In 2010, a group of us got together for a friendly smallmouth tournament on Waterbury Reservoir. We chose a weekend day in June that was actually the same day of the LCI Derby. Maybe a mistake, but we didn't feel there'd be any conflicts since our competitors were primarily fly anglers. The event was lightly attended, but those that did show had an absolute blast and, despite some very tough fishing, some real brutes were caught.
The Waterbury tourney was most definitely a success, but we felt that we could come up with something bigger and better that anglers would travel across several states to attend. We wanted to showcase one of the finest warmwater fisheries in the United States in a unique competitive format that was friendly and also focused on conserving the resource for future generations.
On August 22nd 2010, 15 anglers left their egos at the dock to set a new standard for competative fly fishing as well as a Lake Champlain tradition called The Ditch Pickle Classic.
The weekend of the 2010 DPC was one of the wettest weekends of that summer. That didn't seem to deter a field of contestants that had already invested countless hours tying flies. prepping boats and tackle, and utilizing every spare second to dish out Facebook banter to the other contestants.
While the heavy rains held off for the event, the fish gods definitely did not cooperate and we had several anglers that didn't even draw so much as a sniff from a fish. Most of the fish that were caught came from inside the mouth of the Mississquoi River where a vessel with a shallow draft was essential.
Brendan Hare ended up taking home the Ditch Pickle Cup since he had the most overall points. For catching the largest bass in the tournament (pictured left), Brendan also won the Mini-Mag Fly Rod donated by our friends at Temple Fork Outfitters!!
Also finding their ways to the podium were Bob LaRose, Brian Price and John Berkheimer, all sharing in a mix of prizes donated by BW Sports, RIO Products, Barry Reynolds, Cliff Outdoors and more!
Following the event, Brian Price hosted one of the best BBQ's I've ever been to!
There's no better way to wrap up an event like this than by throwing back a couple'a beers, munchin' some excellent food and telling countless lies about the day's fishing.
The 2011 Ditch Pickle Classic is right around the corner, so GET TYIN'!!
2010 Tournament Sponsors
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http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/
http://www.bwsports.com/
http://www.barryreynoldsflyfishing.com/
http://rioproducts.com/
http://www.gmtrout.com/
http://www.cliffoutdoors.com/