We Are Marshall

The Zanesville Times Recorder is reporting thatThe Thundering Herd of Marshall University will be sponsoring a team which will compete in an upcoming national fly fishing tournament.

"The College of Science and Career Services is sponsoring the Team Marshall Fly Fishing duo of Brady Hanson and 1973 Marshall graduate Greg Hall in the 2010 Harman's North Fork Invitational. The tournament is being held Thursday through Saturday at Harman's Cabins on the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River in Grant County."

Hardcore Kayak Invitational: October 3rd, 2009

Our friends from the Hardcore Kayak Fishing Team are having their first annual Hardcore Kayak Fishing tournament on Lake Wylie, October 3rd. With 28 anglers competing in the tourney, which is sponsored by The Great Outdoor Provision Company, it is sure to be a competitive event.

1st Annual Hardcore Invitational Kayak Fishing Tournament is ON. Tournament is Oct. 3rd and will be held rain or shine, north end of Lake Wylie on the beautiful Catawba River. Launch will be at 7:00 am. We will launch and have "weigh-in" and prizes at "Bobby`s" beside the Hwy 27 bridge in Mt. Holly. $2 launch fee per angler. Tourney will run until 1:00 pm. This is a CPR (catch, photo, release) artificial only, 5 bass limit tournament.

Entry is $35 per angler with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Mt. Island Wildlife Stewards. This is the first kayak fishing tournament in the Charlotte area . Invitations extended to Hardcore Kayak Fishing Team members and affiliates, fishermen from www.ncangler.com, and some special invitations such as media, NC Wildlife Federation anglers and Great Outdoor Provision Co. fishing team members. We are trying to keep it limited to 25-30 anglers.

The Hardcore boys are true to form, even when it comes to big time fishing tournaments, making us wish we were still within a weekend drive of this excellent event . For example:

We are not a kayak/outdoor retailer with the ability to "schmooze" factory reps. We are not (nor will we ever become) a big, recruiting, "pay $25 and get your T-shirt" type organization. We are only trying to help in our area and have absolutely nothing to gain.

For 10 years kayaking has been the fastest growing outdoor sport in the country. It is still fairly pure and affords us a sense of community. Let`s get together and enjoy what kayak fishing is today.

The following spells out their excellent way of thinking:

"Let`s think about it`s roots and consider how to keep it pure.
Remember Nascar started with a bunch of good ole boys running shine. There is a
revolution going on in fishing and we are the insurgents. "

America Cup Standings

This week several North Carolina Fly Fishing Team members are competing in The America Cup being held in Frisco, Colorado. The America Cup is a fishing rally where anglers can choose their water each day. Anglers fish rivers for two days of the three day event with the final day being devoted to still waters.

NCFFT member and angler behind The Granddaddy Fly Fishing Experience, Michael Yelton reports a strong showing for the boys from down South as they go up against teams from as far away as Australia.

Day 1 Team results

Eugene Shuler & Chris Lee 29820 pts.

Kevin Lowe & Ryan Harmon 29240 pts.

Adam Boehlk & Steve Bowka 20060 pts. (Team Blue Quill Angler)

Chris Lee is the individual leader with 16720 pts.

Follow all the competitor's progress at http://www.theamericacup.com/scoring.html

$10,000 Purse for '09 Rumble in The Rhododendron

There are a few things in life that we are proud of: The Editorial Offspring, the fact that we married well, the time we came up with the word "viewbicles" to describe cubicles located near windows, and more recently the time we came up with the name for the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team's signature competition, "The Rumble in the Rhododendron." Now we are proud to announce that this year's event will have a one of the largest purses in competitive fly fishing.

