February Edition
glenn ueda
Our Angler of the month for February is Glenn Ueda, from Southern California! Glenn is an incredible ambassador for the sport of fly fishing and not only is he a lover of carp but for all species, both salt and freshwater. Spending time sharing the message of our beloved carp is a huge passion for him, giving his time at local seminars and spending as much time by the water’s edge as he can. We hope that 2023 is an incredible year for him!
Big congratulations Glenn, as our Angler of the Month. Keep up the great work and sharing the love bro’!
Click HERE to check out Glenn’s insta page!
NOTABLE CAPTURES
With the weather across the USA in full ‘Winter mode”, it’s understandable that many of us are not able or willing to venture out into the harsher elements…however, we did want to specifically recognize those that do! Congrats to everyone on the success of their angling sessions in the month of January…We appreciate all of your tags and mentions, and can’t wait to see what you guys and gals catch over the next month! Don’t forget to tag us #americancarpsociety #jointheguiltyones and tag american_carp_society in your stories!
• JC
ginny & paul russell acs east coast tournament directors
ACS & SOLAR TACKLE
We are happy to announce that the American Carp Society and Solar Tackle Products in the UK have formed an alliance to further the sport of Carp Angling here in the USA.
The 2023 World Carp Classic and American Carp Classic (Formerly Ed French Invitational) in New York and the Mill Creek Cup, held in Texas, will all have Solar Tackle Products as prizes starting in 2023.
Solar Tackle are renowned for making some of the very best carp tackle products and accessories in the world, with their stainless steel pods and bank sticks being renowned by anglers across the globe.
As the interest in carp fishing continues to grow here in the USA we are grateful for the support of all of our friends overseas. Historically we have partnered with Subsurface Journal and Monkey Climber for exposure of the U.S carp scene through interviews, publication distribution and pictorial exposure, featuring some of the best carp angling talent that the USA has to offer.
Our alliance with Century Rods, who provide the incredible blanks for our ACS MIA MK III has been a great addition to this overseas support for the USA … Thank you Solar Tackle for joining the family!
‘Hands Across the Ocean’
THE 2023 ACS WILD CARP CLASSIC INFORMATION
This 2023 ACS Wild Carp Classic tournament will be held in Syracuse, New York, Tuesday May 9th - Saturday 13th. The tournament is a Big 10 format, with prizes awarded to the teams with the most combined weight of their 10 largest carp caught over 15 pounds.
The 2023 ACS Wild Carp Classic will be 76 hours with 40 teams.
All teams wishing to register for the ACS Wild Carp Classic can use the ACS store to secure their spot starting February 25, 2023 at 10:00 am EST.
Each angler is also responsible for paying their $29 American Carp Society membership dues before March 25th, 2023. All anglers must be American Carp Society members to compete in all ACS Tournaments. Your $29 membership fee is good for each calendar year and you will receive new merchandise and tackle products each year as part of your membership, as well as other member benefits.
Teams can secure a spot by paying the full $1350 registration amount or a $675 deposit (to hold a spot) with the remainder due by March 25, 2023 to secure the spot.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
Registration will be limited to 40 teams, unless new pegs are procured prior to the start of competition. Teams will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Once we reach 40 registered teams a ‘wait list’ will be started.
EARLY REGISTRATION: Early Registration for the Top 9 teams that placed in the 2022 Wild Carp Classic (top 3 in each section) will begin on February 13, 2023. Your team will be emailed an invoice for your online registration on this date. Full payment or deposit is due by February 25, 2023. A deposit will hold your spot. Full payment is due by March 25, 2023 to secure your spot.
Early registration teams are not allowed to change their team configuration that was used at the 2022 Wild Carp Classic. 2022 qualifiers may still register if teammates are dropped but cannot form more than one team.
Any team that makes a deposit and does not pay their balance by March 25, 2023 will forfeit their deposit. Any team that makes a deposit but does not show up for the tournament will also forfeit their deposit. Once we secure all 40 full teams any forfeited deposits will be added to the payout roster prize table for the tournament.
