There are some things that just go together; peanut butter and chocolate, salt and pepper, prince nymphs and trout. And there are some things that don’t quite fit.
some awesome prizes. With the support of some sponsors such as Idlewylde and of course Orvis, he succeeded and Carpocalypse was born.
Like fly fishing and tournaments.
So what is the secret to his success? What makes this “tournament” more fun than competitive? Simple. The best prize (this year it was a one-of-a-kind Helios 2 8wt) is reserved not for the biggest fish, or most inches caught. Instead, the angler with the skill, savvy, and smarts to catch the smallest carp takes home the loot. Brilliant!
Truthfully, the entire concept of competitive fly fishing is often railed against by the majority of the fly fishing community, and usually with good reason. Fly fishing is about a lot more than simply catching fish, and adding that competitive edge, the drive, the rules, and the pressure generally goes against the things that make fly fishing special. But sometimes, it just works. The beauty of The Orvis Company’s Carpocalypse is that while they call it a tournament, it really isn’t. Adam Mcnamara, Orvis Portland’s Fishing Manager, came up with the tournament 2 years ago and his overreaching goal was to simply make it fun. For starters, like most, the idea of competitive fly fishing didn’t really sit well with him. Also, carp were not quite as accepted 2 years ago as they are today (and will be tomorrow. The growth of carp on the fly is a matter for a whole other article!) Adam set forth to create a gathering of anglers, to spotlight an under appreciated fish, and to give away
This year was a study in success for Carpocalypse with roughly 40 anglers descending on Kennewick, WA. Day one of the tournament dawned early, highlighted by clusters of anglers dotted around the parking lot, frantically hoping their 4G service held out while they scanned Google Earth for shallow flats on their iPhones. Well known big fish hunters like David Nakamoto, and eventual grand prize winner, Travis “Trashfisher” Hammond, whispered about secret “small fish” flats, and contemplated city parks and sloughs. No one talked of gravel bars and big tails-large fish are relatively easy to find on the Columbia--but small ones… not so much. Travis’s winning fish