Awards:
A beautiful trophy will be presented to
the fisherman who catches the biggest
striped bass.
Eagle Hill Striped Bass Fly Fishing Tournament Trophy
(Artist's conception)
I'd suggest a joke award; this keeps the
tournament fun and also fosters an atmosphere
that is not overly competitive. Most trophy
stores can provide you with an inexpensive
plaque or trophy that will meet the needs of
your tournament. Don't be embarrassed to ask
for a gag trophy; the trophy dealer told me
that the gag trophies are his biggest sellers.
For our award I bought a trophy that consisted
of a base with a horse's behind, painted with
stripes, mounted on top. The plaque on the base
read:
Eagle Hill River Striped Bass Tournament, 2003
Biggest Ass
When I presented the award I explained that when
I called the trophy dealer I asked for a striped
bass on top, with Biggest Bass on the plaque, but
due to celluar static (like the commercial), this
is what I ended up with. Mike Tovalen, a legendary
bass bum and raconteur, won the tournament with a 31
inch striper. The presentation of the trophy got
big laugh, especially from Mike.
Miscellaneous:
There are a few other things you might need to
consider. Is there adequate parking? If not,
where can participants park? Do you have an
alternate date/location in case of bad weather?
Bad weather usually doesn't stop fishermen from
fishing, but it will stop you from eating outside.
Do you want to pay for the tournament, or do you
want to charge an entry fee? The total cost of
the Eagle Hill River Striped Bass Fly Fishing
Tournament came to about $80.00, including the
trophy. I decided to foot the bill (I felt more
like I was hosting a party), but if I had charged
just a $5.00 entry fee it would have covered my
costs.
Conclusion:
Was our tournament a success? We fished hard,
ate well, and had a lot of laughs, all the while
strengthening old friendships and making new ones.
We planned and held the Second Annual Tournament:
There's talk of getting together more often, and
one participant is planning on inviting the whole
group to his camp in New Hampshire for a weekend
of trout fishing.
Below is a group shot of some of this years participants.
I'm already working on next year's tournament,
and I suspect that it will be an annual event
for many years to come. I'd call that a
success. By following these simple suggestions,
your tournament will be, too. ~ Dave
About Dave:
Dave Micus lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts. He is an
avid striped bass fly fisherman, writer and instructor.
He writes a fly fishing column for the Port City Planet
newspaper of Newburyport, MA (home of Plum Island and Joppa Flats)
and teaches a fly fishing course at Boston University.
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