Presents
The Sixth Annual
Chicago Carp Classic
The Chicago River from Michigan Avenue to the Lake
&
CAG Annual Meeting
Quality Inn, Madison at Halsted, 312-829-5000
North America’s Premier Carp Fishing Event
September 24-26, 1999
Chicago, Illinois
For the sixth consecutive year, Chicago opens its arms and waterways to the top carp anglers from North America and beyond. The Chicago River, a liquid gem in the heart of a world class city serves as the venue for the Chicago Carp Classic, the competition for the titles of North American Carp Champion and Chicago Carp King. But even more important than the competition is the opportunity to learn a bit more about the latest ideas in carp fishing and to meet top anglers from around the world.
Last year, for the first time, we offered bankside seminars on various and sometimes esoteric aspects of carp fishing. Because the seminars were such great success, we are offering them again this year. The schedule is not yet finalized but we are expecting a couple of top British anglers to talk about carp match fishing and aspects of carp specimen fishing. Traditional American techniques and fly fishing for carp will also be covered. The seminars will be held on the Friday before the Classic at a new site on the Chicago River. The City of Chicago is just putting the finishing touches on a beautiful new park near Chinatown. This looks like a great place to catch fish and is certainly a perfect setup for seminars.
We are making a couple of significant changes in the Classic this year. First, we are extending the fishing time by two hours. We will start fishing at 9:00am rather than the 11:00am of last year. We will also assign pegs to registered anglers at the CAG Annual Meeting on Friday evening. This will give the serious anglers a chance to scope out their swims and chum the night before the competition. Since the intelligent application of chum (ground bait) is an essential aspect of carp craft, this change is expected to favor the prepared angler. Finally, we are giving vendors of carp gear the opportunity to offer their goods for sale to CAG members. At the moment, we have a great selection of Fox gear and Pescaviva flavored sweetcorn that will be sold.
Weekend Schedule
Thursday, September 23, 1999
7:00 p.m. Maize-boil Party for out-of-town visitors, RSVP to Paul Pezalla
Friday, September 24, 1999
All day Join CAG & Register for CCC
Recreational fishing and demonstrations, Chinatown Park
Max Cottis of Fox Tackle-Specimen Carp fishing
Nick Young of Leeda-Carp Match fishing (tentative)
Tom Conner-Fly Fishing
Mike Keyes-Traditional American Methods
Additional demonstrations to be announced.
7:00 p.m. Annual meeting, draw for pegs and award ceremony, Quality Inn meeting room. Sale of carp merchandise will precede and follow the meeting.
9:30 p.m. Happy hour, Quality Inn Bar
Saturday, September 25, 1999
6:30 am Registration Opens
7:30 am Welcome to Chicago and the Chicago River
Bud Yancey, President of the Carp Anglers Group
7:45 a.m. Draw for pegs for last minute registrants
8:15 a.m. Set up and chum
9:00 a.m. FISHING STARTS
4:00 p.m. FISHING ENDS
Break for barbecue
4:15 p.m. Raffle drawing
4:30 p.m. Announcement of the winners
4:45 p.m. Clean up and adjourn or go fish a bit longer
Sunday, September 26, 1999
All day Recreational fishing, Chicago River (hosted by Jim Monahan and Paul Pezalla) and the Lake Michigan Harbors (hosted by Tom Riley and Jim Blocker). Tom and Jim plan an extensive boilie pre-baiting campaign for one of the harbors and will supply boilies to visiting anglers who wish to use them. The Chicago River always fishes very well the day after the Classic.
Preliminary Rules
All participants must be paid-up members of the Carp Anglers Group and must hold valid Illinois fishing licenses (available online at http://dnr.state.il.us and at the venue). All applicable Illinois fishing regulations must be followed. Two rods may be used and chumming is allowed. Carp anglers, by their very nature, define polite society, and will be unfailingly considerate of other anglers, stewards, tourists, and boaters. Every effort must be made to see that the fish are treated humanely and are returned to the water as quickly and gently as possible.
Prizes will be awarded for biggest fish (Chicago Carp King), total weight of four largest carp (North American Carp Champion), total weight of four largest carp per section of the river, and coolest, most creative, homemade carp gear.
Additional rules may be announced at the time of the event but we do aim to keep it as simple as possible and to rely on civilized behavior rather than rules.
