The Kinneret Cities Association will host the International Carp Fishing Competition on their shores near the Sea of Galilee. For a continuous 125-hour period, competitors will battle through strenuous winter conditions on a number of beaches on the Sea of Galilee.
Each team in the competition will have 2-3 people of different ages – people from all walks of life: high-tech people, doctors, freelancers and more, inextricably linked by their love of fishing. Teams must stay on their 60 square meter plot for the duration of the competition or they will be disqualified.
Contestants are judged on the size/quality of individual catches. For instance, the heaviest fish caught in the competition’s history measured 17 kg. All fish are returned safely to the ocean after they are caught and measured.
The competition will be judged by thirteen judges with a background in the sport-fishing field. The judges move between the teams, weighing and recording the weight of the carp caught. Professional photographers accompany the judging team, photographing and documenting each catch. The teams compete for the largest weight catch of carp taken out of the Sea of Galilee and in addition for the largest carp catch.
Andrei Mazlin, chairman of the Israfish Association for Sport Fishing in Israel, organized the competition. Mazlin said that 24 teams are competing this year, adding that this year’s competition is particularly difficult due to strong weather and terrain conditions. "We hope that the contestants from abroad will be able to come despite the restrictions," says Mazlin.