The immediate economic impact of North America's inaugural World Carp Championship last week varied by location and business, owners and managers said. Carp anglers from all over the world teemed in many restaurants on the tournament's bookend days, but it was business as usual throughout the week while contestants fished marathon-style on the shore of the St. Lawrence River.

"They swamped the dining room on the first day and then came back again for lunch today after they were finished," Downtown Steak & Seafood Company kitchen manager John P. Brown said Friday. Other restaurants in Massena reported similar flow.

"In terms of foot traffic from visitors, I haven't heard a lot of that," Massena Chamber of Commerce Director Paul A. Haggett said. "I don't believe a lot of people associated with the fishermen hung out for the week."

Area hotel rooms were booked well in advance for June 4 and 10, the before and after of the competition. Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Potsdam had to call in vehicles from other offices to satisfy a demand it knew was coming, according to manager Trevor J. White.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber attributed strong sales at the Massena and Ogdensburg stores to championship traffic. The St. Lawrence Centre mall across the road saw a noticeable increase in shoppers just before opening day, particularly at Sears and Radio Shack, according to mall director of marketing Ronald J. Patnode.

"We see more traffic from the junior carp tournament," Mr. Patnode said, noting that the junior version in August does not require contestants to fish around the clock. "I think in terms of the long-term, certainly the championship has gone well."

"I know that our local stores and restaurants are doing great," Waddington Chamber of Commerce President Sheryl B. Evans said. "I think it definitely had an impact on Waddington business."

Teams sent "runners" to fill orders for food, smokes, booze and other essentials throughout the week at Marshall's IGA store off state Route 37 near tournament headquarters.
 

"It's been very good business; I wished it was like that all the time," co-owner Roberta U. Marshall said. Visitors quickly tapped the store's supply of Heineken and other imported brews, she said.

Though large orders for deli sandwiches and pizzas taxed the staff, Mrs. Marshall credited her new customers for their patience.

Across the street, about $1,000 in extra business was "better than a sharp stick in the eye," for Murray's Old Irish Inn owner Frank D. Murray, who said holding central activities at the Mohawk Akwesasne Casino in Hogansburg and keeping anglers on the river all week cut into potential business.
 

"We're still waiting for it," Mr. Murray said Friday night. "It was a little shot in the arm. Hopefully it will break out and bring more people to the region and give us a more regular shot in the arm."
 

He said he did meet some interesting guests and stayed open later for hungry anglers.

Ed K. Sheffield was happy to process about $2,000 worth of fishing licenses on his newly installed license machine at Ed's Bait and Tackle on Main Street in Waddington.

"The commission is low, but it gets people in the door," he said. "I would expect more Europeans will come here and we'll benefit from it."

But across the street at his Laundromat, Mr. Sheffield estimated he saw a 15 percent to 20 percent increase in business.

The Business Development Corporation for a Greater Massena split the cost of a $7,500 economic impact study with the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. The Potsdam State University College's Northern New York Travel and Tourism Research Center study will better gauge the benefits of the championship, organizers said.

The week before the tournament, carp anglers who run guiding businesses up and down the 40-mile stretch cast the tournament as a potential boon for the area.

"I think this world cup will be waking up some other countries to the fact that the St. Lawrence is a great place to fish," St. Lawrence Experience owner R. Joseph Babbitt said then.

He's hosted many foreigners at his carp guide business for seven years. "We have right here flowing past our counties the world's best carp fishing period, bar-none. And anytime you have the best in the world coming to fish, the rest of the world is going to plop to your doorstep. In order to do that, you need to get the word out."

"This is one giant step in letting the world know what we have," he added.

British transplant Peter R. Henwood opened his Riverview of Waddington carping business about a year ago.
 

"If we assume that it's going to be a good tournament, which I can't see any reason why it won't be, they're going to have a good time, they're going to go back and they're going to tell their friends," he said before the tourney. "I've fished all over the world and I've fished in championships before, and this particular competition will put this area on the map."

"It's probably the best thing that could happen in the area, from a tourism point of view anyway," Mr. Henwood added.
 

"This is opening the door for a lot of people from a lot of different countries to have a first-hand experience on the St. Lawrence. A lot of people have heard of it, but when they get here they can't believe the vastness of the river," said Jerry E. Laramay of American Carp Adventures in Massena. He said he wouldn't even mind seeing the competition if the region's popularity takes off.

"Some of the guys who went to volunteer are seriously thinking about carp guiding now," Mrs. Evans of the Waddington Chamber of Commerce said.

"Certainly, it is a definite generator of economic development for the community," said Markly A. Wilson, the state Tourism Department's director of international marketing. He noted it can take three to seven years to see full results. "The community itself has to decide how much they want it to grow. It is their resource."

Mr. Wilson, who works specifically with developing tourism outside of New York City, wants to make the state a world destination for carp fishing, and he started exploring the phenomenon in England about eight years ago.

He plans to promote the Thousand Islands region, Onondaga Lake, Lake Champlain and the Hudson River carp attractions as well, but he commended the St. Lawrence region for its hospitality.

"The strong feeling that I left there with was the tremendous warmth and hospitality among all the towns in St. Lawrence County," Mr. Wilson said of his June 4 visit. "It's the crucial element and you cannot commend them enough on that."