The Mudd Foot River Billies held their sixth annual carp fishing tournament Saturday, Aug. 29. Forty-three fishermen and one fisherwoman registered for the event at Pattee Park. The tournament is a fundraising project for children with Cystic Fibrosis.
Tournament rules required the fishing be done on the North Raccoon River between Jefferson and Adel. The river was bank full, and it continued to rise all day. The river’s current was swift, with a lot of debris washing downstream. These conditions probably caused many fishermen to stay away from the event this year.
Glenn Peterson and his partner Chris Laws had a challenge launching their boat at the Perry Boat Ramp. Glenn said he was going upstream to look for some calm pools of water.
Ricky Wood of Rippey fished from the shore, upstream of the boat ramp. He had two poles, one was baited with nightcrawlers and the other with a peanut butter concoction. He got a good bite on the peanut butter when I was watching him, but he did not land the fish.
At 5 p.m. the catches were brought in to be weighed. John Hupp had the largest carp at eight pounds, one ounce. He used sweet corn for bait.
The largest common carp ever caught in Iowa weighed 63 pounds, caught in Viking Lake in 2006.
The second largest fish was caught by Marty Palmer, weighing seven pounds, 10 ounces. Palmer and his partner Ricky Wood had the largest stringer of carp at 31 pounds, six ounces.
The fish were given to Saving Our Avian Resources (SOAR) of Dedham, Iowa, a non-profit raptor rehabilitation organization that cares for sick and injured eagles, owls and hawks. SOAR Executive Director Kay Neumann said she greatly appreciates the donated fish for her eagles and other birds that are in her care.
Neumann said she is very low on food for the eagles and currently has three empty freezers that should be full of fish. She has 14 birds in her constant care, and more birds than usual have passed through her aviary this year with various ailments and injuries.
Several of the fishermen said they would go fishing again in two weeks when the river is down to help supply more fish to SOAR.
Neumann brought two falcons to show the fishing group. She had a 15-year-old gyre falcon named Sandy and an 18-year-old peregrine falcon called Pearl.
Both of these birds were raised in captivity for hunting and breeding. They would not be able to survive in the wild on their own but will live out the rest of their days under the care of SOAR.
Laura Holst, administrator of the 2015 tournament, said it was a success and thanked all of the participants and the sponsors who provided prizes for the raffle.
Editor’s note: Readers of ThePerryNews.com who enjoy the occasional nature writings and reports of Ray Harden should note the Carnegie Library Museum in Perry will host an exhibition of Harden’s nature photography starting Sept. 5 and continuing until Nov. 8. Harden will also give a talk at the Carnegie Oct. 11.
