Illinois' Original Redneck Fishing Tournament

If you love to fish anytime and anyplace, then you need to check out the Redneck Fishing Tournament happening this weekend in one Illinois town.

Two Fishy Problems

I don't like to fish for two very ridiculous reasons; baiting a hook and touching fish.

Sure, I could use a fishing lure that doesn't require using creatures as bait, but that doesn't solve my no-fish-touching problem. I'm sorry, but they are just too slimy and smelly for me.

Anywho, I just found a fishing tournament that is happening this weekend in Illinois that might be something I can hop on board with...The Redneck Fishing Tournament in Bath, Illinois.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Prairie Research Institute

What You Need to Know About the Redneck Fishing Tournament

Bath, Illinois is located just over 3 hours Southwest of Rockford, and over sixteen years ago a woman who lives there named Betty DeFord encountered a major problem while boating on the Illinois River; silver carp flying out of the water and straight into boats!

For those that don't know, flying carp like Silver and Bighead carp, are not native to Illinois yet they reproduce quickly and cause big problems in Illinois' waters. After seeing and learning about the damage these carps cause, Betty decided she needed to find a helpful way to reduce the problem. This need led to the creation of the original Redneck Fishing Tournament.

According to the event's website;

DeFord’s goal was to encourage netting and removing the dangerous fish – and raising funds to
help homeless veterans.

The 'Redneck' Part of the Redneck Fishing Tournament

The Redneck Fishing Tournament appears to be a super fun way to get invasive Flying Asian Carp out of the Illinois River, and it has one major rule; NO POLES ALLOWED!

This year's tournament takes place in Bath, Illinois August 3,4, and 5 and features net-only fishing for all ages along with live music, crazy costumes, activities for kids, and more, all while raising money for homeless veterans and getting rid of these bad flying fish! For more info and tournament rules, visit originalredneckfishingtournament.com.

One last thing...if you go to the tournament this weekend, PLEASE don't do this...

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