Teams of bowfishermen are hitting the Illinois River Saturday morning for the first Flying Fish festival and bowfishing tournament. The goal is to rid the river of the invasive Asian Carp species while bringing awareness to the sport of bow-fishing. Jim Goff is General Manager at Bass Pro Shops that’s helping put on the event. He says sponsoring the Flying Fish festival fits the company’s values to help conservation and preservation efforts of area waterways.
“The bow fishermen that will be fishing the big thing that they will be doing is they're helping rid the river of these rough fish. It’s going to draw awareness and it’s going to improve the fishery in the future.”
The fishing tournament runs from 5 am to 1 pm with weigh-in at 2 pm. The team with the overall largest haul of fish wins the top prize of 25-hundred dollars. The Festival will feature samples of Asian carp cooked by a chef, educational displays, as well as archery for kids at Bass Pro from eleven to three.