If Ontario is indeed the Carp fishing capital of the world, then why can’t the province compete on a world level? The answer is a bit complicated. And on this Fish’n Canada episode, we try to explain.

The World Carp Classic: probably the richest freshwater fishing tournament in the entire universe. This event draws competitors from all over the globe and gives them a chance at great prizes, including a shot at a $1,000,000+ first prize payout. Now that’s what we call a fishing tournament!

THE ONE-ROD RULE

We should definitely get that event over to Canada, right? With Ontario having such a huge population of gigantic Common Carp (as well as a nice batch of Mirrors), it seems like a no-brainer.

Get this, people: the only thing keeping the World Carp Classic from venturing to this part of the world is what we call “the One-Rod Rule.” In Ontario, shore anglers can legally use only one fishing rod at a time. Two or more rods are permitted almost everywhere else globally. Since the Carp Classic wants to take full advantage of huge weights to generate great viewing numbers, they will not run the event with only one rod per angler. (Interestingly, the Ontario fishing regulations only allow two rods per angler if they are on the Great Lakes and in a boat offshore.)

Wake up MNRF, this is revenue just waiting to happen!

CLASSIC CANADIAN CARP

So if the Classic will not come to Canada, does that mean we can’t go to the Classic?

The answer is no, according to Len Perdic—who in our opinion is Canada’s #1 Carp angler.

Len has taken on a huge project in organizing Canada’s inaugural (and hopefully annual) Canadian Carp Classic. This event is essentially a qualifier for the world championship. That’s right, we can’t host the tournament, but we can send participants. The next best thing!

The venue for the Canada Carp Classic was the St. Lawrence River in the Long Sioux / Upper Canada area. It’s the perfect water to hold such an event; the Carp population here is incredible and there is fantastic shore access to this great number of fish.

The Canadian Carp Classic lasted 53 hours with 13 two-man teams competing. After a long sleepless tournament, Andrew Walker and Jarryd Monahan ended up with a landslide win, catching 105 Carp for an astounding total weight of 1877 lbs. Can you believe that?

With that win, the Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac duo has earned a berth in the World Carp Classic.

JOURNEY TO THE WORLD CARP CLASSIC

How does this young team feel they will fare at the World Carp Classic?

“We have an idea what lake it will be on,” says Andrew. (The location was still unannounced at the time of this writing.) “It’s a massive lake that fishes very differently than the rivers we fish here. We have the potential to do well, but no matter how we end up finishing, it will be the experience and expertise we gain that will ultimately put us in a winning situation.”

Best of luck to our optimistic Canadian entry.

In closing, we hope that this episode will open the eyes of Canadians (and the rest of the world) to just how positive and economically valuable a fish like the Carp can be to a nation.

Ontario Carp, they are classic!

SLEEPING IN THE TREES

We must mention here one of the most unique facilities we have ever stayed at during a shoot. It’s called Robin’s Roost Treehouse. Yes, that’s right; we had a treehouse for accommodations. This is not any ordinary treehouse, however. As you can see by the pictures, this is nicer than most cottages. It is brand new, modern, very functional, and above all, spotlessly clean! Check out the following link for more details: The Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary Campground – Robins Roost Treehouse.

And if the treehouse happens to be booked, their beautiful cabins are a great second choice.