No doubt about it, the best way to introduce anglers to carp fishing is to hold a fish-in. The reasons are simple, new anglers can see large fish caught with methods they never dreamed of, experienced anglers are challenged to catch in new venues and therefore become better, and everyone has a good time. While fish-ins are an unusual way to fish (in that a large crowd is fishing the same venue) they are also satisfying. The primary reason to hold a fish-in is to promote the sport of carp fishing. This motivation quickly fades as soon as you have been to one, however. Most anglers who hold fish-ins do so because they have a lot of fun and enjoy helping others share in the experience. If you have been to a fish-in and want to duplicate the experience, here are a few hints.

1. Plan Well Ahead.

A year (yes, a year) is good, especially if it is the first annual fish-in. The idea is to pick the best venue in the area balancing availability of fish with the convenience of parking, toilets, food, and ease of finding the place. A year will give you plenty of time to figure out if you will need to reserve a spot in a park and will help you set up any housing, etc. that may be needed. It will also give you time to think over what you want to do. Most fish-ins are informal in the sense that there is not a lot of organization needed (just show up and we will fish), but there has to be some structure and limits set and you will need to make sure that the few things you plan will work. So plan, on paper.

2. Keep it Simple.

It should go something like this: everyone who wants to come will show up at the venue at a certain time. We will fish until a certain time. Expect to have a good time. That's it. No promises of large fish; no promises of any fish. This is a social event, so make sure that there are opportunities for education and interaction, but you don't have to run formal seminars - that will be taken care of by the social process. Just put the new and experienced anglers together and nature will take its course.

3. Practice.

Hold a few sessions with friends at the chosen venue to see how the fishing goes. You were going to fish the venue anyway, so why not make it a test? This way you can look to see if there are enough pegs, if there is enough parking, and if the fish are there and cooperative. (I know, but it is better if you catch a few fish.) Also, you will be recruiting your friends to help and inspiring them to be enthusiastic about the fish-in. These mini fish-ins are also a good time to bring along the local outdoors writer to help with the publicity.

4. Getting the Word Out.

Announce the fish-in in the CAG publications as early as possible (the CAG publications are NACA and the CAG Web site; NACA is notorious for late publication) in order to allow the CAG members from far away to make plans to come. Talk (or email) to the local outdoor writers and see if they are interested in coming to the fish-in or to come out with you. Emphasize that the fish-in is an informal educational get together put on for the love of carp fishing. Tell them about what a wonderful fish the carp is to catch. Let them catch one! Your natural enthusiasm should convey the idea. Nowadays it is unlikely you will meet a writer who is prejudiced against carp or who may think he/she knows all there is about catching carp. Most likely the writer will be glad to write about something different and exotic.

Try TV and radio for some free publicity. TV usually will not want to give publicity away, but public TV and public access TV are often good places to go. Outdoor talk shows on the radio are eager to find new and interesting topics. Once you get a writer or commentator interested occasional articles on carping or bank fishing can be placed in the medium. In cities like Chicago and Detroit, this has been very successful. If you can't interest a writer, do it yourself. Write up a press release or write an article for a local paper or outdoor journal (these can be faxed or emailed to the paper). Tommy Riley (IL) has become a regular columnist for a local outdoor paper as a result of his interest. The methods used for carping are clever and sophisticated and can be used by a variety of fishermen.

The next type of publicity needed is a flyer for the fish-in stating all of the information needed to attend. Date, time, place, "rain or shine" notice, and a contact number are all essential. Other information such as license availability, parking, good directions with a map, etc are even better. These can be handed out, emailed, mailed, or placed in strategic spots such as tackle stores.

The last type of publicity is word of mouth. Tell your fishing buddies, tell your friends, announce it in tackle stores, churches, etc. The idea is to whip up some enthusiasm for the event. Once an event is successful, it will continue without too many problems as long s it is organized.

