COMMENTARY

Fish story contest brings fame, fishing lures

Ah, spring. My favorite time of year when the crappie are biting, mushrooms are popping and the fish story contest is off and running.

Boat Dock here. Chief judge of the annual Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette fish story contest announcing the official call for entries into this year's competition. Time to pen the "write" stuff, send it here to fish story central and win a swell prize.

We'll accept entries all through May, so there's plenty of time to get out on the water to gather the material for a champion fish story. The contest is for true stories, no yarns. In June, we'll judge the entries and crown the 2017 fish story champion right here in NWA Outdoors. We'll also run all the stories that'll fit in this section.

The winner will get his or her story published front and center, get their picture in the paper and win the grand prize -- a fine selection of fishing lures almost guaranteed to catch the big ones on your favorite lake or stream. Thanks to Chris Johnson at Arkie Lures in Springdale and Keith Brashers over at War Eagle Custom Lures in Rogers for providing our grand prize again this year.

Here are the official rules. 1. Write down your story. 2. Send it in.

E-mail your true fish story to [email protected]. Be sure to type Fish Story Contest in the subject line. Or mail your entry to Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2560 N. Lowell Road, Springdale, Ark., 72764, attention fish story contest. Please include your name, the town you live in or near and a daytime phone number.

Write your story on a computer, your phone, a napkin or Big Chief tablet. Just get it here to fish story central by May 31.

The fish story contest may be the only prestigious literary contest where we don't dock for spelling, grammar or neatness. Long as the judges can read it, it's in the running.

A thousand thanks to our judges for the 2017 contest. Reading your stories will be Mary Loots, angler extraordinaire who lives at Beaver Lake; fish master David Higgenbothem of Hindsville; and me, Boat Dock.

Fish story scribes are welcome to include a picture with their story. Kids are encouraged to enter. We at fish story central always enjoy seeing the pictures they've colored or drawings they've sent along with their stories.

Entries can be about something that happened last week or last century, from waters near and far, salt water or fresh.

The fish story contest may be the only competition where we help you win. I've been judging the contest most of my nine lives and can testify that no long-winded fish story has ever won. Short and sweet wins the lures. Just ask Warren Wilkey of Garfield, last year's fish story champ. We know Warren has more stories up his sleeve to defend his title.

Anyone who's won the contest will tell you it can change your life. Let's say you suddenly find yourself in need of a crank bait. You won't have to run to the store to get one because you already have several in the bag of lures you won.

Excitement is so high at fish story time that some authors send in their stories early. George Rowland of Fayetteville enters the contest faithfully each year, and he's already mailed in his story. We took a peek at it and wow. George is gonna be hard to beat.

My favorite opening line of a fish story was a couple years ago. It started, "One day I borrowed my wife's car to go buy some minnows." You know where that story is headed.

We at fish story central wish everyone good luck with your fishing and good luck in the contest.

Boat Dock is feline outdoors columnist at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His column appears when he feels like writing one. Write to Boat Dock on his Facebook page.

Sports on 04/25/2017

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