Western Missouri Fly Fishing Trounament

So I got this idea, an epiphany really, as I was driving up to our family farm to do some bass fishing.  There have always been little contests between my buddies and I when it comes to fishing as I am sure that most folks have.  We don't take it too serious but we took it serious enough to have a "championship belt" that gets passed along to the guy that has the best fishing (or hunting) trip.  It's a real leather belt that has a goofy buckle on it, but by golly when you put that sucker on to go to a sports bar or go see a live band, it feels a little better to buckle that sucker than the usual old belt that I wear daily.  I don't get to have these contests enough with my friends because they live so far away, have wives and kids, and we are at busy times in our lives so our get-togethers are fewer and further between.  So that got me thinking about how to get some more good times on the water with people that share a common passion while enjoying some friendly competition.  Most importantly, I want to fish with some folks that I can have fun with and share some laughs with.  The competition is mostly for formality purposes because it is easy to tell your buddy that you have yard work and can't go fishing, but dog gone it, when you enter yourself in a tournament, then you have made a commitment!  Commitments are what made our founding fathers declare their independence of tyranny and write a little letter called "The Declaration of Independence."  For us to not honor our commitments is to metaphorically turn our back on our country's principals and by extension on this great nation!  Well I for one am not going to sit here and allow you to disgrace the United States of America!  So let's have ourselves a little fly fishing tournament fellow patriots and like-minded anglers!

After talking with Matt Sutton, owner of Rainbow Fly Shop, we decided that we are going to put our heads together and organize a fly fishing tournament.  We are still working out the details but it looks like we are going to try and hold the tournament somewhere like Blue Springs Lake or James A. Reed Conservation Area.  Blue Springs Lake would offer the chance for people to fish from the bank or a boat but Reed would offer a little more even playing field.  Like I said, we are working out the details.

Below are some thoughts and ideas.  Nothing is set in stone but I would LOVE to get some input from folks on ways to make this tournament fun and successful.

Show Me Fly Fishing Tournament/Series- we could hold a tournament every season and anglers could accumulate points towards an Angler of the Year trophy.  On the other hand, we could just have one tournament in order to keep things simple and more significant.  

Tournament Times, Locations, and Names 

Fall- Show Me Colors- most species tournament- Blue Springs Lake- Boat Option

Winter- Somewhere Over the Rainbow- most rainbows- James A. Reed

Spring- Show Me Lunkers- longest fish- Lake Jacomo- Boat Option

Summer- Summer Time Blues- most bluegill on a fly- James A. Reed

Tape measurers could be provided to anglers in length tournaments and all catches must be documented on cell phone or digital cameras.  This would be a catch and release tournament and would rely heavily on an honor system.  I know this is asking a lot because all fishermen are liars (including me) but the photographic evidence would ensure a fair level of honesty.

It would be nice to have some trophies to hand out because it IS a competition after all.  Also, who would turn down a fishing trophy?  Prizes would be nice to include as well but that might depend on how many people commit to attending.

I would like to have a kids division as well since it is always nice to introduce kids to our sport and get them outdoors.  I sponsor a middle school fly fishing club and I think some of those kids would attend and it would be nice to not force them to compete against the "Big Boys" since they are still a little green.

Maybe we could have a fly swap too?  I envision people bringing a dozen of one pattern and going home with a dozen of flies that other people have tied.  This could be pretty fun if it can be organized correctly.

I think we should have tournament t-shirts as well.  I like shirts that have fish on them.  That's my only reason.

Maybe we could include a way to benefit a charity like Project Healing Waters?  Charity is always nice and this is an organization that would tie in perfectly to the mission of the tournament.  Maybe registration fees go to the organization or we have a silent auction?

Finally, I'm not sure how to go about announcing the winners and wrapping up the tournament.  Maybe we keep it simple and just announce the winners at a judges' station when time is up, or we could go to a local restaurant and incorporate a dinner into the day.  This would make the event an all-day affair and I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

Again, any feedback would be greatly appreciated and I will share more information as this even becomes closer to becoming a reality.  Feel free to comment in the section below, leave your thoughts on the Facebook page, or email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.