Syracuse.com - Visa problems hurt Carp Angling World Championship on St. Lawrence River

[HuntingNY-News]

The five-day tournament, held Sept. 24-30, pitted anglers against each other on a 35 mile stretch of the St. Lawrence River. A total of 100, two-person teams were expected. Only 56 showed. A total of 24 teams, from three counties, were denied visas.

Courtesy of CARP Tournament SeriesVlastimil Fugas Vrsovsky,of Serbia, with the biggest mirror of the tournament, which weighed 23 lbs. 12 oz.The weather was great, the fish were big, the hosts were extremely accommodating from what I’ve heard — yet there was still a little carping last weekend at the Carp Angling World Championship along the St. Lawrence River.

The reason?

The field of two-angler teams in the CARP Tournament Series-run competition was reduced by nearly 25 percent as a result of U.S. embassies in the countries of Russia, Romania and the Ukraine denying the anglers their visas. A total of 24 teams out of an anticipated field of 100 no-showed because of visa problems, tournament officials said this week.

Other teams dropped out for other reasons. Since the payout in the five-day tournament that ended Sept. 30 was dictated by the number of teams entered, the total prize money was reduced for the 56 teams that ultimately fished.

The winner’s purse was initially advertised as $30,000 for the winning team, based on 100 teams entering. The winners — Ian Chillcott and Lee Jackson, of England — took home $16,800 instead. The two caught 122 fish weighing 1,857 pounds, 3 ounces.

The total amount of payout for all categories was originally projected at $130,000. It was reduced to $70,500.

Tournament spokeswoman Kathleen Kelly-Ori said invitations were sent out earlier in the year to the foreign competitors and that some contestants had secured flights and were unsuccessfully fighting to get their visas right up until two weeks before the tournament.

Romania was particularly bad, Kelly-Ori said, adding she was promised 29 teams from that country. Only seven showed.

David Moore, the tournament’s director, said nobody contacted him from the U.S. Department of State about any problems. He said that feedback from anglers from those three countries who came told him that many were questioned about being “flight risks.”

“I wonder if you had some people sitting behind desks thinking that carp fishing was a joke,” Moore said. “These people (who were denied) were known anglers.”

Eric Ames, of Constantia, who competed with partner Steve Ware, of Fayetteville, and finished 27th, said while registering he got behind an angler from Moscow, who told him he had a hard time getting out his country. He told Ames officials feared he would not return home.

“He said he told them, ‘Listen, I’m 53, I have children here, I own a house ... Where am I going?’” Ames said.

By late Thursday it was unclear exactly what agency actually caused all the problems with the visas — whether it was all on the U.S. side, or on the side of the anglers’ countries.

Andy Laine, a spokesperson from the U.S. Department of State, told Mark Weiner, The Post-Standard’s Washington correspondent, that “I’m told that there has been no policy change with respect to the issuance of visas for these countries. Visa cases are considered confidential under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

The Waddington-based tournament began Sept. 24. Anglers fished at assigned spots for 115 straight hours along 35 miles of the St. Lawrence River. It ended at 10 a.m. Sept. 30, with the awards ceremony at the nearby Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg. The featured guest was Ray Scott, who originated the catch-and-release oriented Bassmaster fishing tournament series.

The second-place finishing team was Al St. Cyr and Jack Curry, of Austin, Texas, winning $14,000 for their 107 fish weighing 1,610 pounds and 9 ounces. Third place was Marcus Tackley and Jeff Skerratt, of England, who won $11,200 for their 93 fish weighing 1,397 pounds and 9 ounces.

The tournament’s biggest fish was 39 pounds, 15 ounces, caught by the team of Pavel Hastik and Petr Mikulicka, of the Czech Republic.

Courtesy of CARP Tournament SeriesChampions (left to right) Lee Jackson and Ian Chillcott of England with BASS founder Ray Scott.Courtesy of CARP Tournament SeriesPavel Hastik, of the Czech Republic, with the biggest fish of of the tournament, which weighed 39 pounds, 15 ounces.RESULTS AT A GLANCE:

- Day #1 WALMART BIG FISH OF THE DAY 33.02 Peg 17 USA - Shawn Rafter & Jen Terriah, Lisbon NY

- Day #2 WALMART BIG FISH OF THE DAY 32.14 Peg 15 CZECH REP - Pavel Hastik & Petr Mikulicka

- Day #3 WALMART BIG FISH OF THE DAY 34.07 Peg 4 ENGLAND - Paul Musson & John Lilley

- Day #4 WALMART BIG FISH OF THE DAY 39.15 Peg 15 CZECH REP – Pavel Hastik & Petr Mikulicka

- Day #5 WALMART BIG FISH OF THE DAY 34.12 Peg 10 USA - Chris Jackson, PA & Tom Brooks, NC

- $1500 BIG MIRROR OF THE CAWC (13 total caught) 23.12 Peg 48 SERBIA/SLOVAKIA ­ Vlastimil Fugas & Vanja Nikolin

- $2500 BIG FOUR OF THE CAWC 132.01 Peg 15 CZECH REP - Pavel Hastik & Petr Mikulicka

- $2500 BIG FISH OF THE CAWC 39.15 Peg 15 CZECH REP - Pavel Hastik & Petr Mikulicka

- $7000 WINNER NATION¹S PRIZE 138 POINTS Tito’s Vodka Happy Hour Express (USA-TEXAS) Captain Jim Kirkman & Chad Edwards, Dallas TX; Al St. Cyr & Jack Curry, Austin TX; Paul Dinea & Ioan Iacob, Chicago IL (USA/Romania)

- $5600 5th PLACE Peg 6 - 66 fish, 1351 lbs 11 oz. USA/ROMANIA ­ Paul Dinea & Iaon Iacob

- $8400 4th PLACE Peg 55 ­ 94 fish, 1397 lbs 3 oz USA/ENGLAND ­ Stewart McKenzie & Pat Kerwin

- $11200 3rd PLACE Peg 61 ­ 93 fish, 1397 lbs 9 oz ENGLAND ­ Marcus Tackley & Jeff Skerratt

- $14000 2nd PLACE Peg 56 ­ 107 fish, 1610 lbs 9 oz USA ­ Al St. Cyr & Jack Curry

- $16800 1st PLACE Peg 59 ­ 122 fish, 1857 lbs 3 oz CHAMPIONS!!! ENGLAND ­ Ian Chillcott & Lee Jackson

- For complete results, see the CARP Tournament Series Web site.

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