Accommodations
We have reserved a block of rooms for at the Quality Inn, Madison at Halsted, 312-829-5000. The rooms are $109.00 per night for a single, double, triple or quad. Hotel space is tight so please make your reservations as soon as possible. Rates may go up to $129 after 8/23/99.
Directions
To the Quality Inn
From the north on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94), exit at Madison (51D), turn right on Madison and left into the parking lot.
From the south on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94), exit at Madison (51D), turn left on Madison and left into the parking lot.
From the west on the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), exit onto northbound I-90/94 then exit at Madison (51D), turn left on Madison and left into the parking lot.
To the Chicago River
From northbound Lake Shore Drive, exit onto Wacker Drive (west bound, of course, since the lake is to the east). Take Wacker to Columbus Drive, left (south) on Columbus 1 block. Turn right into the center lane that will take you down a ramp to a stop sign. Turn right at the stop sign and go 1 block to the river.
From eastbound Eisenhower Expressway, exit onto Wacker Drive and then take Lower Wacker. Wacker follows the river north for about 0.7 miles and then east for about the same distance. Stay in the right lane and watch for the signs indicating the divergence of Wacker to the left and South Water to the right. Take South Water 2-3 blocks, past the stop light to a stop sign just before an up-ramp. Turn left at the stop sign and go 1 block to the river.
From the Quality Inn, exit the parking lot and go right (east) to the obligatory right turn and then to Monroe. Left on Monroe about 0.4 miles to Wacker Drive. Take a left onto the center ramp down to Lower Wacker and follow the directions above.
To the new Chinatown Park
From the Quality Inn, go south on Halsted Street about 1.5 miles to 18th Street. Turn left (east) on 18th about 0.6 miles to the bridge over the River. The park will be visible from the bridge on the right.
Stewards
We cannot run the Classic without the help of Stewards and urge you to ask your friends, spouses and family members to volunteer. Anybody who can read a scale is welcome. We will award a $100 cash prize to one randomly selected volunteer and will provide free barbecue to all volunteers. Bill and Barb Bernhardt have graciously volunteered to serve as head stewards again this year. Call them at 931-827-2214 if you wish to join their team.
Sponsors
The Chicago Carp Classic is made possible by the kind and generous assistance of The Mayor’s Office of the City of Chicago (special thanks to Tom Grey), The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (thanks to Bob Williamson) and a large number of very generous donors who supply prizes and handouts. Since the list on donors is still growing, we will thank them all later.
Entry
Since only a limited number of pegs will be available for the Classic, we urge you register as soon as possible using the attached form.
Registrations will also be taken Friday at the Chinatown Park and between 6:30 and 7:30 the morning of the Classic.
Since the Classic is a CAG event, all participants must be CAG members on Saturday, September 25, 1999. You will be able to join CAG or renew your membership at the venue up until 7:30 the day of the Classic. CAG dues are $20 per year, $35 for two years or $50 for three years. Membership includes you and your immediate family residing at the same address. Use the address above to join or renew.
The Classic presents a great opportunity to meet carp anglers and to learn about the sport. Even if you do not want to enter or serve as a steward, please fell free to stop by to visit with the greatest concentration of carp anglers you are likely to find anywhere.
For additional information about the Classic, contact Paul Pezalla (708-386-0603, ppezalla@wackerbaits.com) or Jim Monahan (312-642-8404, gadzuk4x4@aol.com).
For general information about the Carp Anglers Group, call Bud Yancey, 309-387-2277.
Registration Form
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Name: |
Enclosed is |
□ $30.00 for CCC registration. |
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Address: |
□ $20.00 for CAG membership (1 year) |
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City/State/Zip: |
□ $35.00 for CAG membership (2 years) |
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Telephone: |
□ $50.00 for CAG membership (3 years) |
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Email: |
_______for raffle tickets ($1.00 each) |
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_______ Total Amount enclosed |
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Make checks payable to CAG and send to: CAG, P.O. Box 69, Groveland, IL 61535 |
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Want to fish next to a few friends? List their names here: |
They must ALL be paid-up members of CAG and must ALL be registered for the CCC in advance of the drawing for pegs . |
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If your registration is received by September 21, 1999, you will get a free sheet of TEN raffle tickets (a whopping $10.00 value). If your registration is received by 7:00 p.m. September 24, 1999, you will get your peg number the evening before the CCC in time to chum your swim.