SOWBUG ROUNDUP ADDING A FLY TYING CONTEST

BY JOHN BERRY 

As many of you know, our local fly fishing club, the North Arkansas Fly Fishers (an affiliate club of the Federation of Fly Fishers), holds the Sowbug Roundup each year. This year is the seventeenth annual event and promises to be the best ever. It will be held on March 20, 21 and 22 at the Baxter County Fairgrounds and is open to the public. It is a show that celebrates all things fly tying. The main draw is the fly tiers. There are over one hundred of them from all over North America and Europe. Included, in this group, are some of the best fly tiers in the sport. Many of these tiers have written books and articles or developed fly patterns that we all use and take for granted. Some are artists with hook, fur and feather and others are amazing technicians. The obvious question is who is the best? 

In order to honor the fly tiers and determine who is best, The Sowbug Roundup is sponsoring a Fly Tying Contest. The contest is open to all and there is no registration fee. All you have to do is to tie your best flies and submit them for judging. The flies will be judged by experienced tiers and they will not know whose fly they are judging. We are still in the process of recruiting judges. The flies will be divided into eight categories. There will be four categories for trout flies, dry flies, nymphs, wet flies and streamers. Then there are categories for small mouth, warm water and bass flies. There will be a separate category for youths (under sixteen years of age). In addition to these categories, there will be an overall best in show winner. You can submit flies in as many categories as you want. We did not include a category for salt water flies because we want the contest to revolve around the flies our anglers would use locally. 

Rules are being kept to a minimum. The entrant must tie the fly submitted for judging. Each entry must include the name, address, phone number and email address along with two flies for each pattern submitted with a recipe for the fly and instructions on how to fish it. You may submit as many patterns for as many categories as you want. All flies submitted for judging will become the property of the contest and will not be returned. Any fly that contains natural insect parts (wings, legs, etc.) will be eliminated from competition. Commercially tied patterns will not be accepted. The decision of the judges is final. Committee members and judges are not eligible to participate in the contest. To participate all you have to do is send the flies to John Berry at 408 Combs Ave. Cotter, Arkansas 72626. All entries must be post marked no later than March 5, 2014. There will be plaques awarded for each category and for best in show. The big award is bragging rights for your prowess as a fly tier. The winners for all categories will be announced at the Sowbug Roundup. 

This is a new venture for the Sowbug committee and all are excited about this contest. They think this will be a great feature for the Sowbug Roundup. They could even discover an unknown master among us. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please enter the contest. 

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.