Lower Mt. Fork River- Wild Stocker Trout Tournament

Lower Mt Fork River

Wild Stocker Trout Fishing Tournament

Broken Bow, Oklahoma

Saturday

March 8 th 2014

7am----2pm




-No drinking or drugs during tourney.
- If I catch any one being rude or Inconsiderate, I'll give ur money back and I will disqualify you.
- Fly rods only. No bait or scent. Flies must be flies. Not a roostertail spinners or road runners. Be real. Use what ever fly u want to use.
- If you have a protest, write it down and hand it to someone.
- I have the right to give you a lie detector test. Someone will have to pay for it though.
- Longest 6 rainbow trout of all your catch throughout the day.
- Measure the fish with the tape or measuring device showing the length. If its not clear enough, it will not count.that tape measure need to be perfectly str8. Get a golden ruler from acedemy and u will have no problem. Don't kill the fish in the process if CPR. I suggest you video it, close ups, nose to tail and a fade away shot. Then we can pause it and play Your I.D must be in picture. That will be given to you at registration.
-Registration is at 6 am. Located at the Bottom of the Evening Hole parking lot. If you do not know where that is, please contact me for directions. I'm in a blue Toyota Tacoma
- FISHING HOURS: 7 AM - 2:00PM Saturday. You may go to your spot in a fashionable order from the Registration spot at 6 am. First cast is at 7 AM.

Last Cast: 2 PM

Last entry ( same as registration spot) will be taken at 3pm. Anything later is just to bad. So u have till 3 pm to check in at the weigh in.

-Please let the photo judges take their time. ( I need two people to volunteer for that. If any of y'all's wives or kids are able to handle that let me know)

- ENTRY FEE:

Adult:

$40 Longest (6) Rainbow Trout ( all six may be over 20" if it happens)

$20 Longest (1) Rainbow Trout

$5 Longest (1) Brown Trout
$5 Longest (1) Walleye
$5 Longest (1) Sunfish ( bass do not count in this entry )
$5 Longest (1) Smallmouth


Jr Angler 15 and Under:

$10 Longest (6) of any species of fish. Bait is Allowed only for kids.


You may enter all of the titles, mix and match, or just do one.

- No one can be babysitting a hole Saturday morning for you.

- If the category is not met, and the targeted fish is not caught in that category, everyone that entered that category will see a full refund.

CATCH-PHOTO-RELEASE RULES

- You must go over measuring a fish with me personally to make everything clear.
-. A digital camera must be used in this tournament. Disposable cameras will not be sufficient. A device with zoom capabilities is wanted. As long as we can see the exact measurements without any water droplets on the lens or too fuzzy to see, then you will be fine. Picture or close up video that we can play back clear.
3. Fish must be measured with the fish facing to the left and dorsal fin up. <*)(((><

I am dead serious. Make it perfectly clear how long that fish is. Or it will not count.




( DONATIONS always welcome. Flies, box's, rods, reels, promos to your job like an oil change, free dinner, or free services. Gear is usually best. If your a rod maker, these r good places to show off the rods. Please call text me or email me if you would like to donate a prize. )



About 3:15 pm starts the drawings and announcing winners.

Not enough peeps for division 1/2. I will be helping out the needy and trying to make things to smooth. A pay out will be totaled after registration.





Carey Thorn

469-528-0210

If you don't have a screen name, please text me or contact me and let me know your coming so I get an idea.

Y'all's choice if u want to keep what u catch for later. It's your right to do so.

Lets get the smack talk going:

I'm hoping some Okies show up, nothing better than beating peeps in their home state.

John you sure your wife is going to let ya go! I'm probably going up Sunday if you wanna go..

I Still want an award for largest branch snagged.

Carey - I will see if my photography student 15 year old would like to assist in judging. I think she would enjoy that. The dog will require petting, too, from all entrants.

Sounds like a good time - hope everyone's rulers are the same

Hey Jeff, If some of the water is too deep for me will you put me on your shoulders and carry me too?

It depends on what you are measuring whether the rulers are the same are not.

I believe I am shorter. And lighter. Jeff should put me on his shoulders.. That way it is fair I can see in the water where the fish are!!

