THE USA is to enter the World Carp Fishing Championships for the first time in 2014. The team has been selected during a series of trials and is looking forward to the 16th running of the event, which takes place in Romania in October.
Tony Forte of USAngling/USF3 explains, “We are very excited to compete with the world’s best carp anglers this fall in Romania. Carp angling interest has exploded in recent years here in the U.S. This team will be our opportunity to show off our best carp anglers on the world stage.”
“One of our short term goals for US Angling and USF3 is to host the Carp World Championship event here in the U.S. We have some truly amazing carp fisheries in the U.S. that anglers from across the globe are wanting to fish. We are referring to common carp, not the invasive Asian carp species that are causing trouble in the Mississippi watershed.
“Common carp are truly one of the world’s greatest sportfish, combining size, strength, stamina, and a wary nature. We hope that we can surprise the other nations at this championships, and Team USA is preparing to do just that!”
The USA carp trials selection process covered a rigorous series of requirement including distance and accuracy casting tests.
Added Tony: “The Anglers need to be able to cast very long distances, with extreme accuracy, over the 72 hours of this endurance event. So, the tests were designed to not only confirm that the anglers who qualified could cast a minimum of 150 yards, but that they could hit the same spot at the beginning and end of the trials.”
Young has spent many weeks and traveled thousands of miles each year since 2011, scouting likely anglers as they competed in US Carp Tournaments, then following up with interviews, and culminating in the Trials themselves.
“I originally started trying to hold qualifier events, but there wasn’t much interest from the US Carp Tournament Anglers, and I couldn’t fill a single qualifier with enough entries to make it a fair Test.
“It’s understandable,” he continued. “Why should anglers change from money-winning US methods, to fish a qualifier geared around different rules and methods, in order to qualify for a World Championship with no cash prizes?
“I think attitudes will slowly change. People here have no concept of how big the World Carp Championship is in other countries. Once we’ve taken the first US Team to a World Carp Championship, I think the interest will grow, and hopefully we will be able to attract more sponsors to help cover our costs for future years.”
Each Angler is required to raise money towards their travel costs, while Young and the USF3 is working with potential sponsors to secure financial aid, bait, and the specialist fishing gear needed to compete at the highest level.
In addition, Young confirmed that each of the selected anglers has already made significant financial contributions, just to travel to the trials and training sessions already held, with more planned for this year.
“The most exciting part of the selection process was seeing the team commitment”, commented Young. “Every angler has demonstrated his willingness to learn new skills, or retrain old skills, as everyone is very eager for Team USA to succeed.
“There’s no talk about what an individual wants; everyone is concerned about what’s best for the team. We’ve had one of the guys travel to Romania to test rigs and baits, and everyone involved has already put in hundreds of hours and thousands of miles to prepare for the World Championship.
The USF3 will be making further announcements in the near future, as the coaches, reserves, logistic support team, and delegates are selected. Carp Anglers who are interested in the qualification and trials process for Team USA Carp Squads for 2015, please contact Lee Young (lee_s_young@yahoo.com).
Please also see our Facebook page (facebook.com/usangling) for regular updates about all TeamUSA activities (Don’t forget to “like” our page).
Anyone interested in sponsoring Team USA Carp Squad, please contact Lee Young, or select the Donate Button on the USF3 Website: www.usangling.org. All Donations are handled by the United Charitable Programs (UCP), a 501(c)3 management organization, as the charitable and fiscal host for the USF3.
The USA is also hoping to enter the World Feeder Fishing Championships for the first time in 2014.
The 2014 US Carp Squad:
August Wells
Kevin Olivier
Sean Lehrer
Ivelin Petrov
Mihai Aciu
Lee Young (Captain)
