We spend so much time trying to find serious solutions to serious problems, sometimes we forget that dealing with problems can be fun:
Aggressive silver carp that have made recreational boating on the Illinois River a frightening experience also present an opportunity - scary fun. A real-life Fear Factor.
Enterprising people in Bath, a remote river town south of Havana, last month organized a Redneck Fishing Tournament and plan another one Sept. 10.
It's a bring-your-own-boat tournament, where a boatload of people compete to see who can get the most Asian silver carp to jump into their boats. The winner takes all of the $10-per-boat entry fees.
The silver carp cruise beneath the Illinois River in schools, and leap out of the water at the sound of a boat motor.
"You can't throw them back," said Betty DeFord, manager of The Boat Tavern in Bath. "We're going to eradicate the Asian (silver) carp."
The July tournament garnered about 200 silver carp, she said, in only five boats. Organizers hope to double the number of boats and silver carp in September.
DeFord said she recently took a group of friends out on the river to see the silver carp jump and wasn't disappointed.
"It slimed all four of us. There were 30 (silver carp) in the boat," she said.
The jumping carp leave a residue of slime and blood wherever they land.
The group had to shower and change clothes before the party resumed, she added.
Rednecks take showers? John, any personal experience?