BOOM! And no, I'm not sure

I had to say maybe, because I have no video camera. I only have a "dumb" phone and it has a pretty crappy camera. Donno what to do.

If u got a digital camera bring that

get the guy next to you to help out...... we are a friendly bunch!

My shoulders can only carry so many.... must be under 5'6" and 130lbs. Ace, you're out too. Wife is that size (or close) and I had to carry her a few times in Yellowstone.

Well, since chit floats, will you atleast tie a rope to my belt and pull me across.

So what flies are y'all going to throw?

Secret bead from NY :-)

So, will any percentage of the entry fee's go back to the resource you are exploiting? Is it 100% payout or will you be profiting from the proceeds?

I'd be interested to hear exactly what you do as a guide as well to give back to a resource you earn a living from. I'm pretty sure you aren't involved with the LMFRF since you are going out of your way to promote an alternate event to their one-fly contest which does benefit the LMF.

@BJHOOV:

Hostile much?

Rubbish! What does this moron expect Carey to do? Throw some trout in a kiddie pool in some other park and have it there? This will bring much revenue to the state via licenses, lodging, tackle, restaurants, the list goes on and on...

Gas, lodging, licenses, Eddie's fly shop, also a pretty darn good advertisement for the LMF. They are stocked fish after all, they are meant to be exploited. I haven't checked, but the one fly isn't the same weekend. Jhoov, lighten up dude. If the fish need their taxes done, I will donate my time

Thank you so much for your interest in the tournament! I will do my best to answer all of your simple, all be it overtly hostile, questions. 

Yes it is a 100% payout tournament. Since 100% payout does in fact take all of the entry fees, 100-100=0, none of the goes to LMFRF, but I will ask everyone if they would like to donate their winnings. I will also be happy to take your donation down their with me. Drop it off anytime. 

I think maybe you don't understand what exploit means so I will help you. Yes I'm a giver! I have somewhere South of 100 guided trips at the LMF river every year. I spend an inordinate amount of time advertising, talking to perspective clients, recommending accommodations and eateries, and most importantly, explaining the rules of this body of water. That is about 200 people, not including friends and family, that I bring to the area. Yes some would have come anyway but, since you obviously have a penchant for drama, we will say at least 200. 

All of those people have bought a license, paid for lodging, food, gas, and sundries in Oklahoma and Broken Bow. Without revenue this park would go bankrupt, and without the park the businesses in the surrounding area would go bankrupt. How do you expect pay for the thousands of stocked fish, or the maintenance and upkeep of the park, without the revenue of people coming there to fish and hunt? I also pick up trash and inform rule breakers of the posted rules, but I'm pretty sure that I could spend all of my free time rearranging pinecones and hand feeding trout while I sang them lullabies, and you would still say I was 'exploiting' the area. Good thing no one knows about all those times I addicted the trout to heroin and forced them into prostitution...

The Mystery Fly Tournament is a great tournament, just as the LMFRF is a great foundation. That tournament, thrown by that foundation, does benefit only that foundation, as none of the fees are awarded to winners, who have to be members of that foundation to even participate, and it is another fee to join.  It is, in every sense of the word, a fund raising event. While that is great, my tournament is for anyone who wants to enter; participants are not required to join any groups and they are not required to donate their entry fee and awards. It is a traditional tournament. I am not a non-profit foundation and I don't have the resources the LMFRF has. Having said that, I am not keeping any of the proceeds for myself and I am putting it together on my own time; this tournament is for the benefit of the people. It is the people's tournament!

I am a fishing guide. That is how I support my family. I follow the laws, I don't leave trash around, I almost never keep fish for myself, I call the game warden if I see illegal activity, and I do my best to respect the water and the fish. I don't know what you do for a living, please fell free to post though so I can make this an exact analogy. Let's say you are pizza delivery man. Do you ask people to order the pizza but not keep it? Or maybe you are real-estate agent. Do you donate part of your commission to the neighborhood you sold a house in to give back to the area in which you are making a living? How about a gynecologist. There are non-profits that care for women's health for free so maybe you should send your clients there and stop competing with them. Hopefully you are getting the point but if not let me know and I will prepare a power point presentation for you. Hope I see you at the tournament buddy! If you win you can donate the money to anything you see fit...

