National Fly Fishing Tournament
May 22nd & 23rd, 2021
THIS SPRING, THE MAYFLY PROJECT AND 25 ON THE FLY WILL BE BREAKING DOWN ALL SORTS OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND FLY FISHING BARRIERS!
WE ARE TAKING THE 25 ON THE FLY, FLY FISHING TOURNAMENT AND SCAVENGER HUNT, NATIONWIDE!
Can you catch 25 On the Fly in order to change the life of a foster child?!
We are teaming up with our friends at 25 On the Fly to host a virtual fly fishing tournament on May 22nd and 23rd!
Right now, you can register in teams of two for a weekend of fly fishing as hard as you can, to catch as many fish you can from our 25 approved list of fish! The more you catch, the closer you are to winning top of the line prizes!
How Does It Work?
Teams will compete from Sunrise to Sunset to catch the most fish from our approved list and complete some of our specialized scavenger hunt categories for a chance to win extra prizes.
Utilizing a specialized cell phone app, CINEBODY, teams will capture videos of their catches using their cell phones, while proving to CATCH-VIDEO-RELEASE fish in a manner that follows safe handling practices, as outlined by the Keep Fish Wet organization. As teams submit catches to the tournament platform, videos will populate in real-time on the judges’ control panel where species count and point values will be tallied.
The winners will be established at the end of the fishing day on May 23rd, and whoever catches the highest number of species on the list will be our winning team! You can find out more about the rules of the tournament and the timeline of events here.
This tournament will be a blast!! Not only will you find yourself pushed beyond your angling limits, and enjoying every minute of it, but you will be helping to raise money for The Mayfly Project.
About The Mayfly Project:
The Mayfly Project is a 501(c)(3) national organization that uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor and support children in foster care. The Mission of The Mayfly Project is to support children in foster care through fly fishing and introduce them to their local water ecosystems, with a hope that connecting them to a rewarding hobby will provide an opportunity for foster children to have fun, build confidence, and develop a meaningful connection with the outdoors.
THE COST OF THE TOURNAMENT IS $250 PER TEAM!
SWAG BAG, AUTOMATIC ENTRY TO WIN PRIZES UPON REGISTRATION, SUPPORTING A GREAT CAUSE, AND A REASON TO FISH AS HARD AS YOU CAN, ALL INCLUDED!
Event Timeline
Saturday, May 22nd – Sunrise-Sunset // Day 1 Fishing
Once the sun rises in your time zone, anglers can start fishing, catching, videoing, and releasing those 25 elusive species! Entries will be time stamped and cross checked with the sunrise and sunset dates in their counties to be eligible!
Sunday, May 23rd – Sunrise-Sunset // Day 2 Fishing
Anglers should be up early ready to make a final 8-hour push to pick up as many additional species as possible! Entries will be time stamped and cross checked with the sunrise and sunset dates in their counties to be eligible!
Monday, May 24th, 7pm CST // Virtual Nationwide Closing Ceremony
Tune in on Facebook Live for a virtual closing ceremony to see how you stacked up against your fellow anglers from all over the country! https://www.facebook.com/themayflyproject
TOURNAMENT RULES:
Any teams caught cheating will immediately be expelled from the competition and will forfeit their eligibility to compete in future TMP’s 25 On The Fly events.
1. This is a fly fishing tournament only. All fish must be caught on artificial flies using fly tackle. NO SCENTED FLIES.
2. Two-person teams only. Teams must stay together on the same body of water.
3. Teams will attempt to catch-video-release the 25 eligible species/challenges in the allotted timeframe. Videos must be submitted for each fish caught, no exceptions. No blurred or modified backgrounds.
4. Tournament judges are looking for proper fish identification and sustainable fish handling with all video clip submissions. Videos received after the submission timeframe will not be counted. NO EXCEPTIONS.
5. Teams must have a clear video clip of each fish with a control item in the frame in order to count. Video clips submitted without a control item will not be counted. Videos of fish that cannot be identified by one of the judges as an approved species will not be counted as a “catch” on the team scorecard.
