Fly-fishing lines will tease small mouth bass as they soar over Muncie's White River this Saturday for the first Normal City Fly Fishing Derby.
The competition was not put on by an organization, but by a group of fishermen who shared the idea to put together an event focusing on the White River.
"We wanted to get exposure to the river to show the community and neighboring communities what a great asset the river is," said derby director and associate executive director of Ball Brothers Foundation Jud Fisher said.
Fisher said the idea of conservation of the river is the main reason for the catch and release derby. Bill James, the director of fisheries for the Indiana department of natural resources, will be speaking at Minnetrista Cultural Center at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the future of the river and the aftermath of the fish kill that occurred in 1999.
The group is a little grassroots group not affiliated with Muncie, made up of local residents, Fisher said.
Fisher said the plans to get the derby moving were put into action last fall, followed by weekly meetings that started early this year.
The competition was open to 50 participants but only 28 applicants applied.
"We did a lot better than we thought we would being that this is the first time holding it," Fisher said
The 28 fly fishers are not limited to Muncie residents. Fisher said some of the participants are from Fort Wayne, Evansville and Lebanon.
The only criteria to enter the competition was to have a valid fishing license or a guardian for those who are underage. The registration fee was $35.
"The challenge of fly fishing allows me to get into the water," said participant and past Ball State professor Neil Schmottlach. This is Schmottlach's first time competing in a derby throughout his nine or so years of practicing the sport.
The top five winners will receive fly fishing products donated by Royal River Fly Shop.
Participants will meet at the Minnetrista Cultural Center at 7 a.m. to receive their entry cards and regulations. The event will run from 7 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and be judged on the basis of the length of the small mouth bass.
"We wanted to keep it uniform and concentrate on one type of fish," Fisher said.
Some of the other types of common fish found in the river include sunfish, bluegill, large mouth bass, crappie, bass and carp, natural resources and environmental management instructor Hugh Brown said.
"There's a fair amount of diversity; in total there are anywhere between 50 to 60 different species," Brown said.
Brown said the water quality has improved immensely since the 1960s and 1970s do to the conservation efforts of the Muncie Bureau of Water Quality, the Watershed Monitoring Program and various other environmental groups.
"The White River in Muncie is one of Muncie's most important natural resources," professor of environmental studies Warren Vander Hill said. Vander Hill is a fly fishing instructor at Ball State and has also played a role in getting the derby vision in motion.
Fisher encouraged anyone interested to come out and support the derby. It will begin on the East side of the Jackson Street Damn and stretch to the West Point Overlook.
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