I was simply asking if you would profit from the event you are promoting. That's what it is right, a promotion for your "guide" service. It's got nothing to do with the betterment of the river, park, or town. Lets call it what it is.

I'm aware of the definition of exploit, you epitomize the definition. Wasn't it just a few years ago that you were exposed for guiding without proper licensing to do so? That sounds pretty irresponsible as a "professonal" guide. It shows a disregard for the laws that you claim to follow and help educate others of as well as the well as a disregard for the safety of your clients. What if you were to have had an accident without the proper insurance required to obtain the license?

The trout that are stocked are paid for by license sales as well as through donations from the LMFRF as far as I know. I guess you think all the work to spillway creek as well as other stream improvements just magically appeared too? I have no affiliation to the LMFRF but have spent some time doing stream improvements well before it's inception 12 or so years ago. I feel fortunate to have such a resource available and take exception with those who merely continue to take from it without doing anything to help restore or replace it. I don't know if you do or don't but I seen you post plenty on here about usinvg the resource for your gain, but nothing about contributing anything worthwhile back. Just my observations.

I'm still trying to figure out what the heck "wild stocker" means. Is it a wild tournament, or are the stockers heavy drinkers that frequent strip clubs?

In seriousness, I guess it could mean descendants of stockers, but then they'd just be wild (and crazy, for you SNL fans).

You do need the power point presentation! You were not asking if there was ANY benefit for me from the tournament. You asked "will any of the entry fees go back to the resource," which I answered directly.

Another direct answer would be no, I was not exposed for guiding without a license. I'm not going into this again, you can check the old posts or ask the moderator for the copy of the license I sent to him, years ago.  I also have a half million dollar insurance policy, which is not required for the fishing guides, guiding from land in Texas or Oklahoma, but it is for boats. 

You don't "take exception with those who merely continue to take from it without doing anything to restore or replace it;" you take issue with me. Which is fine, haters be hatin'. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you have been PMing everyone on this forum about their 'exploitation' of every body of water they fish on, because 99% of the people here have never 'restored or replaced' the lakes and rivers, beyond buying a license and paying taxes. 

I understand that you don't know me beyond reading all my posts, but I do care about the lakes and the rivers. I genuinely hope you will give that idea a chance and stop trying to ruin this thread. If you would like to speak to me directly about any of this you can PM me or call me. 

The drinking and strip clubs must be why they don't reproduce! I do hope the tournament will be a little wild, but that isn't where the term came from.

I see less whining from the girls at my high school. Just let the man run his tournament in peace.

Amen. The guy adds more tithe local economy than any of us.

WHAT!! does that have to do with the reason for this thread which is the entry fees, RULES and regulations of the tourney?????

Take your questions to private messages instead of unloading your petty BASHING complaints about a singled out person PLEASE!!!!
Myself and I am sure others don't want to hear the B.S.

x2-p-

I must have missed something...what's the difference in 20 ppl fishing in a "trouney" compared to 20 random ppl fishing at the park? Well I mean other than the trouney fly fishermen respecting the park's rules/regulations, awhile more often than not practicing catch n release.

T-Fly is a wonderful ambassador of our sport to all that come in contact with him.

Im going to keep and eat all the fish I catch...

That picture is priceless from OP

No problem with that if they're legal, that's why we buy the license. At least you're honest about it.

The tourney should have plenty of fish to fish for. The river has lots of good fish. And if they stock on Thursday or Friday it will be even more fun!

Looks like we will have a good turn out. I'll be at the Evening Hole Parking lot at 6 or maybe by 530 taking registrations. Again this is a 100% pay out. I don't get anything. I'm am just holding the cash.

If u have anything u want to donate for the tourney drawings and prizes please contact me now. Looks like 20+ people. Bass Pro Shops & White River Fly Shop will be donating some items as well. I will walk the river during the tourney watching and helping if needed. At registration, we will go over how to properly revive and release a fish. U may keep your limit during the tourney, but absolutely no Culling. U will be disqualified for that immediately and loose your entry fees. Apart gave with code on it must be in picture with the fish to count. So don't think u can start measuring fish now and turn them in. Won't work that way.