A big ‘THANK YOU’ to all of the companies and organizations in New York that help us each year with the Wild Carp Classic and Ed French Carp tournaments!
CLEANING YOUR REEL
by Luke Wilson
With winter coming to an end, and hopefully sooner than later, here's something that you should be doing to help prepare for your time on the water. If you have spare time, keeping up on cleaning and inspecting your equipment is necessary for an avid angler. Lots of preventable issues to gear comes from a lack of keeping up with the cleaning. On top of preventing your gear from failing, cleaning can also improve their performance. One example that I love to stay on top of is cleaning my fly reel. Cleaning my fly reel also means that I'll clean my fly line as they can't help but go hand in hand. It's simple, satisfying, and keeps your gear running smoothly and can even improve your casting.
What you need
To clean your fly reel, you only need a few simple items you can normally find around the house. First things first, grab your reel you want to clean and pick a nice spot to set up. I like to set up at a table or desk so I can keep my work in front of me. Grab a hand towel, an old toothbrush, and Q- tips. Next, fill a cup with warm water and a drop of cleaner. You are also going to need room for a bucket or a tub. I used a plastic shoe box, but many things will work such as buckets, tubs, even sinks. Just as long as it can hold enough water that you can soak your entire fly line without it being cramped. Fill up the larger container with lukewarm water just like you did for the toothbrush. It should be big enough to fit the entirety of your fly line without being smushed as this will lead to a tangled mess. That's it! That's all you should need!
The Reel
Take the toothbrush and wet it. Begin to scrub around the face of the reel. Scrub, dry with the rag, and repeat. Once you feel like the outer parts of your reel are clean, it is time to disassemble your reel and your spool. This gives you access to the inner parts which are just as important, if not more important, to clean. The inside contains moving parts, and these are important spots to clean to keep your drag, and movement of the real in tip top shape. If there is dirt in it then it can be felt while reeling or pulling the line out. This will help make sure that these parts are gonna be moving correctly. The Q-tips are for the places you are unable to reach with your toothbrush. You can use them to dry areas or soak them in your small cup if you want to clean a specific spot.
The Line
While you’re cleaning the inside of your reel and spool. Take the line and slowly, carefully place your line in the water to begin soaking. This allows you to keep cleaning the inside of your spool as more of it becomes exposed while starting the first step in cleaning your line. Keep track of your tag end, I even left it hanging out of the corner so it wouldn’t mix back in with the rest of the line. While you are pulling your line off and into your tub, lay the line on top of itself in a circle because it helps prevent it from tangling. Take your time and really do this carefully! Although it may be tedious and take a bit of time, it will save you a ton of time from detangling your line when you take it out. Once you've hit the end of your line and the backing is out, finish cleaning your spool and the fly line comes next. After soaking the line, take your rag and pinch the line firmly between your fingers. Rap the line and spread the line evenly across the spool while keeping the line firmly between the rag. The rag should pick up the dirt as you go. There are several fly line cleaners out if you are looking to buy one, but warm water and a small hand rag will be sufficient unless your line really needs some cleaning. My line wasn't too bad this time around so warm water and a hand rag was alright. Carp love some muddy water and that can begin to coat your line quickly so fly line cleaner won't be a bad option if you feel your line is extremely dirty or needs some more tending to.
This is also the perfect time to inspect your fly line. While cleaning your line, check to see if there are any damages in your line. You'd be happy to spot them now rather than being out on the water. Knicks, cuts, indents, or even if your fly line has grown too much of a memory of your spool and gets too curly. These are all indicators that you may want to get some new fly line. A small knick dent or cut could be the reason a big one gets away. And when your line gets too curly from being on your reel, it just means that that line is getting to its age limit and you should start looking for a new one.
It takes a little bit of time and not a lot of work, but little things like cleaning your reel and line go a long way. A clean line along with clean eyes on the rod make for a much smoother cast you may find out. It's a good habit to start, and can prolong the longevity of the gear you use and love.
AMERICAN CARPER PUBLICATIONS ON SALE NOW!
We are having a HUGE sale on our HARD COPY American Carper Publications for the month of February…RETAIL $65.00 - ON SALE $15.99!!!