ODU Fishing News

Bartlesville OK — Ray Scott, founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society® (BASS), will be the special celebrity guest at CARP Tournament Series’ elite Carp Angling World Championship on the St. Lawrence River in September.  The legendary Scott sweetened the prize pool for the first-place winners with a getaway at his renowned private lake in Alabama.

Indisputably a strange relationship between the freshwater bass and common carp, this marriage between bass and carp was forged by Scott and CARPTS tournament director David Moore who share basic philosophies about sport fishing.  Over the past several years Scott and Moore discussed the probability of Scott visiting the St. Lawrence during the Carp Angling World Championship, if Scott’s schedule allowed.

“I’ve always had an admiration for carp angling,” said Scott.  “It piqued my curiosity many years ago, and I’ve followed the growth of the sport in the United States for the past decade or so.”

“When I met David, I realized we had the foundation for a friendship that was based on our identical values and beliefs of the importance of practicing catch-and-release sport fishing.  As I learned more about Carp Tournament Series and their efforts to promote and educate about carp fishing, I was confident that we had much more in common than the eye could see.”

Scott is a “compulsive entrepreneur” in his own words.  Besides B.A.S.S. he also founded the Whitetail Institute of North America in 1988 which pioneered the whitetail deer nutrition industry.  In addition, he is an industry consultant, motivational speaker, lake designer and outspoken conservationist, for which he has garnered many honors.

After he sold B.A.S.S. in 1986 he stayed with the company another ten years but moved to his 200-acre “ranch” with private bass lakes near Montgomery, Alabama where he has hosted many notables including U.S. presidents.  Scott is now supporting an Alabama state initiative touting the fishing and hunting sports of his area and has opened his home and lakes to a select number of fishing guests (rayscottbassretreat.com).

The Father of Modern Day Bass Fishing to Visit St. Lawrence

Coincidentally Scott has mounted a number of his bass tournaments on St. Lawrence waters headquartered river in Alexandria Bay and loves that part of New York State.  His visit in September will be his first time 75-miles down river where the carp competition will take place.

“It will be fascinating for me to see these anglers from all over the world fish for carp out of these waters,” he says.

Ray Scott Courtesy of Ray Scott Outdoors_2

“Ray is a tremendous supporter of CARPTS,” adds Moore.  “We couldn’t be more privileged to have him join us on the St. Lawrence in September.  He’s a busy guy, and his presence adds a new dimension to our event.  His very generous offer to add a getaway at his private retreat to our prize pool is fantastic – something our first place winners will surely enjoy.”

Approximately 150 pair of competitive world-class anglers from around the globe are expected to participate in the Carp Angling World Championship.  Anglers from the Austria, Australia, Canada, the Channel Islands, Greece, the Czech Republic, England, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, the Ukraine and the United States have already committed to the competition.  Cash and prizes valued at over $100,000 are at stake in the 115 – continuous hour tournament.

The 2011 CAWC is hosted by the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.  Nash Tackle and Nash Baits of England are major sponsors.  Other sponsors include Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Big Carp Tackle, St. Lawrence Experience, Time Warner Cable, Off the Hook Bed & Breakfast, St. Lawrence Centre, Austin & Layng and Reuben Heaton Scales.

For more details –

Kathleen Kelly-Ori, Publicist

CARP Tournament Series LLC

PO Box 1502

Bartlesville OK 74005

315-764-5654

www.carptournamentseries.com