6. The greatest number of species caught wins the tournament. Point values associated with each species will only apply to the scoring system in the event of a tie in the number of species successfully caught and released between 2 or more teams. Tiebreakers are explained below in rule #13.
7. Safe & sustainable handling of fish must be practiced at all times! This is a catch and release tournament so all fish must be released back to the water. Any videos of fish in the dirt, on land, hanging from tippet, or improperly handled will not be counted. When in doubt have your partner film the fish in the net before he or she captures the safe release of the fish. Visit Keep Fish Wet for best practices.
8. Teams can fish anywhere, as long as it is in season, and in publicly accessed water only. NO TRESPASSING & NO PRIVATE WATER. NO EXCEPTIONS. Location services must remain on “while using the app” to ensure anglers adhere to this rule.
9. JUDGES HAVE FINAL RULING ON ALL VIDEO CLIP SUBMISSIONS. Fish should be large enough to be identified by the judge’s panel. If a fish cannot be properly identified it will not count as an approved catch.
10. The post-tournament “weigh-in” will take place on the @25onthefly Instagram on IG LIVE.
11. Use of boats and other watercraft are allowed. Ensure that you are following all local Parks & Wildlife rules regarding life preservers, watercraft etiquette, angling, and water access.
12. All teams must abide by all state and/or regional Parks and Wildlife fishing regulations. Be sure your fishing license is current, you are only using flies allowed, and you are not breaking the law (such as drunk driving)!
13. In the event that the total number of species caught between one or more teams is equal, and the point values are the same for the mixed bag the tiebreaker protocol is as follows:
14. Wash your boots and waders when you change bodies of water in order to protect against aquatic invasive species!
15. You may only fish from sunrise to sunset on the two tournament days. If it’s dark, it won’t count!
In each 25 OTF event, one of the tournament team challenges will be “Biggest Fish.” 10 points/inch of a team’s LONGEST fish (over 15 inches) will be added to the scorecard if the team submitted a secondary clip of that species to the “Biggest Fish” team challenge. During the event, teams are encouraged to measure any fish that hits the 15-inch mark or larger.
25 ON THE FLY 2021 SPECIES LIST
Trout/Salmonoid:
- Rainbow Trout – 50 pts
- Brown Trout – 50 pts
- Brook Trout – 50 pts
- Whitefish – 100 pts
- *Cutthroat & Cutbow – 100 pts
- Tiger Trout – 100 pts
- Arctic Grayling – 200 pts
- Lake Trout ( Mackinaw) – 500pts
- Golden Trout – 500pt
Slimy:
- Sucker – 50 pts
- Catfish – 200 pts
- Common Carp – 300pts
- Mirror Carp – 500 pts
- Grass Carp – 500 pts
Bass:
- Largemouth – 50 pts
- Smallmouth – 100 pts
- *White Bass, Wipers – 100 pts
- Striped Bass – 200 pts
Panfish:
- Sunfish / Bluegill – 50pts
- Perch – 50pts
- Crappie – 50pts
Toothy:
- *Walleye, Saugeye – 200 pts
- *Gar – Spotted, Alligator, Florida, Shortnose & Longnose – 200 pts
- Northern Pike – 300 pts
- Tiger Muskie – 500 pts
* Only 1 FAMILY (Spotted) in the GENUS (Gar for example) will be tallied on your scorecard.
No matter where you live, there’s a good chance many of these species are within driving distance. If they aren’t, don’t fret. The points are set up to equalize the playing field across various regions of the USA.
See the following examples:
Example # 1 – If a team in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah catches Rainbow, Brown, Brook, Tiger Trout, Grayling, Whitefish, Smallmouth bass, bluegill, Common Carp and a Pike their score would be – 10 Species and 1300 points.
Example #2 – If a team in Texas, Oklahoma, Florida catches a Largemouth, Smallmouth, White Bass, Striped Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Perch, Common Carp, Gar and catfish their score would be – 10 Species and 1300 points
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