Fly Fishing Competitions – Could They Be For You?
Up until a few years ago, I had no desire to compete in a fly fishing competition. “Why would I want to stress myself out doing something that I enjoy and that releases my stress?” I asked myself. I enjoy wading down a river, casting to trout sipping dry flies off the surface, or watching wild birds flying to and from their nests. Of course, the experience of hooking and netting a fish is the best part of it, but it’s not all there is to fly fishing, for me. I can go out and catch nothing all day, and still consider it a “good day.”
So why would anyone consider, other than try to see who is “best,” a fly fishing competition?
In 2006, I was asked by an acquaintance of mine to join his team that was competing in the Canadian Fly Fishing Championships that year. I was hesitant at first, but then decided that I would. It would be fun to go out on practice sessions with anglers I had never fished with before. I also thought I might have an advantage: The competition that year was being held on a river I considered my “home waters.” I knew the river fairly well and I knew what flies had caught me fish in the past. Boy, was I wrong!
As far as the final standings were concerned, I did not do well at all. The atmosphere of competing was something so removed from my mind as far as fly fishing was concerned that I “blanked” (expression used when an angler catches no fish during a competition session) almost every session. I lost fish that I normally would have brought to the net. My casting was terrible. I simply wasn’t used to the pressure of competing in a fly fishing competition. As far as any “home advantage, the anglers that eventually took medals in that competition were not from the area and had never fished that river before.
However, that experience also provided me with knowledge that I would not have gained if I had not competed. In a fly fishing competition that is sanctioned by the International Fly Fishing Federation (FIPS-Mouche) or by a national organization that is a member of FIPS-Mouche, the rules for competition are quite rigid – everything from barbless hooks, maximum size of beads on dressed flies, the distance between flies on a leader, and even how you fish from a boat (you must be seated at all times).
One of the most important things I learned was how to make best use of my time when fly fishing. Often, when fly fishing for leisure, we’ll scratch our heads and wonder how to fish a particular fly, or even wonder at what fly to tie on our leaders when it doesn’t appear there are any insects hatching off the water. What depth should we fish? When you have a competition session that is only 3 hours long and you don’t get to choose the start and end time, you learn quickly that organization and time management can be just as important as any fishing or casting skills that you have. You learn how to make decisions quickly and get your fly into the water where it can catch fish.
In 2007, I again competed – this time, in Northern Alberta. It would be a type of angling I had done very little of previously – lake style fly fishing involving sitting in a row boat that is drifting with the wind. Long rods and the use of a variety of types of lines were required. And because there are two competitors per boat, good casting skills even in high winds are needed. No one wanted to return to shore after a session with their boat mate talking about how they took a fly to their head during one of your casts! So this provided me the opportunity to learn new fly fishing skills to fish in situations I’d never fished in before. These new skills definitely carry over into my leisure fly fishing and made me a better all round angler.
Although the competitions are competitive, there is also much camaraderie during the events. Knowledge between competitors is often shared and you’ll find that the best competitors will even try to get you into some fish or give you some tips – as long as they are ahead of you, of course! I made many new friends as a result of the competitions I entered.
If you want to seriously improve your fly fishing skills, don’t discount the idea of competing once or twice a year.
About the Author
Ian Scott is a free lance writer who spends much of his time when not working and writing about a variety of topics, with a fly rod in hand. He is a frequent contributor to About Fly Fishing. You can visit his account of the 2006 Canadian Fly Fishing Championships here. Follow along with his regular fly fishing activities at his blog.
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