$10,000 CASH PURSE AT STAKE FOR CHEROKEE FLY MASTERS TOURNEY

CHEROKEE, N.C. (September 26-27, 2009): A $10,000 cash purse is at stake for the second annual Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Masters Tournament on September 26-27 in Cherokee, N.C. Presented by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fisheries and Wildlife Management in partnership with the North Carolina Fly-Fishing Team, the top three teams in the two-day, two-person competition will have the pleasure of splitting the prize money with $5,000 going to the first place team, $3,000 going to the second place team, and $2,000 to the third place team.

Currently, the Rumble is the only fly-fishing tournament to award this much prize money. The only other tournament to ever offer such a hefty cash purse was the nationwide "Fly-Fishing Masters" series produced by the Outdoor Life Television Network (OLN) from 2004-2006. The grand prize was $50,000, which was split among the top three finishers. The event consisted of four regional qualifiers and a final round in varying locations, but both the television channel and national tournament were cancelled.

The Tribe

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fisheries and Wildlife Management have sponsored the event since its inception and have embraced the opportunity to promote its fishery through this tournament.

The Tribe is very proud of their fishery and intends to make this tournament a premier event to attract world-class anglers, said tournament spokesperson Christopher Lee, who is also a member of the North Carolina Fly-Fishing Team. A large purse should attract a lot of angling talent from across the country.

Following last year's tournament, the Tribe was also introduced to Curtis Flemming and is now the title sponsor for Fly Rod Chronicles. Several episodes will be dedicated to the Tribe's fisheries program.

The Competition

As for the competition teams will compete in distance and accuracy casting on day one with the top 15 teams advancing to day two's fishing rounds. In addition to the coveted prize money, other factors make this competition unique. For starters, the team aspect, in addition to the event being televised, adds a much higher level of challenge according to Lee.

"You have to partner with someone you trust can produce under the pressure of TV cameras and big cash payouts," comments Lee, who himself has participated in numerous tournaments across the country.

Furthermore, the event is set in the beautiful Ravensford Valley where anglers often find themselves fishing among wild elk and other native wildlife. Participants will equally enjoy fishing the well-stocked, catch and release waters while surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

More Info

For more information the second annual Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Masters Tournament, please visit www.RumbleintheRhodo.com or call 828-421-0172 or 828-269-6529. For more information on the North Carolina Fly-Fishing Team, please visit www.flyfishingteamnc.com. The tournament is sponsored by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fisheries & Wildlife Management, the North Carolina Fly-Fishing Team, "Fly Rod Chronicles with Curtis Flemming," Davidson River Outfitters, Cortland Fly Line, The Granddaddy Fly-Fishing Experience, John Hancock, and William Joseph

Yelton Places 2nd in Bass Bug Classic

Yelton poses with a largemouth bass caught on Lake Lure. Photo by Brandon Potts

A couple of guys we know from North Carolina went all warm water on us and ended up bringing home a prize.

Congratulations to Michael Yelton (of the NC Fly Fishing Team) and Paul Thompson (that guy who has won like all the Total Outdoorsman events ever held). Two quality fellows!

CHATTANOOGA, T.N. (JUNE 24, 2009): Michael Yelton of The Granddaddy Fly-Fishing Experience in Lake Lure, N.C. finished second alongside teammate Paul Thompson of Marion, N.C. in the first annual Chattanooga Bass Bug Classic, a two-day tournament fly-fishing for bass on the Nick-a-Jack section of the Tennessee River. Held on June 18th and 19th, anglers were scored on the total weight of bass caught over the two-day period, and any fish in possession had to be more than 15 inches long to comply with Tennessee state laws.

Yelton and Thompson brought in a total of seven bass for a live weigh-in totaling 13.8 pounds. The winning team, led by tournament founder and director Mac McGaee along with teammate Frank Duff, scored a total weight of 23.3 pounds.

Yelton, who is also a member of the North Carolina Fly-Fishing Team, enjoyed fishing for bass as opposed to trout, which is more common in fly-fishing tournaments.

"This was a great change of pace, I think most anglers don't believe that you can fly-fish for bass and have much success,"said Yelton. "This tournament proves otherwise. I look forward to seeing bass fly-fishing tournaments grow."

