2026 Kisatchie Fly Fishers "Big Catch" Contest
Link to the Entry Form
Email to submit the photo: kffcpr@gmail.com
View the Submissions Received
Kisatchie Fly Fishers is excited to announce a new annual contest, the Big Catch Challenge. Unlike our Mixed Bag Contest, this is a fishing contest where size does matter! This contest is open to all KFF members. There is no entry fee required.
Our Big Catch Challenge kicks off Febuary 21st and ends November 30th at 11:59pm. Winners will be announced and participants will be eligible for prizes drawn at our annual Christmas party in December.
The Big Catch Challenge is designed to see who is the club’s best lunker lander! There will be 4 species categories:
- Black Bass (largemouth, smallmouth, Redeye, etc)
- Bream (bluegill, redear, warmouth, etc)
- Crappie (black, white)
- Trout (coldwater trout e.g., rainbow, brown, cutthroat)
The top 3 entries for each species will be awarded points as follows: 1st place = 3 points, 2nd place = 2 points, and 3rd place = 1 point. The total points for the contest will be an aggregate of total points, e.g. you will add all your points from each species together, and the winner will be the one with the most total points at the end of the year.
The tournament format is CPRE (Catch/Photo/Release Encouraged). All you need to participate is a phone or camera, fly rod, fly, a measuring device, and of course the fish.
When you catch a fish, simply take a photo of the fish on a measuring board, measuring from nose to the fork of the tail. Include the fly rod and/or fly. You will -not- need a token, as we are asking contestants to submit the original photograph. This will allow the Big Catch Challenge Director to determine date of catch.
To submit the fish, come to this web page, and use the link above to fill out the catch info. Then email the matching photo to the email link above.
Rules may be subject to amendment. Decisions of the Big Catch Challenge Director are final.
- Must be a paid 2026 member of KFF
- The contest begins February 21st and ends 11:59pm on November 30th
- All fish must be caught on flies and fly fishing equipment
- All fish must be caught in public water (no farm pond submissions!)
- The boundaries for the contest are: Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida west of the Apalachicola River, and the White River drainage in Missouri. (same as Mixed Bag)
- The contest will be on the honor system
- Fish must be submitted within 30 days of the catch date, and before the end of the contest.
- To enter a fish you must submit a single photograph that includes the fish and measurement device -and- either the fly rod or the fly used.
- The photograph must also meet the photo requirements listed below.
- Every entry logged in requires the date on which you caught the fish, the fly the fish was caught on, and the state and body of water (location) where the fish was caught. The form cannot be submitted without this info.
- Please submit your photo as soon as reasonably possible as in the event of a tie, we will use the earliest entry as a tie breaker
Award guidelines:
- The contest winner will be the member who accrues the most points across all species
- The “Species Categories” are defined as follows:
-
- Black Bass (e.g., largemouth, smallmouth, Redeye)
- Bream (e.g., bluegill, redear, warmouth)
- Crappie (black, white)
- Trout (Salmonidae family, e.g., rainbow, brown) - We will recognize the top 3 winners at our annual Christmas Party.
Photo requirements:
- Photo must include fish and either fly or tackle (rod/reel) or both. It must be clear when looking at the photo that it was caught on fly.
- The fish must be lip-caught, i.e., no foul hooked fish is allowed.
- Photo must include a measuring device that meets the following critera:
- is not homemade
- is rigid metal or plastic, or roll-up PVC measuring tape
- has a nose "bump plate" - Measurement will be from the nose to the outermost portion of the caudal fin. The nose of the fish must be up against the bump plate (no gap). A deduction in length might be assessed if a gap is noticeable. The Big Dog Contest Director will make the final determination of approved length.
- The photo must be the original unedited photograph as the metadata of the photo will be used to confirm date of the catch. Make sure your camera or phone has the correct system date. EXCEPTION: some phones let you edit a photo and retain metadata. If this is the case, then - and only then - can an edited photo be submitted.
- Photos should be clear and provide sufficient detail to identify the species. Keep in mind that the safety of the fish is paramount, so please use safe handling and release techniques while photographing the fish. The website keepfishwet.org has best practices on handling fish and taking fish photos safely.
- Although this is not a true Catch/Photo/Release contest (you can keep the fish if you choose) NO DEAD FISH CAN BE SUBMITTED – please submit a photo at the time fish was caught (no ice chest, driveway, or cleaning table photos allowed)
- Only one photo of each species of fish will be counted for each participant. You may submit multiple photos of a species IF each subsequent catch is larger than your prior entry.
- If you feel like other photos may help with identification or you got a good grip-and-grin you'd like to share for promotional purposes, feel free to email those photos as well to kffcpr@gmail.com
This contest will be a great opportunity to promote our club and our sport, not to mention a lot of fun! More information about the contest will be discussed at our February general meeting and subsequent meetings.
