible to all other awards.

6. The FFF Sunrise Award goes to the angler having submitted the best picture of the first sunrise of the year. The picture may or may not include a fish, but has to include at least one fishing rod. A vote will be organized on the Internet to select the best picture.

7. Also anybody crazy enough and skilled enough to catch a carp of any size on Jan 1rst before 6AM (local time zone) will be entered in the very select FFF Hall of Fame. Please send a picture of carp &angler. Also various types of extraordinary achievements may qualify for entering the Hall of Fame (to be decided by the FFF coordinator). This is purely for glory, no prize to be expected on this one. Only CAG members can enter the Hall of Fame.

In general, pictures displaying the (local) time would be nice, otherwise we'll trust you (and the word of your witness)...

3. A bit of background

one might ask why the FFF awards are defined this way. There are good reasons…

• first; you have to understand that Bill “Phone” Warder, a very colorful CAG character, always claimed that carp never truly feed less than 50° Fahrenheit. This topic became a recurring theme for good-hearted jokes on the CAG Forum (on the CAG Web site). This is where the Monster and Baby awards come from.

• As to the Emperor and Prince awards, the point is to give an edge to anglers brave enough to face a very chilly weather and cold water. The formula is a bit complicated, so here is an example: say you catch 30lb of carp with a water temperature of 45°F, your score would be been 2.00. But if you catch 25lb of carp with water temperature of 40°F, your score would be 2.50 and you win!

• As to the First Carp Record and the FFF Hall of Fame is dedicated to Frank Walters, former CAG president, who caught the First Carp of the 3rd Millennium, on Jan 1st, 2001, six minutes past midnight!

4. Sending and tallying the results

You have to submit your results before January 10th midnight.

Preliminary results should be communicated the 2nd or 3rd week of January and final results will communicate by the end of the month.

We will post pictures of FFF prizes on the CAG Web site in December in order to make you salivate a bit more… If you have any questions please contact @ CARPANGLERSGROUP.COM