Competitive fly fishing is a tiny segment of fly fishing as a whole, but has had a massive impact on the industry and the popular techniques in use today. While few anglers have ever witnessed a fly fishing competition—and even fewer have participated—most have at least heard of competition tactics or Euro nymphing. Now that these techniques have entered the mainstream, awareness and interest in competitive fly fishing are at an all-time high. However, actual participation remains low, largely due to a lack of clarity about what competitions involve, who can compete, and how to get started.
If you’re reading this, I think it’s safe to assume you have at least some interest in competitive fly fishing. Hopefully, by the end of this post, you’ll have the information and confidence you need to try a competition yourself.
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How to Find a Fly Fishing Competition Near You
All fly fishing competitions in the U.S. are posted on and managed through FlyComps.com, an excellent web app created by former Team USA angler Ken Crane. Most competitions are organized and hosted by individual competitors on their home waters. Each listing includes contact information for the organizer, and most are more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
Competitions are typically posted on FlyComps one to two months before they take place, so if you don’t see any near you, check back regularly—one is likely to pop up soon.
In addition to FlyComps, you can also reach out to your local regional coordinator for more information about competing in your area or to ask specific questions. I’m the coordinator for the Northeast region, and contact information for the Southeast, Midwest, and Western coordinators can be found on Fly Fishing Team USA’s website
What Competitions can you Compete in as a Beginner?
The most widely recognized form of organized competitive fly fishing today follows the rules set by the international governing body of competitive fly fishing, FIPS Mouche. These competitions are standardized, so an event in the U.S. runs much the same way as one in France or anywhere else in the world.
In the U.S., nearly all FIPS-style competitions are sanctioned by Fly Fishing Team USA (FFTUSA)—the senior-level team that represents the country at the World Fly Fishing Championships. FFTUSA organizes competitions at three levels: regionals, interregionals, and the national championships.
Regional Fly Fishing Competitions
Regionals are the most common type of competition and are specifically tailored to help new anglers get involved in the sport. If you’re reading this to learn how to sign up for your first competition, this is the kind you’re looking for. Regionals are one-day events, usually with around twelve anglers, though they can have as few as eight or as many as sixteen. There are around fifty regional competitions held each year across the U.S., so no matter where you’re located, there’s likely one happening within driving distance at some point.
One thing I want to make very clear: regional events are open to anyone! Every year, I hear people say they’d like to try competition fishing but feel intimidated because the events are associated with Team USA. That’s completely understandable, but regionals are low-pressure, low-stakes events designed specifically to help new anglers get started.
It might feel intimidating to show up to something labeled “Team USA,” but I promise you, everyone will be happy to see a new face. The level of competitiveness is lower than you’d expect. Nearly all the competitors will be more than willing to help you throughout the day, give you some leeway as you’re learning the ropes, and offer advice on how to improve. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the only way to get better is to get out there and
I also meet anglers who worry about taking a spot from someone actively trying to make FFTUSA and potentially costing them points. If that’s your concern, it shouldn’t be. Anglers can only count their top five regional results toward making Team USA, and most have the chance to fish 12–15 regionals in their region each year, as well as more in other regions. Missing out on one event won’t hurt anyone’s chances. In fact, we often struggle to fill regionals with 12 anglers—more often than not, we need another person or two just to run the competition. More consistent participation means we can run more events and create more opportunities for everyone.
One final note: while youth anglers (under 18) are absolutely welcome and encouraged to participate in regionals, there is a 24-hour registration hold for anglers who will not be 18 by the end of the current competition cycle, since they cannot earn points towards making FFTUSA.
Interregional Competitions and the National Championships
The next two levels of competition—interregionals and nationals—are the events that really matter for anglers aiming to make FFTUSA. Both are invite-only, so I won’t go too in-depth on how they operate.
There are four interregionals—one per region—held over a two-year competition cycle. These are larger, two-day events with 24 anglers. Those who perform well in their five regional competitions will receive invitations to participate in up to three interregionals. Each angler can count their best two interregional results toward their total score.
The National Championships take place at the end of the two-year cycle. This is a four-day, 40-angler competition made up of those with the top combined regional and interregional scores. At the end of the championship, the 15 anglers with the highest cumulative scores for the cycle are selected to join FFTUSA.
If you’d like to learn more about how the Team USA selection process and competition cycles work, you can do so here for now. It’s a bit too detailed and complex to include in this article, but I will try and do one on it soon.
Youth, Women’s, and Master’s Competitions
While FFTUSA is open to any angler over the age of 18, there are also three other U.S. fly fishing teams for specific groups: the Masters Team (for anglers over 55), the Youth Team (for anglers under 19), and the Women’s Team.
These teams each hold a few competitions annually that are specific to their respective demographics, in addition to participating in FFTUSA-sanctioned events. You can learn more about their competitions, selection processes, and participation in World Championships through the links provided.
