As many of you know, the most important fly fishing event of the year is the Sowbug Roundup (the Friday night Shindig has also become the fly fishing social event of the year). It is a three day celebration of fly tying that is scheduled for May 23, 24 and 25 in 2017 at the Baxter County Fairgrounds. Fly tyers from throughout the United States will be there and we usually draw a tyer or two from abroad. I am on the Sowbug committee and I believe that the next Sowbug Roundup will be the best one ever. It is our twentieth anniversary and we are pulling out all of the stops.
My job on the committee is chairman of the Fly Tying Contest. This has become an integral part of the show and I really enjoy doing it. I invite each of you to enter the contest. There are nine categories, nymph, dry fly, wet fly, streamer, smallmouth bass, bass, warm water, salmon/steelhead and salt water. In addition there is a best in show. The winners of each category and the best in show will receive a plaque (the perfect thing to hang over your tying desk). The real prize is the bragging rights for winning.
Rules have been 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 (they must be exactly the same size, color, etc). You need to include the 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 will become the property of the contest and will not be returned. Any fly that contains insect parts (legs wings, 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 your flies, recipes and fishing instructions to me, John Berry, at 408 Combs Ave. Cotter, Arkansas 72626 or you can drop your entries off at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop at 1343 East 9thStreet Mountain Home, AR 72653 by Wednesday February 15, 2017. The winners will be announced on Friday March 25, 2017 at the Sowbug Roundup Shindig which will be held at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church beginning at 6:00 PM. This event has become the top fly fishing social event of the year.
The idea behind the fly tying contest is to identify and acknowledge those talented tyers among us that nobody knows about. In the past we have discovered talented local tyers like Chad Johnson who is now a judge. Last year’s discovery was Tradd Little, who won five categories at the age of thirteen. He is returning this year.
My only regret is that, as a committee member and judge, I cannot enter the contest. I hope you enter and join me at Sowbug.
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