Jambalaya Challenge

 2025 Red Stick Fly Fishers Jambalaya Challenge

Links

Link to the Entry Form

Email to submit the photo: RSFFJam@gmail.com

View the Submissions Received

Results to Date

No geographic boundaries for this contest.

Fish identification:  the links below are helpful in identifying most of the species you will encounter.  However, if you can't identify the species, email the fish photo to RSFFJam@gmail.com and we'll do our best to get an identification for you. 

Overview


jambalaya | noun | jam·​ba·​laya |

Definition:

   1) rice cooked usually with ham, sausage, chicken, shrimp, or oysters and seasoned with herbs

   2) a mixture of diverse elements

Red Stick Fly Fishers is excited to continue hosting the "Jambalaya Challenge".  No, we're not having a cooking contest. Rather a fishing contest where size doesn't matter, but diversity does!  This contest is open to all RSFF members. There is no entry fee required.

Our Jambalaya Challenge kicks off January 1st and ends November 30th at 11:59pm. Winners will be announced and participants will be eligible for prizes drawn at our annual Christmas party in December. 

The Jambalaya Challenge is not a “big fish" contest.  Instead, it's about "how many different species you can catch on fly rod".  The tournament format is CPRE (Catch/Photo/Release Encouraged).  All you need to participate is a phone or camera, fly rod, fly, and of course the fish.  

When you catch a species, that you haven't already entered, simply take a photo of the fish.  Include the fly rod and/or fly.  You will -not- need a token, as we are asking contestants to submit the original photograph.  This will allow the Jambalaya Challenge Director to determine date of catch.  

To submit the fish, come to this web page, and use the link above to fill out the catch info.  Then attach your photo at the end of the form or email the matching photo to the email link above.

There are separate divisions for Adult and Youth.  We will recognize the top 3 winners with some type of personalized award (e.g., plaque, fly box, pint glass, etc.).  All other participants will have their name entered into a consolation drawing with the number of tickets depending on the number of fish entered.  We will draw for multiple consolation prizes. 

The submissions are of great value to fellow members.  It allows them to see what species can be caught on fly, where these fish can be taken on fly, at what time of year, and on what flies.    

Rules and Procedure

Rules may be subject to amendment.  Decisions of the Jambalaya Challenge Director are final.
Please note important items in red.

  •  participant must be a paid 2025 member of RSFF by April 1st
  •  the contest begins January 1st (12:01am) and ends November 30th (11:59pm)
  •  all fish must be caught on flies and fly fishing equipment
  •  fish must be caught fair, no foul hooked fish are allowed
  •  there are no geographic boundaries
  •  the contest will be on the honor system
  •  fish must be submitted within 30 days of the catch date, and before end of contest.
  •  to enter a fish you must submit a single photograph that includes the fish -and- either the fly rod or the fly used. 
  •  the photograph must also meet the photo requirements listed below.
  •  There are two (2) divisions:  Adult (18 and over), Youth (under 18 at start of contest).   Youth participants can be either:
    • children or grandchildren of RSFF members 
    • youth members of RSFF (eg, high school students).  Youth membership is free.
  • every entry logged in requires the date on which you caught the fish, the fly the fish was caught on, and the state and body of water (location) where the fish was caught.  The form cannot be submitted without this info.
  • please submit your photo as soon as reasonably possible as in the event of a tie, we will use the earliest entry as a tie breaker
  • To support our conservation initiative "Sack Up for Clean Waters", all Jambalaya Challenge participants can also submit 1 bag of trash collected on site from wherever they are fishing as an additional species entry eligible in our year end raffle. Fill out the form as if it were a fish, call the species "trash" or "garbage", and submit a picture of the trash you collected. Bags should not be smaller than your typical plastic grocery bag and each participant is only allotted one trash entry per year.  

Award guidelines:

  •  the contest winner will be the member who submits the most variety of species caught
  •  top 3 places will be awarded with a personalized item  (fly box, pint glass, etc.) 
  •  all other contestants will be eligible for consolation prize drawings, with ticket allocations to the drawing based "on a curve": 
         a)  8 raffle entries to participants in the 1st quartile (top 25%)
         b)  4 raffle entries to participants in the 2nd quartile
         c)  2 raffle entries to participants in the 3rd quartile
         d)  1 raffle entry to participants in the 4th quartile.
  • we will recognize the top 3 winners and draw for prizes for all other participants at our annual Christmas Party.

Photo requirements:

  •  Photo must include fish and either fly or tackle (rod/reel) or both.  It must be clear when looking at the photo that it was caught on fly.
  •  The photo must be the original unedited photograph as the metadata of the photo will be used to confirm date of the catch.  Make sure your camera or phone has the correct system date.  EXCEPTION: some phones let you edit a photo and retain metadata. If this is the case, then - and only then - can an edited photo be submitted.
  •  Photos should be clear and provide sufficient detail to identify the species. This is particularly important for fish that are similar in appearance to other species. Keep in mind that the safety of the fish is paramount, so please use safe handling and release techniques while photographing the fish.   The website keepfishwet.org has best practices on handling fish and taking fish photos safely.
  •  In the event that the species is not easily identifiable, it may be submitted to a fisheries biologist or other expert for identification. If all readily available identification channels are exhausted and the fish can’t be identified, then the entry may be ruled ineligible.
  • Juvenile sunfish are tough to identify, please consider holding off on submitting juvenile sunfish until you catch a better example of the species you wish to submit.
  •  Although this is not a true Catch/Photo/Release contest (you can keep the fish if you choose) DEAD FISH CANNOT BE SUBMITTED  – please submit a photo at the time fish was caught (no ice chest, driveway, or cleaning table photos allowed).
  •  Only one photo of each species of fish should be submitted per member as only one will be counted. If you feel like other photos may help with identification or you got a good grip-and-grin you'd like to share, feel free to email those photos as well to RSFFJam@gmail.com


This contest will be a great opportunity to promote our club and our sport, not to mention a lot of fun!  See the video below for more information:




Questions and Answers


Over the course of the event, we'll be receiving questions from members. The ones we find most appropriate will be posted here, along with answers.

Q. What if I catch a hybrid sunfish, what species do I register it as?
A. Sunfish readily hybridize, especially in small bodies of water, like your average pond. If you catch a hybrid sunfish please submit it as such. Starting in 2023 we are allowing hybrid sunfish as a species submission.

Q. Will the photos be used elsewhere?
A. We plan to use the photos at our Christmas Party slideshow.  Otherwise, selected photos will be used strictly for contest promotion, either on our website or Facebook page.