25 On The Fly Roundup From Onwater

Imagine the perfect fishing trip. It would include some familiar places and some pleasant surprises, all while fishing unique locations. Now combine that with a fly fishing tournament “done right” and you get the 25 On The Fly. Created by two passionate anglers, the 25 On The Fly blends angling skill, knowledge of local fisheries, the desire to explore new waters, and the willingness to take calculated risks. Here is our 25 On The Fly Roundup from onWater from the Colorado event and a preview of the Texas event.

When the invitation came for onWater to participate in the 25 On The Fly events, we quickly dove in. Our passion lies in many species in many waters, so a fly fishing tournament focusing on variety fell in-line with our desire to curate fishing opportunities beyond trout. The first event was June 17 and 18 in Colorado. Representing onWater were our Curation and GIS Director, Toren Shirk and our Business Development Lead, Drew Mumford.

“This event was a whirlwind of emotions in the best way possible,” says Mumford, “if any angler wants to put their skills to the test and have a great time, 25 On The Fly is the perfect event.”

25 On The Fly Colorado Round-Up

To have success in the 25 On The Fly, anglers must target new and different species in Colorado. For Toren and Drew, the desire to discover new places to fish and new species to target intrigued them. Exploring new water may feel intimidating at first, but, with proper planning comes confidence.

“We had to make a plan,” Toren said of the few days leading up to the event. “We had to learn the various species we were attempting to target, the understanding of the habitat they live in, and then plan to try and position ourselves for the most possible success. The planning was a big part of the fun.”

The two anglers used the unique features of onWater to E-Scout several locations prior to even getting in the truck. They were able to E-Scout using satellite maps, they were able to connect with local fly shops for accurate fishing reports, and they used Topo Maps to find new places to fish.

The weekend featured a mess of changing weather conditions, causing every team to adjust plans in the moment. But armed with prior proper planning, the onWater team fished for two days across a variety of water near Denver and checked off several species. Although they didn’t top the podium, they didn’t finish last either.

“We did great, we won some, we lost some,” says Drew. “In fishing you’ll never be able to bat 100 – you just have to control the controllable and roll with the punches.”

If You Ain’t First You’re Last. Not The Case in Fishing Contests.

For those teams that reached the podium, prizes and pride were flowing. We congratulate those teams. All participating teams in the Colorado event also received swag bags from the sponsors. Additionally, Team onWater didn’t come home empty handed as they won the Bajio Sunglasses Best Sight Fishing Challenge. The winning fish? A sunfish!

At onWater we strive to help all anglers fish and explore with confidence, but perhaps some anglers need a little more help than others. So for the Colorado 25 On The Fly we awarded free subscriptions and gift cards to local fly shops to the team that finished in 11th Place. Because 11th Place isn’t last but it isn’t in the Top Ten.

25 On The Fly Texas is Next

Anglers in Texas are up next as the 25 On The Fly moves to the Lonestar State. The event will take place October 7th and 8th and is hosted by Orvis Dallas. Over the course of the two days, similar to 25 On The Fly in Colorado, teams of two-anglers will compete fishing only on public lands to catch as many different species as possible.

For the Texas event onWater is creating a custom-curated map layer featuring fish species distribution. “From our experience fishing in the Colorado tournament prior knowledge of species distribution was crucial,” says Toren, “so we’re building a special layer to our maps that will be a handy tool for participants.”

To help anglers find more species and more waters to fish in Texas, onWater is giving a free year of premium access to registered teams. Be sure to register for this fly fishing style road trip and angling contest.

Registration and the Species List for the Texas 25 On The Fly are available online at this link.

Fishing in a 25 On The Fly contest is part scavenger hunt, part fishing trip, and part getting out of your angling comfort zone. At onWater we are passionate about angling and understand things don’t always go your way. Which is why our understanding of the little things in angling always keeps us coming back, whether we finish first, last, or eleventh.