The North Arkansas Fly Fishers, our local fly fishing club, has scheduled the Sowbug Roundup for March 22, 23 and 24, 2018. This is the best fly tying event, in the area, and one of the best, in the United States. It will be held at the Baxter County Fairgrounds, with an entry fee of only five dollars for all three days. The proceeds are used to fund local scholarships. It is a must attend event.
I have been a member of the Sowbug Roundup committee for several years. I am the 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 ten categories, nymph, dry fly, wet fly, streamer, smallmouth bass, bass, warm water, salmon/steelhead, salt water and tenkara. In addition, there is a best in show award. 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, instructions on how to fish it and the category you wish to have it judged in. You may submit as many patterns for as many categories as you want. You can win a maximum of three categories (best in show is considered a category). 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 by Wednesday February 12, 2018. The winners will be announced on Friday March 23, 2018 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.
If you are an avid fly tyer like me, this is a great opportunity to show everyone just how good you are. There are a lot of great tyers out there that go unnoticed. I often wish that I could have convinced my brother, Dan, to enter. He was one of the best tyers that I have ever seen and just would not enter the contest. I still tie several of his patterns and they consistently catch trout.
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
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