Fish Fly At 'Redneck Tournament'

A Unique Way To Curb Evolutionary Theory Running Amok Along Illinois River

(CBS)  At what they call the "Redneck Fishing Tournament" in Bath, Ill., there are two main rules, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports.

One, you can't use a fishing pole.

"You catch em' in the air, they fly," one fisher explains.

That leads to the second rule: Fish at your own risk.

"They'll nail you!" a fisher says.

One guy just got a black eye and a broken nose — from a fish! Can't imagine that? Well, just wait till we hit the good spot.

The fish are Asian carp, and whenever they hear a boat motor they absolutely freak. The noise scares the carp out of them, so to speak. All of them — and there are tons.

Of course, with so much flack in the air, someone is bound to take a hit. "America's Funniest Videos" would kill for this stuff.

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Watch Steve Hartman's "redneck" fishing lesson

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It may go without saying, but this particular species of fish has grown a little out of control. It's not even native to the region. It was introduced by accident about a decade ago and is threatening rivers and lakes from Louisiana to Minnesota.

Researchers say the problem is that the fish are such big eaters and fast breeders that they force out all the indigenous species. The federal government has even built underwater electric barriers to try and stop the invasion.

Of course that won't help here, which is why Betty Deford started the fishing tournament in the first place.

"I do have something against these fish — they tried to hurt me," Betty says with a laugh.

In three hours, 70 boats caught 1,800 carp. But, unfortunately, that's a drop in the bucket. They really need a better answer. They need it so badly it hurts.