Have you caught a special fish on the African continent in the last 12 months? Well then you may just be a contender for The Feathers Award, our annual competition that celebrates the most remarkable catch in a calendar year.
What are the criteria? What constitutes a remarkable catch?
– First off, on the geographical front, we are looking at fish caught on the African continent (that excludes Indian Ocean island nations). Of course, visitors to Africa can win if they came out here and caught amazing fish.
– It is important to note that it is not just about size (that’s what your mom said). Yes, if you catch an amazing big fish, that will definitely be looked at as a contender, but size alone does not mean a win. Other things we will be looking at include:
Rarity of species. Did you bundu bash deep into the Congo to catch colossal aquatic beasties on fly? Maybe you stumbled across a long lost strain of trout in the Atlas mountains or connected with a dogtooth tuna on foot on the Nubian Flats or managed to snaffle a galjoen on fly? Whatever the case, we want to know about it.
Difficulty. Did your catch involve climbing a Mozambican inselberg to fish beetle patterns to isolated catfish? Did you get stuck in quicksand in your quest to tick off a new species? Extra points for you.
Location. While we’re not looking for the exact location of your honey hole, we’re interested in where your fishing took you? Did you raft the Nile in search of perch? Did you trek through the Kruger for tigerfish? Did you chart Gabon’s southern estuaries for multiple species. We respect your effort.
Judges – who decides?
That would be the extended Feathers & Fluoro brains trust, aka the idjits you find right here. If a member of Feathers enters the awards, then they recuse themselves from judging that year.
One winner – one prize.
The floating trophy made by Conrad Botes. So the prize itself is not gear from a fly fishing brand, but instead the glory of being the holder of the trophy for that year and to have your name engraved on it for years to come. Think ice hockey’s Stanley Cup where they have added more and more bases and made the cup bigger as the years pass. We may throw in a case of beer and a cap as added extras, but that’s it. You can brag that you won The Feathers Award.
How do you enter?
– It’s simple. Send us photos of notable catches and add in the back story to the catch. If your mates are shy or humble, please note that you can enter someone other than yourself. Email entries to info@themissionflymag.com
Remember, entries close on the 15th of December. The winner will be announced in issue no. 37, the Jan/Feb 2023 issue of The Mission.
We look forward to your entries!