Isnt that an Olympic sport?

TF - r u confident there will be 20+ anglers? Sounds like we had a few dropouts already.

There are still alot of fish in red zone and a decent number in Spillway - if they stock it will be nice and full.

My family is still coming - we have our photographer set up!

Cook

Ok kids, you better bring your "A" game, because I am IN!

Good luck to all.

15-20. Last time I checked. Peeps drop out and peeps pop back in it.

I talked to Carey today, it looks like he will be ending the tournament at 12pm so everyone can be able to break for lunch. Results will be announced around 1pm.

Confirmed. I will let y'all know the main rules again at sign in.

Is anyone heading up there Friday? If so, can you recommend where to stay? I'm not looking for a 5-star resort, but I'd prefer not to have a chalk outline greet me either. Any info/recommendation would be appreciated.

I always stay at the Hochatown Country Lodge which is on 259 right across from the park turn off

http://hochatownlodge.com/

Its nothing fancy but has always been clean, good rate, and free WiFi. There are cabins in park and a ton of other cabins nearby. Other than that there are several hotels back in Broken Bow but I have never stayed at any of them.

I usually pay $42 at Charles Wesley in Broken Bow 1mile north of Walmart on the right. It's sits in papa pablanos Mexican restaurant parking lot.

Hey Carey, do you when the most recent stocking was?

Thanks!

Thanks guys! I'll check them out. Forgot about the cabins.

Stocked feb 20th. Nothing so far this week. They could show up this afternoon or tomorrow, you never know. Still plenty of fish available either way - we did ok last weekend.

Charles Wesley X2. Easy access, good food next door, comfy beds. Fridge and microwave too in most. $42-$58 depending on # of people.

I was there last Sunday and there are a TON of fish in the river. There was hardly any bite and I still caught 30+ in 6 hours.

Thanks Jeff and Brad.

Well guys, I knew this would happen but the only way my son and I are making it is if we wake up about 3am and it is raining.

I hope y'all have great weather, great fishing and a great time.

Please post pics and give reports for us less fortunate.

That's what I always do - every two weeks. On the road from Little Elm at 3:30am - Then home by 7:30.

If I had the wherewithal I'd set up a charter service to Broken Bow Airport .

Hey tarpon fly, I have several questions for you. Will you be fishing? Are guides allowed to fish? What is the expected number of people? What do you mean the "bottom" of evening hole? Is that just the regular parking area for evening hole?

Does it only pay one place? Or will multiple places be paid?

Looks like a good group of peeps are coming

This tourney is for y'all. 100% payout. I get $0.00 out of it.

People wanted a normal tourney, with a good chance to win 1st place, for even the beginners. It wouldn't be fair that I got in it, or any other guide for that matter. So, no guides allowed that guide the LMF.

Meeting spot is at bridge at the bottom of the Evening Hole (in-between the fly shop bridge and cold hole bridge. )

If you are facing the front door of the fly shop, turn to the right and go 1000 yards or so to the next bridge. Cross over bridge and I should be right there on the right side of the road in the parking lot with the kiosk to wash boots and tell you the regulations.

Please wash your boots off at kiosk if you have been to another river recently.

Thinking maybe 15-20 people. A lot of peeps don't have screen names so they will just show up. Could be 30 peeps. No idea. I know of 8 people that are def staying the night tonight in Broken Bow. I have two peeps coming with me that are entering and a couple other phone calls and texts. So I think it should be a good turn out for the distance of the tourny! Lots of big fish still in there. Spillway to the power house has easy fishing. Lots of good holes. EH is not the only hole that has fish. Lots of 20 inchrs in Spillway to Power House with a couple 25+ inchers roaming around even in the Blue Zones.

You are responsible for a measuring device and digital camera or smart phone in an zoom in on. Or, video each fish on the tape, zoom out and in so I can see the measurement. If its not clear enough, I will not count it. -Unless there is unamounous agreement from other participants on its length.

