Dear Carp - January 27th, 2013

Dear Carp,

I came to your home on this gloomy day in hopes that a conversation with one of you would brighten my spirit the weather has dulled.  This morning was a thick and sticky foggy occasion.  The sun did not break through the overcast at anytime today. 

The darkened skies, along with the southerly wind causing a solid riffle on the surface gave you and your kind a good advantage today. 

But, even if these things hadn't been present I would have fell to you in defeat regardless - a defeat that I certainly suffered today. 

Shortly after arriving at your home I spotted one of your citizens that had a good number of wise years accumulated.  He was a brawny beast. 

I offered him a yellow winged and brown bodied Critter.  He liked it.  He liked it so much he took it with him snapping my line with ease and handily defeating me. 

Tying a natural colored Critter on next, the second citizen of the day and I would connect.  This chap would also defeat me with the aid of a brush pile. 

Looking into the offering box there was only one Critter left and of course it went on the line.  The third citizen could easily been seen for he was in the shallows.  The Critter landed a foot or so in front of him.  He rushed to the offering, opened his mouth and sucked.  As I went for the connection the fly and leader sailed above me becoming entangled high in a tree.  Not only was the Critter sacrificed, the leader was dismantled.

You defeated me this afternoon and you are always humble in victory.  Of course, I try to be gracious in defeat, but never quitting is a large part of me.  I left your home to return to my prairie place.

At my home I begin to take my waders off, but then changed my mind.  At the tying desk two Critters were quickly fashioned.  A new leader was unpacked and assembled on the fly line.  I headed back to your home.

Although your victories were grand today my reward for returning would be equally nice.  A shadow of one your citizens could be seen below the riffled surface.  A yellow winged, burnt orange bodied, with pumpkin colored legs went to him.  I could see him move toward the offering, but could not see his mouth.  My gut kicked in and I went for the connection.  Our conversation begin.

This citizen was of a slightly different order than the most of your community and he was indeed a fine looking fellow. 

 

By now it was late afternoon and I still had to keep my promise to you by removing more trash from your home.  Today, I would go to the middle of where you live to reach down deep in the water and remove something that certainly doesn't belong. 

 

 

 

As I said earlier, you are always humble in your victories and I must tell you that I am humbled by your victories.  This is a good thing though because it reminds me of your power and just how grand you are. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher 



In Getting Spanked

I went fly fishing with Van today.  I got my butt spanked my Van today.  Actually, I got my butt kicked my van today. 

We had a 75 fish day.  Van caught 50 of the trout today.  So, do the math and you'll know how badly Van kicked my arse. 

Now, you might ask why anyone would beat up on an old man like Van did today?  I don't know.  It's a damn shame though and should be against the law. 

The truth is that Van had the goods today and he brought em.  The amazing thing about this guy is that he's been fly fishing hardly anytime at all, but he has taken to it like a duck to water. 

Of course some credit should be give to the guy who introduced him to fly fishing and perhaps this is some small part of his success.  And that guy is me!  See how he repays me for my kindness. 

The usual hot spot today wasn't so hot.  Van did pick up some and I only picked up a few.  So Van went downstream and this is where he found his hot spot for the day. 

For Van the morning action came courtesy of the brown bugger.  Later around noon, his action got hot again using the Hare's Ear. 

 

I wouldn't find my sweet spot until close to noon.  I decided to fish the oxygenated water below a falls and the trout here were loving the Hare's Ear and Pheasant Tail.  When they grew pattern weary of these two flies, I simply tied on a size 16 dark olive baby bugger and the action was back on.

 

All in all it was a fine outing.  I hate to admit it, but I tired out early.  Seems like I do that a lot anymore. 

 

Think I'll get on a Geritol regimen and get back in the game. 

Trout Derby In February

The President's Day Weekend Trout Derby will be held on February 16th and 17th and Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area. 

$1.000.00 in cash and prizes will be awarded.

This event is sponsored by the Johnston County Chamber of Commerce and Blue River Association. 

For more information contact Scotty McCarthick at 580-371-9288.

Update On Lost And Hopefully Found

A big thank you goes out to Wanda and Lou Barbaro for contacting me today saying they have found the lost Frabill wooden landing net lost by that poor fly fishing chap from Arlington, Texas. 

They have each other's contact information now and hopefully they can come together so the poor hapless lad can get his net back.

Now... we all can see how it pays to network when it comes to lost nets.  No pun intended.

Thank you Wanda and Lou... you are fine folk. 

