Join us for the 2023 Purcell Carp Classic Fishing Tournament at Purcell Lake! This tournament is a joint effort between the City of Purcell Parks and Recreation Department, The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, and local fishing enthusiast to control the invasive common carp population and help restore vegetation, habitat, and sport fish numbers in the lake.
2023 Tournament Details (To Be Determined)
Entry is $10.00 per person. Participants will be divided into conventional rod & reel and fly-fishing divisions. Proceeds from the tournament will go towards future conservation efforts at Purcell City Lake.
September, 2023 Purcell Lake - Chandler Pavilion 1401A Lake Road Purcell, OK 73080 (405) 527-7227 parks@purcellok.gov
In 2018, the City of Purcell Parks & Recreation Department began efforts to control the common carp in Purcell Lake. Carp are notorious for altering natural ecosystems. They uproot and disturb submerged vegetation while searching for insect larvae to eat. Carp reduce water clarity and stir up bottom phosphorus-containing sediments, which contributes to algae blooms.
As their population has grown, the condition of the vegetation and habitat for other species in the lake began to slowly deteriorate. Crappie, Bass, and Catfish numbers have dropped steadily as a result.
For this reason, the tournament was established to control the invasive species in our lake to allow vegetation and sport fish populations to increase. This is not a catch-and-release tournament, as any carp that are caught are not to be returned to Purcell Lake.