Bass Pro Shops Donated a #5 Weight 9 ft Fly Rod Combo for drawing at end.

1-9 people enter ( Winner Take All )

10-19 people enter ( 1 st and 2nd places )

20-29 people enter ( 1st and 2nd and 3rd places )

31-39 people enter ( 1-4 places )

How much do each places pay? Won't know till y'all enter. There are a bunch of Accountants and number pushers there, so the pay outs will be fair. I'll be walking the river here and there. If you need help with something give me a call if your phone works. If I'm nearby I'll come to you.

Keep fish in water till ready to measure. Have your tape handy at all times and not at the bottom of your waders.

If anyone is keeping a limit during the tourney, and I see you cull a fish, your money is gone, your disqualified, and game warden will be called to have a chat with ya.

Remember to crimp barbs in RED ZONE. There are signs everywhere if u take the time to read them.

Flies out of the water at 12 pm sharp. 1 pm is cut off for weigh in pictures. If everyone shows up at say 1:30 and tickets in bucket, we will go ahead with the World Champion Wild Stocker Ceremony.

I will go over the rules as y'all are registering for every person so there is no hazy lines. If any complaints arise, it must be written in ink, notarized, and handed to Jeff.

Once you hand your entry fee to me, it belongs to the Tourneyment.

Thanks for putting this together Carey, I certainly wish I could make it but am not able to. Hopefully this will become an annual event. Good luck to everyone and I am anxious to hear the report and see the pictures!

Leaving Dallas at 3 am. 530 ish is my eta. you can leave registration area at 6

plenty of fish in EH - big ones too. flow is at 110, which is 10 higher than usual. I did not fish below eh bridge today. spillway may be tough with crowds and low #s of fish. no generation scheduled fior those that like z2 and z3. saw 4 park rangers/wardens today. looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Maybe there r fish up there in spillway but u just can't catch them?
Or maybe u dont want anyone to go up there cause its full of fish?
Or maybe your telling the truth?

Lol, takes just 6 lucky drifts.

Sorry I couldn't make it and offer up the Lodge for everyone to stay, it got booked before my wife could reserve it.

I promise it will be available for the next outing.

Great to meet you Typha AKA Cattail and look forward to a beer on the deck one day.

Denny

I sure hope someone can bring that 30" Monster in SWC to the net....

Denny

Well, now that the tournament is over it is light raining in my neck of the woods LOL



Well how did it go? Winners? Big turn out? Good fishing?

(Larry with nice 21 inch Spillway Creek Rainbow caught after the tourney!lol)



104 inches for 1st place win went to "Lurker"!

He doesn't have a screen name but reads here. So I will keep him nameless due to I didn't ask if it was cool to revile his name. The fly he was using was classic and will remain a secret. Props man, lol. I told 2 of my buddies about your fly and their reaction was like , and then, Crazy how some of the simplest things murder the trout.

Jeff took big fish with 19 inches and had 2nd place at 94 inches I think.

Morning was kicking then went to crude about 8 am as the air pressure soared. Fish were still biting, but slow, as I demonstrated to Acehole. He almost pushed me in the river after he handed me his rod and I caught three fish really quick back to back. Most of the fish were not chasing down flies, they wanted a perfect drift.

Remember: *****Always****** measure your 1st 6 fish then cull out the unders and only take pics of fish bigger than the 6 before. The River shut down and one of our best, was hating life after he didn't score his first fish he caught, thinking he was going to only measure 20's all day.

Acehole hooked into the 27 incher with 10 mins left in the tourney. Pulled him into his backing as Brad was hacking at him to not loose it. The fish dove into a big boulder garden and broke him off with just mins left in the game.

more pics will be posted soon.

Acehole won the Fly Rod provided by Bass Pro Shops.

Props to TarponFly for putting on a cool little fishing expedition. I think all (except maybe Brad) had a great time. Acehole had a nice one on at the closing bell, but a new 5wt is a nice consolation prize. I am going to send Carey a flash drive of pics from the tournament, so I hope he will post a few of them. Isabel got a few good action shots and several perfectly timed shots. Thanks to Larry for assisting with my winning fish - caught just below cold hole of all places. I hope we can make this a yearly event and get more involved with the local establishments. If we have any legal experts among us, we could use your assistance next year (I can handle the accounting or 501(c) stuff).

