Carp Angling Elite Competition Succumbs to Regional Economy

Sept. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Bartlesville OK—The most prestigious carp anglers from around the United States and several foreign countries found the tidal currents of the Connecticut River a real test of their stamina and angling expertise when Hartford hosted the CARP Tournament Series Tournament of Champions at Great River Park for the past two years.  The demanding conditions of the river earned the contest the reputation as an ultra-challenge competition in carp angling circles.  However, the Oklahoma-based CARP Tournament Series learned this week that the currents in the regional economy in southern New England – particularly the greater Hartford area – put their third year in Hartford at risk due to sponsor fallout.   Organizers hoped that they would be able to fulfill their three-year obligation to Hartford with anglers lined-up to attend this year from Texas, North Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, England, Romania and Poland.  But those hopes were dashed with the news that a major sponsor was backing out.

This year would have been CARP Tournament Series 7th Annual Tournament of Champions which the organization moved from Lake Hominy in Oklahoma to Hartford’s city center in 2008 after being persuaded by a local alliance to bring the event to the Connecticut River.  

“CARPTS has never cancelled a tournament in our history of producing tournaments throughout the United States,” said David Moore, CARPTS tournament director.  “We have an obligation to our circuit anglers to guarantee prize monies that we publically advertise, and when our underwriter advised us that the monies would not be escrowed as pledged over the three-year term, we had no choice but to protect our integrity and uphold our promise to the anglers.”

“We’re truly saddened by this turn of events.  We’ve seen an interest in Hartford gain momentum among carp anglers for leisure and competitive angler since we’ve spotlighted this venue and the Connecticut River will always have some great memories for our anglers.  We’re grateful to Mr. Ted Carrier who had the vision to invite us to Hartford as well as the Riverfront Recapture, the Greater Hartford Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cabela’s, the City of East Hartford, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection as well as the local restaurants, shops and hotels for their assistance the past two years.”  

In the meantime, CARPTS is eyeing a new venue for the Tournament of Champions in 2012, and organizers are confident this occurrence was a regional issue which will not affect any plans for tournaments in the future.  The organization is hosting the Carp Angling World Championship on the St. Lawrence River in September 2011 where over 100 teams of international anglers have already committed to that contest.

Learn more on the CARP Tournament Series website—www.carptournamentseries.com

CARP Tournament Series, formerly known as ACS Tournaments, LLC, is based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and is under the direction of David Moore.  Moore is considered a carp angling visionary in North America and the foremost authority on carp angling in the United States.  He is a world-class carp angler having competed in France, Romania and other noted overseas venues.  He is a founding director of the American Carp Society.

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CARP Tournament Series is dedicated to the education and sport of catch-and-release carp angling while providing the highest quality competitions for those who exemplify good sportsmanship and show humane stewardship of the common carp species.