Sunday was a chamber of commerce day in Tampa Bay. A couple friends and I got up early and drove to Tampa for the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing clubs “Big Gun” fly casting shootout. We had to get up early for the trip and as we headed west on I-4 I subconsciously wondered “where was the boat?” There would be no sight casting to fish today.
My friends and I were a team from the Backcountry Fly Fishing Assoc. from Orlando. We were greeted by Captain Bryon Chamberlin, Leigh West, and long time friend David Olson of the Fly Shop of Miami who made our drive seem short. In all, I would guess that there were between 30 to 40 casters participating in the fun.
The “Big Gun” was composed of teams of 3 competing at “casting stations” for a point score based on your casting success. The casts were timed and usually started at a distance of 30 feet and ended at 70 feet. Casting a fly thru a hoop, under mangroves, into Frisbees and into a cup simulated casting challenges encountered while fishing. Leigh West’s team won; congratulations to them.
You might have been wondering why the event was called “Big Gun?” A distance casting station was also part of the competition. Casters who could cast a line over 100 feet qualified for the final event. I believe 15 casters made the final. The best of 5 casts determined the final winner and “Big Gun.”
The winning cast measured 134’ 3”, second was 134’ and third measured 130’. This was my first year competing in the event. I hope to participate in future events, it was fun. Last year’s winner Dave Chouinard finished third. David Olson, my friend, finished as the winner. I finished second with my last cast just 3 inches short. Congratulations David. If you were not my friend and such a great fly angler & caster I would be bummed out. Thanks to Tampa Bay Fly Fishing club and tight lines to all the events anglers.
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