Dear Carp - January 24th, 2013

Dear Carp,

My friends... I feel like I lied to you.  Yesterday I told you it would probably be a couple of days until we meet again due to the weather.  The cold front scheduled to hit this sea lane stalled sixty miles north of here and we ended up with a blue bird afternoon.

I want you to know I did not intentionally mislead you because I was relying on the reports from those that predict the weather.

I had my doubts on having any conversations with a member of your clan today.  My arrival to your home was several hours later than usual and there was only a short time of light left. 

Knowing that the sun would be lower than when we normally meet, I decided to offer you a gift in a different color than you've been seeing here of late.  The color you have fancied so far has been a natural color constructed of deer hair.  Today however, I brought you yellow.

After tying the yellow backed Critter on I suddenly became embarrassed realizing I had tied this creation backwards.  Yes, embarrassed... and the only excuse I can give you is due to my tendency to sometimes have a pilsner brew too many.  It's an innocent I own you must know. 

As I was thinking about tying on another creation, one of your clan - an adolescent fellow, teenager for sure, caught my eye upstream.  He was gingerly traveling downstream.  Being upstream from me I employed a back-handed roll cast and as I watched the Critter slowly fall in the column... he ate it midway. 

That was one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen. 

 

This teenager of your ranks was beautifully colored and indeed a fine citizen.  He learned a good lesson today and will grow in wisdom as time goes by. 

 

Time was short for us today, but as promised I removed more trash from your home.  Not much, but some.  With my declining ability to remember things and with my discipline and organization also being on the skids, I keep forgetting to bring the big trash bags with me.  I'll work on that.

 

 

I may go see the pretty little fish of Blue this weekend, but I promise to return to you soon.  And, I won't bring that ugly fly with me next time.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher



Dear Carp - January 23rd, 2013

Dear Carp,

Standing at the threshold of your home today, I realized the advantage you had over me thanks to the phenomenon known as Snell's Window.  When you are in the shallows only a foot or so deep, the window you peer through is quite small and narrow.  However, today you were in deeper water - three feet or more and the window you were looking through, at me, was much larger.

My hope though was the angle of the sun would mask the shadow of my offering and the line it was attached to.  To further increase my chances of meeting one of you, I employed a sidearm roll cast that has a much lower arc. 

I thought you had me for good today - a couple of missed sucks and a quick release.  However, I would come to meet one of your children. 

 

 

I must tell you... he was a feisty little chap and I know the day will come he will make a fine fighter. 

 

I wonder if Charlie has been by to see you?  I do know that he is feeling better and said something about going to see the pretty little fish since he hasn't had much chance of visiting them.  If I were you, I would keep a keen eye out for Charlie. 

 

I am compelled to tell you that I've always watched the animals and their actions in trying to get a sense of what the coming season will do.  Here of late, in watching you, along with noticing the gleeful play of the squirrel in the trees, along with the joy warbling from the throats of the birds, I can tell you we will have an early spring. 

 

An early spring is an exciting thing, but there is still troubling concern.  As I stand along the fringes of where you live, it is hard to ignore the fact your home is continuing to shrink.  The prolonged and exceptional drought continues to plaque us.  Now, the men and women who tell us what to expect in the future are saying that this part of the prairie ocean needs 9 to 12 inches of rain to come out of this drought.  The question is will we receive that much.

 

The beaver may be trying to show us the answer.  At Charlie's Pasture, the animal Charlie calls Little Beaver has constructed a dam that has raised the level of that sea lane by two feet.  Today, just upstream from you, I found the makings of another dam.  Perhaps the beaver senses something and is trying to build reservoirs to ride out the rough times. 

 

Before leaving you today, I rid your home of some more refuse.  There is so much this year it seems overwhelming at times.  A little each time though will make a difference and also gives me an excuse to come see you and your lot. 

 

 

I probably won't see you for a couple of days.  A juggernaut of a cold front is headed our way arriving tonight.  Tomorrow's daytime temperature will be thirty-five degrees colder than today.  So, I will stay home and tie you some more presents in hope you will like the gifts I bear. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher



 

 

One Fly 2013 On Line Entry Form

Blue River One Fly 2013
Entry Form

Name:___________________________________________

Mailing Address:____________________________________

City:_____________State_______________Zip Code______

Email:____________________________________________

Cell Phone*_______________________________________

*This is the cell phone you will be carrying the date of the event.  This is for contact reasons only.

Check appropriate boxes

____Entry fee enclosed (Please check or money order only)  IMPORTANT:  Please make check or money order payable to the Blue River Association.  Entry fee is $25.00.