If you have questions about qualifying, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team contacts listed on their pages; they’re always happy to help.
How to Sign Up for a Fly Fishing Competition
Compared to many other countries, we have a pretty streamlined system for signing up for competitions in the U.S. As mentioned earlier, all competition registration is handled through FlyComps.com, which is completely free to use for signing up and tracking your performance.
In addition to creating a FlyComps account, you’ll also need to purchase an FFTUSA membership—even if you’re not actively trying to make the team. This requirement is primarily for insurance purposes, and it’s one of the main reasons most competitions now operate under the FFTUSA umbrella.
I’ll walk you through how to get everything set up below.
Becoming a FFTUSA Member
There are three things you need to do to become a member of FFTUSA:
- Sign the liability waiver
- Sign the code of conduct
- Pay the $75 annual membership fee
All of this can be done on the Fly Fishing Team USA Membership page. Membership is valid for 365 days from the date of payment, and members are responsible for tracking their own status—so be sure to make a note of when you sign up.
You can also opt into an annual subscription, which will auto-renew your membership each year. However, please note that you’ll still need to manually re-sign the waiver and code of conduct every 365 days.
We understand that $75 can feel like a lot if you’re just looking to try competition fishing for the first time. That’s why we’re working on introducing a $25 “day pass” option for first-time competitors. If you have questions about this option, feel free to reach out to me directly.
Making a FlyComps Account and Registering for a Comp
Once you have your FFTUSA membership, you can register for any competition you’re interested in. Start by clicking the “Create Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the FlyComps website. Be sure to go through the account setup process at least a few hours before registration opens for the event you’re interested in.
Registration opens on a timer, usually two weeks before the scheduled competition date. To check, click into the competition you’re interested in, then go to the “Registration” tab at the top. You’ll see the exact time registration opens, along with a live countdown timer.
If you see a message saying “this event is not using registration,” it simply means the organizer hasn’t entered a date yet—they usually will as the event gets closer.
Make sure you’re online and ready to click “Register” the moment the timer hits zero, since some competitions fill up within the first few minutes.
If your registration is successful, you’ll get a confirmation message and see your name listed among the competitors. Most events also require a registration fee, typically around $25, which you’ll need to send directly to the organizer within a few days. This is what they charge for their time and effort setting up the event.
If you’re a bit slow on the draw and the event fills up, you may find yourself on the waitlist. Don’t worry—drops happen frequently, and organizers often reach out to waitlisted anglers to fill last-minute spots. So keep your name on the list and stay ready.
Finally, read the competition description carefully before signing up or showing up. Some events have unique rules, special requests, or other details you’ll need to know. Everything should be listed on the event page, but if anything’s unclear, don’t hesitate to contact the organizer or your regional coordinator.
Dropping Out of a Competition
Things happen, and you may have to drop out of a competition. If you know you can’t attend, login to your FlyComps account, head back to the registration page, and hit cancel registration as soon as you can. The earlier the better, as it gives the organizer time to find a fill in from the waitlist. It is up to the organizer whether they will issue a refund for the registration fee, depending on how close the competition is and if they can find a replacement.
Please try not to no-show the day of the competition. This causes a lot of issues with the grouping and rotation if it was unexpected, and can make the organizers life harder. It also takes the opportunity to participate away from anyone on the waitlist.
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What do you Need to Start Competitive Fly Fishing?
I meet a lot of people who worry they don’t have the skills or equipment to give competitive fly fishing a try. When it comes to skills, the only way to develop them is by doing it.
As for equipment, you don’t need much beyond what you’d normally use for fishing. That said, I recommend having a basic grasp of euro nymphing before competing. You don’t have to be an expert, but since indicators and split shot are banned in competitive fly fishing, you’ll struggle if you can’t fish without them. If you have the gear for euro nymphing and a net to land your fish, you have what you need to compete.
The other important thing is to have a basic understanding of the rules, which can be found on the FIPS Mouche website. You can skip much of the content related to qualifying, running competitions, and team regulations. The key sections for individual competitors are Articles 23 through 34. Just make sure you’re not doing anything obviously prohibited, and your fellow anglers will help you with the rest.
Have Fun Out There!
I hope that helps to demystify the sign up process and qualifications to get started in competitive fly fishing. There’s a lot to it, but really the only way to understand everything going on is to do it for a long time. Take it one step at a time, get started with your first competition, and learn as you go. I’ve been doing it for over a decade and I still learn new things about competing all the time.
I plan to do some more of these Competitive Fly Fishing 101 type articles moving forward. There’s a lot to cover that just isn’t out there anywhere which I think would really help newcomers. If you have anything you’d like to learn more about, drop a comment and I’ll try to address it in the near future!
Enjoy your first competition!
– Mike Komara