5. CAG NACA and Webpage

Make sure you send an announcement of the fish-in to NACA for publication, not all CAG members are online. Announcements will also be posted to the CAG webpage. Make sure you send a report of the fish-in to both for publication. Pictures of the fishin can also be put on the CAG webpage. Send any information an photos to the Carp Anglers Group.
If you prefer to use regular mail
The address is:
NACA; PO Box 69; Groveland, IL 61535

6. Preparing the Venue

As long as there are fish present, someone will catch a fish. You can insure success with proper venue preparation. Mostly this consists of a pre-baiting campaign and some common sense. This is where you will have to have some help from friends who can put the bait out with a boat or from the bank. One week is good, two weeks of pre-baiting is even better. Use maize mixed with bird seed or wheat to pre-bait and try to keep from fishing there too much. Actually unless you are fishing with a herd of elephants, a good venue will not turn off but somehow it seems like there will be more willing fish if there is no prior pressure. Make sure you are not holding the fish-in during the spawn. (You know, I just read that sentence and realize how ridiculous it must sound, nonetheless it stands.) On a large venue you may be able to move to an alternative spot where the fish are not ready to spawn if you are lucky. If you can't do this and the fish are spawning, fish the edges of the spawn for males and incoming females. The fishing will be tougher, but everyone there will get to see the carp and you can point out to the newcomers how big the fish really are.

7. Make Sure Everyone Has a Good Time.

Provide bait, hooks (Eagle Claw 84 in various sizes), hair rigs, and knowledge for everyone there. Use a variety of styles and techniques that can be adapted to standard North American (NA) tackle. Keep all rigs simple and explain anything fancy. Make sure there are nets available and emphasize both catch-and-release and proper care of the fish. If someone wants to take a fish home to eat, suggest it not be the twenty pound fish but the four or five pounder. Take pictures of every fish you can and make sure the participants get the photos.

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Fishin Announcements and Info

A fish-in can be elaborate or simple, depending on what you want to do. To be successful, however, you have to plan ahead and you have to let people know that the event is happening. Below are some examples of publicity used in successful fish-ins.

Washington, D.C. Fish-in
Greetings all!

DATE/TIME:

The event if being held Fri.-Sun. April 30- May 1, 2. We expect to be fishing the Tidal Basin from sunrise to sunset on both Sat. and Sun. Anybody planning on coming in on Fri. please contact me in advance, we'll probably fish somewhere other than the Tidal Basin and it would be nice for everyone to get together.

VENUE:

We expect to fish the Tidal Basin on Sat. and Sun., which is backwater of the Potomac River, a little over 100 acres, located in the heart of Washington DC. As its name implies the Basin is tidal and there is some current although it's not particularly strong in most places. We should be hitting the Basin at prime time. Previous years have shown the end of April to be one of the primer times to fish the Basin. I'm planning on an extensive pre-baiting campaign (in conjunction with other local CAG members) which should make the fishing all that much better. The fish are numerous and at good weights. The Tidal Basin record is 57lbs+, while I don't expect to see any fish of that size caught over the weekend (I wouldn't be disappointed though), last year during the fish-in we had several fish over 20lbs with the best being a 32lber. For those of you driving in, your best bet is to park on Haines Point (free, all day) and then walk back to the Tidal Basin.

LICENSES:

DC fishing licenses are required. The cost is $5 for residents and $7.50 for non-residents. That's the cost for an annual license. They can be difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain on a weekend. Your best bet is purchase one via mail in advance. Send your name, address, drivers ID #, daytime phone, DOB, age, gender, and a check made out to the 'DC Treasurer' to the DC Fisheries Program, Dept. of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs; Environmental Regulation Administration; 2100 M.L. King Jr. Ave. SE; Washington DC 20020-5732 to the attention of Wanda Payne. Also note that it's legal to fish up to three rods in DC.


ACCOMMODATIONS:

The Hotel Harrington has been recommended to me (800-424-8532), several participants are staying there and it's close to the venue. A cheaper alternative is the Cherry Hill Campground (301-937-7116) which is a half hour drive from the venue. There are 100's of other of places to stay in and around DC which can be found in any good guidebook. I'd recommend making reservations well in advance. Hope that covers everything. Please contact me if you need anymore info., either via email or give a call at 202-546-8313. Really hope that everyone can make it. Feel free to spread the word and bring along anyone who may be interested.
Thanks for your time!
Tight lines,
Pat Kerwin (DC)

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Sample Press Release

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For more information, contact MJK or Oat at the:
Carp Anglers Group