Nice fish Larry - I will put up my winning fish and a nice one I caught after the tourney.

So who is 'Lurker' - get his name up here!

Most people are scared to make a screen name cause they don't want drama. Plus it could take hours to find a screen name that's not taken!

And, he would get murdered by the purists in here, if they found out the fly pattern he was using. Worked just as good as the Near Deers. And, the [censored] I first got, for the Near Deer not being a fly? Lol. If it works, use it.

You sure did have a great photographer for that photo of that fish Jeff... To bad I fumbled mine and couldn't get a shot of it lol. I sure do wish I would have landed that monster tho... Can't wait to get back up there. So thanks Carey for another addiction. Regular fishing and hunting wasn't enough had to add fly fishing to the list. Which it knocked off golf.... Yeah I said it fly fishing took over me golfing. Haven't used my Taylor mades in 2 years now they just collect dust. It was alot of fun can't wait till next year for the tourney. Thank you again for putting it on

Ace - I have 4 sets in my living room alone gathering dust. At least I don't hunt, so there is still a little time to play golf. Stuchdan came and played two weeks ago, you need to come out once to GSW.

Great photographer, yes. Kinda a little guy, new rod, buddies that were a little on the sketchy side

Already trying to figure out a way to golf AND fish this weekend....... and tax returns, too. Nuts.....

Was there yesterday, and the Texans are pounding mercilessly. It may not be Oklahoma spring break, but it is obviously Texas spring break. Crowds beyond anything I have seen - since accidentally going there on an OK spring break day.

PoPo was working, and working hard too! That was good to see - the first time I had seen that there (but I haven't been there in a few years).

I heard the words "beat down" used to describe the scene there - several times yesterday.

Was the winning fly possibly a curly tail plastic grub on a jig head? I'm trying to think of a fly that would make the purists mad. But you said it was a "classic", so I don't know. What would be a "classic" that purists would object to? Hmmm. I bring up the curly tail jig because I stand next to fly fishermen who out-fish me using those things all the time. I can see they work great. I just can't bring myself to use one. If I finally decide to I'll just go get my ultra-lite spinning outfit and a plastic bobber and make things even simpler. That's where I draw MY purist line. But more power to anyone who uses them. I don't care at all. My purist line is completely my own, and yours is yours. I know some consider fishing with indys "bobber fishing", and they may be right.
jonbo

It fell under the definition of a fly. Just simplest thing that I can see any one tying.

We here at the TFF fly fishing forum have a slightly varied definition of "classic"

Was it named after a river

Hmm, sounds like it could be the same one I had tied above a midge dropper this morning...

Simplest thing I tie is to wrap red thread down to bend of hook while tying in root-beer brown micro midge tubing. Wrap tubing up hook to close to eye, tie off.

I'll set up another tourney. I'll work with Eddie at the fly shop and Arron, so we can make it a bit bigger maybe. I only posted on TFF. Jeff and Brad might have some ideas for the next one I heard. So please, if you have any ideas or input on the next tourney post here. Another tourney in October/November?

Brad and Jeff do have some ideas for the next tourney. We hope to involve a charity as well as the local fly shops and establishments. Carey will always be point man and marketing guru. His event Saturday was a great start to what we hope will be an annual or bi-annual contest. Whether it is this fall or next spring, bigger and better is the way to go.

A few TFF members have offered assistance with lodging, charities, donations, and professional advice. Carey and the gang will work with everyone to plan the next event. I imagine Carey will be open to tweaking the format once we get a higher level of participation.

Thank you once again to TarponFly for putting together the little tournament last weekend. I have sent him a cd with pics, so you may see some of them on here shortly. Anyone with thoughts or ideas, please chime in.

JCook

It hit me that the more of these tournaments that are held, the more attention goes onto the LMF which cold be a good thing. More pressure to properly police it etc.