___Yes, I want a mulligan fly on the date of the event for $10.00

Total enclosed:_____________

PLEASE NOTE:  Make check or money order payable to Blue River Association.  However, mail completed entry form along with fees to the following address.

Barry C. Shrader
One Fly Contest
700 E. Wynnewood
Sulphur, OK 73086

I will deliver all entry fees to the Blue River Association where they will be held until the event is completed.  Once the event is completed the Blue River Association will issue payment to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife in support of the Catch & Release area at Blue River.

Lost And Hopefully Found

This past Friday (January 18th) at the Catch & Release section of Blue River, a fine gentleman and fly fisher known to many of us lost his Frabill wooden landing net.  He believes he lost it in the C&R parking area located furthest west of the highway 7 bridge.

If you did happen to find this fine chap's net and you'd like to get it back to him then contact me at fishingcowboyblue@yahoo.com and I will put the two of you in touch. 

It's tough to lose fly fishing gear, especially when it has served us well. 

Thanks everyone. 

Dear Carp - January 20, 2013

Dear Carp,

Yesterday I was with those pretty little fish - the ones with rainbow colors.  When I finished my visit with these sweet creatures I wanted to come see you, but time ran out. 

Today, I owed great servitude to the mercantile store.  So much servitude I wondered if I would visit you today or not.  This servitude also cost me an opportunity to see the wonderful play Jekyll and Hyde with front row seats - best seats in the house, all courtesy of one Mr. Charlie Wright. 

The servitude was paid in full an hour after the afternoon hours arrived, but that still did not leave time to make the opening act.  By the time I would have arrived at the theater, the curtain call would be in session.  However, there was enough time to come see you and it was indeed a fine, sunlit day. 

If you have been missing your friend Charlie of late, it is not because he has lost his affection for you and your kind.  Charlie has been taken by the flu and is resting and recovering.  I assure you he will come see you again, unless the call and serenity of San Miquel de Allende takes him from us for good. 

My friends, it was my hope today to meet one of you but I had doubt as to whether the coldness of your home would have you interested at all with any form of conversation. 

To my delight I could see that a number of you were holding communion on the far side of this creek you call home.  My offering to you today was the same as offered many times before.  A favored fly or yours and mine alike - a fly of hope and expectation. 

One of your kind found a fancy for the Critter today. but his signal was quite faint - barely a movement in my leader.  The connection was good though and our dialogue began.

 

The clearness of your watery home let me see that this kin of yours was a magnificent citizen.  Not wanting our conversation to be cut short I walked this brethren 100 feet downstream to the shallows so my hand could brand your kin.

 

 

 

The take from this fine citizen was so faint that my lasso went deeper than I wanted into the mouth.  The sharp lance was two inches deep into the throat but in the roof of the mouth.  However, the debarbed lance backed out easily with no harm to your kin.

 

I know that you see those that come to your home and lay their trash in the place you live, eat, and celebrate life.  I too see the nasty artifacts they leave behind.  Today, I removed one that had begun to leech - one similar to one removed earlier this past summer. 

 

 

Why they come to your home with their trash is a puzzle to me and you alike.  I pledge to you, however, that I will follow their footsteps of stupidity, ignorance, and indifference as I rid you of their refuse.  This year, the one called 2013 will be the year of your kind.  In the coming months, through the spring, summer, fall and next winter I will give you a cleaner and healthier home. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher

 





Beautiful Blue Cold Morning

I like fishing with Van Stacey and this morning we did go a-fishin'. 

We traveled to the north wilderness - a place I am favoring this season.  For the first fifteen or twenty minutes in the water, neither of us got a bite or if we did we couldn't see it.  The sun had just broke the horizon. 

I decided it was time for a pattern change.  I took an olive streamer and handed Van a black.  The action was on then.  I'd catch a trout, Van would catch a trout. Van would catch a trout, I would catch a trout.  It wasn't exactly every single cast... but close. 

 

After another thirty minutes in the river, I realized I had dressed way too lightly especially in the area south of that little beer belly pooch I own.  My legs went numb so I waded out of the river to the bank.

 

Standing on the bank with legs shivering and teeth chattering, I watched Van continue to pluck a blow here, pluck a bow there, pluck a bow now, and pluck a bow then. 

 



I didn't have to look to tell that our guides were freezing up.  I could hear it when Van would make a roll cast and feel it when I would cast. 

