There’s a new competition in town, and it’s for the little guys. Not in the sense of people or fish, but rods. Fly rods, that is. The 3-Weight Challenge is a fundraising contest to catch three things on your 3-weight (or smaller) fly rod:

•Largest fish overall (length and girth)

•Most species of trout

•Most species of fish

Grand Valley Anglers (our local Trout Unlimited chapter) and Western Anglers Fly Shop are collaborating for the first competition of this sort in the Grand Valley. The 3-Weight Challenge has some challenging rules indeed, but they’ll make it all the more fun. For example, anglers can only use artificial flies; they can catch the fish in either fresh water (easy enough) or saltwater (could be trickier in a land-locked state … beach vacation, anyone?); and all fish must be caught on a 3-weight or smaller fly rod and recorded by photo and a datasheet. Those anglers who truly believe their fish is the largest (and there are a lot of anglers who believe their fish is the largest) must measure the length and girth of the fish and record it on the datasheet as well. The competition offers prizes to the catchers of the most species of trout as well as of the most species of fish in general, which will be competitors’ best bet to the awards stage.

The awards party will be held in mid-December of 2018. Yes, you read that right. This 3-Weight Challenge is a nearly year-long competition. Best part, there is a beer sponsor for the entire thing! Thanks to Oskar Blues Brewery, Pinner Ale will be featured at four sponsored parties throughout the year. It’s a throwback IPA (fitting, as you throw back your fish) and the perfect lightweight beer for a lightweight fly rod challenge. There will be awards from Scott Fly Rods, Rio, Ross Reels, Fishpond, Rep Your Water
(they even designed a cool logo for this event), and more. For all the rules and specifics, head over to Western Anglers on Main Street in Grand Junction or reach out to Grand Valley Anglers through grandvalleyranglers.tu.org

Calling All Fly Fishers: 3-Weight Challenge