The second place team received a prize package of $350, a fly rod and reel, fly line, and an original hand-painted fly-fishing portrait by Paul Puckett, who donated three paintings to the cause. Proceeds from the invitational tournament were donated to the Chambliss Children's Home & Shelter to exclusively fund the organization's fishing program for children.

Yelton's next stop on the fly-fishing tournament trail will be at The America Cup International Fly Fishing Tournament to be held August 22-28, 2009 in Summit County, C.O. Six anglers from the North Carolina Fly-Fishing Team will be represented at the invitation-only tournament. The winning team will receive a cash purse of $2,000. To learn more about Michael Yelton and The Granddaddy Fly-Fishing Experience, please visit www.granddaddyflyfishing.com.

People: Competitive Fly Fisher Gordon Vanderpool

This might well be a picture of North Carolina's current rising star in the realm of competitive fly fishing. Fly fishing guide Gordon Vanderpool, of Turning Stones Fly Fishing, LLC and a member of the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team has been on a roll of late. Gordon finished first in the casting portion of this year's Rumble in the Rhododendron and first in the Lake Lure Olympiad Fly Fishing Masters a few weeks ago. This weekend he took top spot in the first round of what amounts to a FIPS Mouche rule equivalent of a pick up contest on the Nantahala River. Congratulations Mr. V.

***Update*** Another article on Mr. Vanderpool

NC Fly Fishing Team Website Live

The excellent anglers with the NC Fly Fishing Team have launched a new website. The site contains information about the team and their conservation and education activities as well as competition information. It is a snazzy looking site that would make a great spot for potential sponsors to show their support.

The North Carolina Fly Fishing Team is a group of Fly Fishing Enthusists that formed in 2006 as a non-profit organization dedicated to developing a competitive fly fishing team to participate in regional, national and international events. The Team also strives to participate and coordinate educational and conservation efforts aimed at teaching and preserving the valuabl e angling resources in North Carolina.

We are particularly proud to be associated with the team although we are not quite sure why a group of such excellent fishers let us tag along. Be sure to check out the photo gallery and promo video. The team has already had some success in Fips Mouche style competition so we are expecting big things in the future.

Their next big test comes this weekend at Lake Lure, North Carolina's Olympiad Fly Masters.

Pisgah Fly Masters Results

NC Fly fishing team member Chris Lee reported in from this weekend's Pisgah Fly Masters with the results.

Here is the top 10:
1 - Josh Stephens
2 - Chris Lee
3 - Brian Horner
4 - Simmons Welter
5 - Forest Marshall
6 - Ryan Harmon
7 - Michael Yelton
8 - Paul Thompson
9 -Gordon Vanderpool
10 -Eugene Shuler

Many of you may recognize some of the names on this list. Josh Stephens is a member of the current Fly Fishing Team USA. Paul Thompson is the three time winner of the Field and Stream Total Outdoors man Challenge. Shuler is the founder of the North Carolina team and Lee, Harmon, Yelton and Vanderpool are all NC Fly Fishing Team members. Don't let anyone tell you that the Carolina's don't produce some top sportsmen.

2009 Pisgah Fly Masters

If you are the competitive fly fishing type and would like to test your metal against some of the nations best fly anglers, there is still time to register for the 2009 Pisgah Fly Masters which will be held March 21st and 22nd. More details are revealed in today's Asheville Citizen times.

The event, in its second year, takes place March 21-22. The late registration fee is $75.
The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, a free-to-the-public learning facility operated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission near Brevard, hosts the event. Davidson River Outfitters sponsors it.
“We’ll take registrations up until the competition starts,” said Emilie Johnson with the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and a tournament organizer.
The Pisgah Fly Masters challenges anglers’ casting skills off-stream on Saturday, March 21, with the 10 finalists moving on to a catch and release competition on the river on Sunday, March 22.

Our money is on the anglers from the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team.