BALDWINSVILLE -- If you're hoping to reel in some fish this weekend, Baldwinsville is the place to be - just ask Joe Saraceni. He is not only competing in this weekend's CARP fishing tournament, he's also Baldwinsville's mayor.
"This is a nice economic shot in the arm... it's also nice because now we are starting to see these competitors come back throughout the year. So not only are they having an impact this weekend but we are starting to see these fishermen time and time again throughout the year," Saraceni says.
Because they put up such a fight, carp are popular with European and Asian fishermen and carp fishing is catching on in the U.S. as well and it is now a six billion dollar a year industry. Saraceni says the carp, long considered a throwaway fish, has been an unexpected bonanza for the village.
"This is a nice economic shot in the arm... it's also nice because now we are starting to see these competitors come back throughout the year. So not only are they having an impact this weekend but we are starting to see these fishermen time and time again throughout the year."
This is the fourth year in a row the Northeast Regional Carp Fishing Tournament has been held in Baldwinsville. Dennis Moneypenny came all the way from North Carolina to be here. He says Baldwinsville is an easy place to come back to.
"The first year I was here I've never seen a town that opened up so much to welcome strangers," says Moneypenny. "As far as the fishing goes, it's the best place I've ever been to not just for the numbers of carp but the potential to catch some really big carp."
The tournament runs through Saturday. For more information, visit www.carptournamentseries.com and www.cnycarp.com.