 

After another twenty minutes Van waded out of the river to try and thaw his frozen digits.  We stood there on the bank stomping our feet and rubbing our hands with hand warmers so we could go back in for more... fun... I think. 

 

Van went back in and started catching trout again.  The sun was about an hour and half high in the eastern sky.  I was beginning to feel the warming rays so I stayed out for another ten minutes or so. 

 

 

Finally I waded back in and started taking a few more trout.  Action continued for a short while but slowed to the point it was time to go elsewhere and we headed downstream.

 

Downstream, Van took position off the falls and caught a nice bow on his first cast.  Then, he turned around and fished upstream and caught another bow.  I had took position standing on a rock near the bank and it was here the action turned really sweet for me.  I had a good stretch where every cast resulted in a bow. 

 

Soon, Van's brother Marty and Uncle Jack would join us and I asked them to take the position on the rock.  I went downstream and caught one more bow. 

 

The trout seemed to go off the bite by late morning or near noon.  I bid Van goodbye at around 11.35 a.m. and begin to walk out of the wilderness.  He was going to stay and fish with brother and uncle.

 

I hope the trout cycled back on and went on the bite again.  When I left Van on the river, we together had brought about 60 trout to hand.  A good morning.  Cold early, but warming nicely when I was walking out. 



One Fly 2013 - Mystery Fly Winner Prize

There will be a winner announced for guessing the mystery fly on the morning of One Fly 2013, which takes place March 2nd. 

As promised the winner will receive a prize and as the prize we have selected  is a Streamside thermometer.

Knowing the water temperature can be important, or at least interesting, particularly if you keep a journal of your fly fishing expeditions like I do.  Water temperature controls the metabolism of the trout so knowing where you are, as far as water temperature, can tell you a lot.

 

So, congratulations to the winner and may this dandy little tool serve you well.  

One Fly 2013 - Mystery Flies Arrive

The mystery flies arrived today.  All 80 of them!  Yep, I ordered some extra in the hope that the turnout would be more than my expectations. 

Right now, I think I'll probably be somewhat disappointed.  But hey... I'll have plenty of flies to fish with and they are nicely tied. 

Since I am ineligible to fish the One Fly 2013, I may just scarf a couple of these dandies and try them out this weekend at Blue to see how they fish. 

The flies are under guard.  Last year the family pet Sadie kept a watchful eye and sharp teeth in protecting the flies.  This year that duty will be left up to Drift.  Now, Drift is a sweet dog, but he has Jack Russel like jaws so don't think about pulling any funny stuff folks. 

One Fly 2013 - Final Clue

Here is the final clue that will be offered in guessing the identity of the mystery fly for One Fly 2013.  This clue should make it easy. 

Remember the rules - the first contestant to guess the name of the mystery fly is the winner.  The results will not be announced until the day of the One Fly 2013.  The winner will receive a prize, which will also be announced later. 

Here's the clue.

One of these in the hand is worth two in the bush. 

Good luck.

One Fly 2013 - Mystery Fly Clue #5

This will be the next to the last clue in guessing the mystery fly for One Fly 2013.

Although this fly requires several materials to complete, one that is often used for tailing is teal flank fibers. 

Good luck.

One Fly 2013 - Mystery Clue #4

Here is mystery clue #4.  Be sure and read this clue carefully because within the words is the answer.  There will be two more clues after this and with the last one everyone should be able to guess the identity of the mystery fly... maybe. 

When trying to guess the identity of the One Fly 2013 mystery fly - think feathers.

One Fly 2013 - Mystery Fly Clue #3

The mystery fly has western roots. 

Good luck to all the contestants of One Fly 2013. 

One Fly 2013 - 1st Place Prize

The winner of One Fly 2013 at Blue River on March 2nd will win this fine reel from Cabelas.

 

 

The RLS boasts the same high-end performance features as the best fly reels on the market, and does so at a value-driven price. The Rulon® disc drag offers unrivaled smoothness and powerful braking to take on almost any underwater challenger. The large, knurled drag knob makes it easy to adjust the settings during the heat of battle. A large arbor ensures quick line retrieve and less line memory. The RLS is made of lightweight, yet extremely durable machined aluminum with a black-anodized finish. Oversized handle. Quick-release spool. Reel easily converts from left- to right-hand retrieve.

The RLS the winner will receive is a 3/4 weight and be perfect for the trout at Blue River and many other species in addition to warm warm species.

Good luck to all the contestants.

One Fly 2013 - Clue #2 Mystery Fly

Although many classify this fly as a nymph, while others consider it a wet, the creator of this fly wanted it to imitate something totally different.

One Fly 2013 - Guess The Mystery Fly

Last year at the first One Fly on Blue River we had a fun contest where contestants could try and guess the identity of the mystery one fly.   This year we're doing it again.

The first person to correctly guess the identity of the mystery fly for One Fly 2013 will win a special prize. 

To take a stab at the mystery fly simply send your guess to fishingcowboyblue@yahoo.com or leave a comment on this blog. 

Here is clue number 1. 

This fly was created 54 years ago. 

Good luck. 

Dear Carp - January 10, 2013

Dear Carp,

Last evening I received a most wonderful carp scouting report from a fellow that many of you have come to know - Charlie Wright.  You must understand how I was sleepless last night after reading Charlie's accounting of how yesterday you were out and about in fair numbers gingerly grazing in the shallows.

Sleepless due to a constant visualization of how I would come to you today in hopes of meeting just one of your kind.  Just one and one only. 

I'm sure your kind was in rejoice with the rain of the day before yesterday - rain that clouded the creek and gave you cause to feel protected.  Protection you were certain of because the cloudiness would prevent me or Charlie from seeing you. 

However, as I stayed sleepless last night I planned for that.  The plan called to search for you at the fringes of the creek while staying high on the bank.  At the high platform I would stand and select a kinsman of yours in the shallow fringes - a grazing carp out from the edge just ten feet or so.

Now if you would have known I was coming today, most likely you could have told me what offering I would bring to you.  Yes, you're right it would have been, and was, the Creek Critter. 

As I tossed and turned last night I tried to decide what would be the best time to come to you today.  Around mid-afternoon seemed a perfect time with the sun being in a good position.  However, nature today decided to throw a wrench into my plans around noon when the sun disappeared behind large patches of rain clouds. 

Yet, at the creek this afternoon I could still see your wonderful forms in the stew.  At one point was a lone wolf of your kind.  Tail was visible, but head was not.  The Critter went out with a short roll and then it was all gut feeling on my part.  Gut came through.

 

 

Your lot should take pride in the fact that your kinsman of today was a fine fighter, especially considering the cold temperature of your home. 

 

This fine lad is the first carp of this new year for this angler and therefore I branded him with the name Alpha. 

 

While I have your attention there are some things I would like to share with you.  Of course you must understand at this point I'm reading the tea leaves, but there is a high probability these things will take place.

 

Charlie has been scouting new carp water.  He has found a large stream, a river actually, and there is a place where a smaller creek joins the river.  I won't tell you the name of this creek, but will share with you it has a most sweet name. 

 

Charlie reports that observations show there are a fair number of your kind that live at this place.  Sadly I must tell you that Charlie found remains of a good number of your breed due to the drought of the past year. 

 

In interviewing some of the old salts that fish this confluence, Charlie has also learned that your kind are of good size and quantity. 

 

So, if Charlie and I pursue this water then we will not be sneaking up on you as much as in the past.  I am sure this might be music to your ears, or Weberian apparatus, but don't start the party just yet. 

 

Secondly, I plan on spending a good amount of time this year searching and exploring the big water five or six miles downstream from you looking for the next state record of your kind.  The current state record, by rod and line, is just a tad over forty pounds. From what I've seen, the big water may just be able to produce one of you this size or better. 

 

Smile not my friends.  You must know by now that you are our favored sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters and forsake you we simply cannot. 

 

We will be seeing you soon. 

 

Until then, graze, rest, and enjoy. 

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Prairie Ocean Fly Fisher

 

 

One Fly 2013 Prizes Announced

Although we have yet to decide on what the prize for the first place winner of the coming One Fly 2013 at Blue River, we can announce the second and third place prizes.

The second place winner will receive a FishPond San Juan Vertical Chest Pack.

Perfect for minimalist anglers who prefer to fish and travel light. The San Juan Vertical Chest Pack by Fishpond lets anglers eliminate all but the basics yet still feel comfortable that they have everything they need. Offering a comfortable, low-profile vertical design, the San Juan Chest Pack features a zippered main compartment for fly box storage, zippered interior pocket for accessories and Fishpond’s signature, zip-down fly bench with replaceable foam. Built-in climbing cords on the pack’s exterior provide handy spots for attaching tools and accessories.

The third place winner will receive a Scientific Anglers Max 432 Waterproof Fly Box.

This compact, double-side fly box features precision slit foam on its interior shell and on the two-sided insert. In addition to its waterproof construction, the Max 432 Fly Box is built tough with a clear design to allow you to quickly select you next fly before opening.

Northern Trout Of Blue River

Sometimes it's rather nice just to listen to the rhythm of the river. 

The holidays put a kink in my fly fishing schedule and as of today it has been almost three weeks since I've been to Blue River. 

This morning I caught a ride with my buddy and fellow fly fisher Van and we headed for the northern part of the river Blue.  This season I still have a tendency to go north.  Van had never been to this particular stretch of water and I was eager to show it to him. 

Van was armed with new fly line and a nice selection of hare's ear patterns and it was my hope that he would get into some trout. 

We were expecting light winds of 5 to 10, but was greeted with a steady southerly wind of about 15 to 20.  With the temperature still below 40 this morning, the comfort level was far from pleasant. 

We walked all the way to the end of this part of the river and took position in the shallows above the downstream falls.  Van would take the first trout of the day with a flashback hare's ear with legs.  I was striking out fishing below him, so wading back across I went upstream and took position on a rock where there was also a wind break.

 

 

Here at this place the hare's ear I was fishing begin to take trout, but the fish soon grew pattern weary.  Switching to a size 16 pheasant tail I would find the fly that proved to be most favorable to the trout today.

 

When the action slowed for Van he moved upstream from me and begin fishing upstream above a falls and quickly took a couple of more bows.  When he moved back downstream, I went up and fished downstream from the falls using a bugger.  Missing the first three trout on three casts, I slowed the retrieve and took two bows on the bugger. 

When action slowed for both of us we walked the upstream road to another stretch.  This stretch is one I have fished several times and not found a single bow, but today I ventured out and down and it wasn't long until I found a community. 

The wind was giving us fits and I must have missed two dozen strikes and only brought four or five bows to hand.  Van was standing on a falls and found a pocket of trout that also liked his leggy hare's ear. 

Four and a half hours later my back was done.  I wasn't done, but the old back was so we decided to call it a day.  I think Van could have stayed much longer but he could see I was pretty well done in.  We left the river with a dozen and a half bows to hand.  Not a banner day, but still a good day.

Blue River One Fly 2013

One Fly Contest Date Scheduled

General Information

Date Of Event: March 2nd , 2013

Place: Blue River Public Fishing And Hunting Area

Time Of Event: 7:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m.

Starting Point: Main Parking Lot Campground Area Blue River

Blind Pairings Will Be Prior To Start Of Event

Entry Fee: $25.00 Per Contestant

Purpose:

The purpose of the Blue River One Fly Contest 2013 is two-fold. First, the mission of this event is create a day of greater fellowship among the fly fishing community on Blue River. Secondly, this event is designed as a fund raising event with the totality of monies raised by entries fees and mulligan flies going directly to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife in support of the Catch & Release section at Blue River. Funds will be monitored by and through the Blue River Association a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Rules:

*As the name implies, one fly only. NOTE: Contestants will be given one fly and will also be afforded the opportunity to purchase a mulligan fly. The mulligan fly is by no means mandatory and is of the choice of the contestant as a strategy or avenue to further support fund raising. The cost of the mulligan fly will be $10.00 and this fee will also go directly to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife.

*All contestants will receive the same pattern and the pattern will remain a mystery until the start of the event. When a contestant loses the fly (or flies) then that contestant is out. If the contestant loses the fly (or flies) and wishes to continue fishing for the sake of fishing then that contestant must turn their score card over to the person they are paired with.

*Contestants will be allowed to retie their fly, but must notify their partner they are doing so.

*Dry flies as strike indicators will not be allowed.

*Scored fish are fish brought to hand. Each contestant must alert their partner when a fish is brought to hand.

*Each contestant is responsible for keeping their own score card.

*Each contestant should devise a way for measuring fish that are caught. Length of each fish scores additional points.

*This entire event is based on the honor system.

This event will be limited to 36 contestants. Deadline for entering is February 22nd, 2013.

A copy of the general information, rules, and entry form will be available January 2nd, 2013. To obtain a entry form contact fishingcowboyblue@yahoo.com An entry form will be sent to you as an attachment. Or you find an on line entry form here. Print the entry form, fill it out, include payment and mail both in. You will receive a confirmation email once your entry is received.

Prizes:

The top three finishers will be awarded fly fishing prizes and those prizes are as follows.

3rd Place Finisher - A Scientific Anglers Max 432 Waterproof Fly Box

2nd Place Finisher - Fishpond San Juan Vertical Chest Pack

1st Place Finisher - Cabela's Rapid Land System 3/4 Fly Reel