Patton early leader in 2021 Mixed Bag

Red taken by Chris Williams on EP Shrimp fly

January 1st kicked off our 4th annual "Mixed Bag Contest" - a members-only CPRE (catch-photo-release encouraged) online tournament where size doesn't matter, but diversity does. The goal is to catch as many different species as possible, for chances at awards and prizes. 

Speaking of awards and prizes, for 2021 there are a few changes coming to encourage greater participation by "spreading the wealth". We all know that we have a group of outstanding anglers in our club that routinely catch 10 or more species each year on fly. The changes will give the folks who catch fewer fish a greater opportunity at more prizes. We'll still recognize "winners" but their cash prizes will be reduced or eliminated. For the prize drawing, we'll expand the number of prizes from only 1 to at least 3, possibly 5. Each entry in the Mixed Bag continues to get you 1 ticket into the drawing, so there's still an incentive to get as many entries in as possible.     

We'll have more on that later. Meanwhile, we have our first month on the books.  It's been a rough start to 2021, with cold and windy days, but our members have braved the elements and made a great start!  

Here are our current leaders:
Jerry Patton (5) - black crappie, rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass, spotted bass
Chris Williams (4) - bluegill, spotted bass, striped mullet, red drum
Carlton Townsend (4) - brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, black crappie
Tyler Wood (3) - redfish, seatrout, flounder
Rich Hudson (1) - rainbow trout

The most productive flies have been: Clouser Minnow and EP Shrimp Fly in saltwater, Squirmy Worm, Green Weenie and Pheasant Tail in fresh.  Top locations have been Highway 1 marsh to Grand Isle, Calcasieu marsh, Lower Mountain Fork, Little Missouri river, and Toledo Bend.