Another Successful Trout Fest in the Books

A beautiful cool fall Saturday welcomed in this years Trout Fest which was held at the RiversideFly Shop, located on the banks of the Sipsey River. The event was sponsored by the Sipsey Trout Unlimited Chapter 639. This years Festival was loaded with activities, such as dry fly casting, door prizes, raffles, guest speakers, casting tutorials, children’s activities, casting competition, exhibits, fly tying, and striper-on-fly-forum. It was a fun event for the young and old, male and female and most of all a way to meet and greet avid fly fishermen and women. The event was to raise money for the big trout project that the Sipsey Trout Unlimited Chapter 639 has sponsored for the past couple of years. Last year’s goal was to raise 1500.00 which was met and this year’s goal reached that number and more. It is so rewarding to see so many fly fisherman turn out to support this cause.

I have to commend the guys in charge of smoking the pork and spare rids for lunch, it had to be some of the best pull pork I have tasted in a long time. Everyone else present agreed the meal was outstanding. The big smoker was smoking long before the crowd showed up.

Everyone attending could sign up here for a 10.00 ticket that was good for lunch and a chance to win the 10 ft. Nucanoe Frontier Hybird Kayak, worth 1,049.00. Notice the round plastic containers on the table, the lids were labeled with the name of each item to be raffled off.  One could buy 5.00 tickets for a chance to win any of the raffled items which was given away after lunch.

A lot of 10.00 tickets were sold to win this item. The individual who won the Nucanoe told me that his present canoe was on its last run, so winning the Nucanoe was a welcome addition for him.

The Bristol Bay Retreat in King Salmon, Alaska was another fantastic prize for the right ticket holder. A 10.00 raffle ticket would get you a chance to win this trip for two valued at 6500.00. A lot of tickets were sold for this trip of a lifetime.  

This was another item that got a lot of attention and sold a lot of 10.00 tickets; the Kamado Joe Ceramic Grill and Smoker, valued at 849.99. Other items that were raffled off were: Measure nets with rubber bag in three different sizes, pair of Korkers guide boots, Echo Edge fly rod, dry, nymph, and streamer fly boxes, 2 spools of Air-Flo fly line, Guideline Sunglasses, Guided Drift Boat Trip down the Sipsey Fork, and a Wading Guide trip for two from Riverside Fly Shop.

A number of fly tiers were available tying patterns used on and beyond the Sipsey. Joe Tremblay from Huntsville Alabama demonstrated some really nice dry and nymph patterns. He is a member of the Tennessevalleyflyfisher.org organization. Another excellent fly tier was Ted Crona who was from Scottsboro, Alabama. He demonstrated some really nice streamer patterns. His email address is tedcrona@yahoo.com

An array of streamers, dries, and nymphs were on display.

Local fly tier Steve Fletcher owner of Fletcher’s Flies was on hand to tie some of the popular patterns used on the Sipsey. Visit his website to see a variety of flies he ties and fishes with.

There were a number of kids participating in the casting competition.

This lady told me that she and her husband both fly fish and have been on a number of guided float trips in Tennessee. She was competing in the distance cast. The winner of this competition hit 72 ft.

 
Lunch begin with a line waiting for some of the pull pork, cole slaw, pork and beans, bread, and choice of drink. As stated earlier, the food for this years Fest was awesome!!!

Lifetime fly angler and author Bob Shanks was on hand to share with everyone his unconventional fly fishing techniques part II. He was at the Trout Derby back in the spring to present techniques I. Bob has fished in Idaho, Colorado, and Montana for years casting for rainbow and brown trout. He has spent the last 20 years during the summer months in Montana fishing all of the well known streams and rivers. The information he shared with everyone was priceless.

Around the Next Bend is a collection of stories and techniques that Bob has written to help one become a better fly fisherman. The book sold out at Trout Fest Saturday. A lot of Bob’s 70 years of fly fishing has gone into this book. He will be 84 in a couple of months and still fishing astounding!!

 

Legionary fly rod/reel, magazine contributor and fly casting expert Ted Calvert gave a demonstration on “Striper-on-the-Fly.” The casting skills he demonstrated were amazing. He guides on Smith Lake chasing the big stripers using his 8/9 wt. fly rod. He fishes streamers in the 4 to 6” lengths, using the big heavy bass bug line. 30 lb. stripers are not unusual for him to land using the fly rod. 

A tremendous amount of work went into this year’s festival, which produced a great turnout from the locals and many from outside the county and state. The money raised will ensure the stocking of many 20” rainbow and above for the coming year. Congratulations are in order to The Sipsey Trout Unlimited Chapter 639 and Randy and Brandon owners of Riverside for another successful year with Trout Fest. Hope to see everyone back for next years event.