Syracuse.com - Pre-baiting fishing areas helps jump start Wild Carp Week Triathlon team event

[HuntingNY-News]

Day 1 kicked off at 7 a.m. this morning and most anglers said they immediately noticed the difference.

In past carp-fishing competitions on the Seneca River, anglers began starting tossing out bait once the tournament started. The practice would temporarily spook the fish and often resulted in slow starts.

Louie Kiah, of Ogdensburg, N.Y. with his 31 pound, 11-ounce carp, which was the biggest fish caught by late Sunday afternoon. 

This year Wild Carp Week Triathlon tournament director Jason Bernhardt, disappointed with total catches the past two years, tried a different tact. After the anglers on the 31, two-person teams got their designated fishing areas for the 70-hour team competition Saturday afternoon, Bernhardt allowed the anglers to throw bait in the areas from 4 to 6 p.m.

Day 1 of the contest kicked off at 7 a.m. this morning and most anglers interviewed said they immediately noticed the difference.

"Last year, it took about 14 hours before we got our first bite," said Tim Runlow, of Sheboygan, Wisc., who was fishing with partner, Goran Batlak, also of Sheboygan.

"This year, we had fish on with the first couple of minutes of casting," he said.

The two Wisconsin anglers took the early lead, and by 1 p.m. had caught 22 carp, weighing a total of 343 pounds, two ounces.

"We've been so busy, we haven't even had time to set up our tent yet," Runlow said.

Right behind them were Robert Duprey, of Brattleboro, Mass, and teammate Dmitri Consolati, of Lee Mass., with 17 fish.

"In the past, the fishing would just shut down after you threw bait," Duprey said. "This year, he landed nine fish in the first 1 1/2 hours.

The catch-and-release competition is based on total weight and things change fast. On top of that, there's a long way to go of non-stop fishing before the competition ends at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The biggest fish by late afternoon today was a 31-pound, 11-ounce lunker caught at 1 p.m. by Louie Kiah, of Ogdensburg, N.Y.

He hooked the fish on a piece of corn, but credited his bait -- a mixture of strawberry Fruit Punch cereal, combined with fruity rice, cream corn and regular corn, and then dipped into a pineapple-scented solution in a five-gallon bucket.

Kiah and his partner, Tom LaKemper, of Biddeford, Me., are ready for the 70-hour stretch. They spent $222 on groceries, including baby back ribs, ham steaks, hamburgers and hotdogs and chorizos.

"We'll eat well and doze when we can," LaKemper said.

Up the river, Batlak and Rumlow have a more austere meal plan.

"We brought a lot of Johnsonville cheddar hotdogs and plenty of Frapppuccino," Rumlow said, noting he was determined to stay up the full 70 hours and concentrate on fishing.

Last year's winners in the team competition, cousins Jason Long, of Batavia, and Dan Kelsey, of Attica, got off to a slow start today. They were skeptical of Rumlow's intentions, remarking how tired they were after staying up almost the full time during last year's 50-hour competition.

"It's going to catch up with you," he said. "Somebody is going to end up in the hospital after this if they try that. It gets particularly rough during the night if you're catching a lot of fish."

Following the team competition, a Big Fish competition is scheduled on Thursday and a Big Four (weight of four biggest fish) competition is set for Friday.

Each competition will have individual prizes and a point system will determine the overall winner of all three contests. Bernhardt said more than $25,000 in cash will be awarded this week.

The tournament features all male anglers, except for one coed team -- Christine Stout and Justin Keaton, on Indianapolis, Indiana. At one point last year, they were in the lead, but faded toward the end. Stout last year painted her fingernails in a black and white zebra pattern. This year, her nails are a bright, tourquoise color.

"That's because if I catch a big fish, it makes the picture look good," she said, smiling.

For more on Wild Carp Week and updated results, see The Wild Carp Companies website, the "Wild Carp Week" page on Facebook or email Bernhardt at [email protected].

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog