The World Carp Championship, the Super Bowl of carp fishing, is coming to the United States for the first time ever. It will be held June 5-10 on New York's St. Lawrence River.
The championship, expected to draw the biggest crowd in its history, will feature about 120 two-man teams. There are 20 U.S. teams registered so far, with 16 other countries represented, including Japan, France, Belgium, Russia, and Germany.
"It's the Olympics of carp fishing," said Wayne Boon, a Los Angeles resident and director of the American Carp Society, which is hosting the event. "It's the best from all over the world, it really is."
There's a lot at stake for the anglers competing.
The winning team will receive $50,000 in cash and two Chevrolet Colorado extended cab pickup trucks, each valued at more than $25,000. There will be cash prizes for second and third place, too, and a $20,000 prize for the biggest carp.
The Carp Championship will end a week before the Massena Rod & Gun Club?s annual bow-fishing tournament. Teams of archers will comb the river to shoot carp from platform-equipped boats. The three-day event attracts 300 participants, according to its organizers. This year?s contest is the 25th annual.
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