Fish story contest off and reeling
When the white bass are running and the morel mushrooms are popping, people have one activity on their minds: entering the annual Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Fish Story Contest.
Spring has sprung and anglers are no doubt netting plenty of material for the 2022 contest. It’s the chance to bask in fish-story fame, win swell prizes and become a published author to boot.
We’ll publish the winning stories and pictures of the winners here at NWA Outdoors. Not only that, we’ll run every story received on our fish story online contest page. Enter your true fish story by May 31 at nwaonline.com/ fishcontest to get in on the fun.
This puts you in touch with us here at fish story central with easy instructions on how to submit your true fish story for the contest. Be sure to include your name and the town you live in or near. A phone number is also helpful. Another great feature about this online option is it lets people read the stories as they come in to the contest.
Scribes can also postal mail stories to Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 1187, Fayetteville, Ark. 72702.
Our trio of fish-story judges will pick one winner and you, dear readers, will pick another winner in the readers choice division. The link to enter stories will also let you vote for your favorite.
Your fish story could be a true saga about something that happened yesterday at Beaver Lake or years ago on a little creek or the open sea. Just get it to us here by May 31.
Such a serious literary competition calls for some swell prizes. Both winners will receive a $100 gift card plus a bag full of fishing lures almost guaranteed to catch the big ones at your favorite waterway.
Honorable fish-story magistrates for this year’s contest can’t wait to read your prose. Reading at the judge’s bench, or maybe her kitchen table, will be honorable judge Holly Treat, an outdoor education teacher at Bentonville High School. The crappie at Beaver Lake shiver with fear when Holly shows up to go fishing.
Pat Bodishbaugh of Fayetteville has been promoted, or maybe demoted, from fish story champion to honorable fish story judge. That’s right, Pat was a winner in last year’s contest. He’s an expert stream angler and has agreed to judge even though he won’t be able to enter and defend his title.
As always, chief judge of the fish story contest is my cat, TC. How does a cat judge a fish story contest? Stay tuned and you’ll find out in June when we announce the winners and reveal the highly scientific judging ritual.
The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette fish story contest may be the only distinguished competition where we bend over backward to help you win. Tip No. 1 is no long-winded story has ever won the contest. Short and sweet gets the fishing lures and gift card. Think fish story not fish novel.
Spring is ideal to reel in the fodder for a championship story. Best of luck to all in the contest and catch a bunch of fish.
•••