They call it ‘skarping’ and it’s a pastime that, with the fusion of waterskiing’s thrill and fishing’s fulfilment has it all… except insurance.
Nathan Wallick,inventor of the new watersport, found his inspiration in the flying fish that inhabit the Illinois River. Tired of dodging the Asian carp, a species known to jump as high as 10 feet in the air when startled, by say, the motorized watercraft favoured by his Peoria-based bowfishing business, Wallick came up with a plan to “make them pay.”
Hunting the hard-headed fish (““Their heads are solid bone,” Wallick told ozy.com) naturally calls for safety measures: namely a football helmet and a padded life jacket. Skarpers thus equipped set off on waterskis or a wakeboard, fishing net in hand, with a floating basketball hoop being dragged in a tube at their side for slam-dunking catches.
Earlier incarnations of the sport made for an even more eye-catching spectacle, with sharp gardening tools and even spears called into service.
For a time Wallik supplemented his bowfishing business with skarping trips, but lack of insurance has put an end to that.
It’s one for the bucket-list… if you can find the coverage. Story originally surfaced on ozy.com.
