Iowa’s driftless region includes some of the best visuals our state has to offer.
Its home to wondrous vistas, splendid trails, and premiere fishing opportunities.
Imagine if you could combine all of those elements into one event…then add a little
bit of craft beer and seasonal color.
Well some Iowans did just that…and they call it a “Flyathlon”.
Okay is everyone ready?
You’re off…
Have fun!
The event, the Flyathlon is really the combination of three past times people love.
Trail running, and craft beer.
They’re going to complete a 4.5m trail run.
Somewhere along that run they have to stop, taking their fishing gear out of their pack,
assemble it and try to catch a trout.
And then celebrating their hardwork with a good craft beer.
If you’ve never heard of a Flyathlon, you’re not alone.
Brian Kouba, a native Iowan with a love of the outdoors, brought this unique combination
of activities back to his home state after a friend invented the event in Colorado.
And while Iowa may not have mountain streams, one corner of the state did offer a perfect
spot to set up the event.
The driftless region up here in Northeast Iowa is full of spring creeks.
And those creeks are home to our state’s trout populations so it was natural to target
this portion of the state to begin with.
And it was about a year ago I came up to scout the location, specifically Yellow River State
Forest, saw the location, walked the trail and realized this gorgeous and absolutely
perfect for what we’re trying to do.
The Yellow River State Forest is undoubtedly gorgeous, and as any fisherman will tell you
it is right at the top of the list for Iowa trout fishing.
Fishing is probably our number one draw.
People come here to fish.
Little people flows right through little paint campground so, this is the place to go fishing
with your family and friends.
And the timing of Flyathlon couldn’t be better.
It might seem counterintuitive but recent flooding actually helped prepare the stream
for fishing.
You know we’ve had two major floods this year.
But actually the floods do treadmendous work to clean out the stream and fish love a clean
gravel bed.
And I think they’ll do really well.
You can catch all three species that are found in Iowa; brook, rainbow and brown trout.
So that’s good, otherwise the fisheries bureau actively stocks these streams as well.
Back on the trail “Flyathletes” are barreling down the path, with a few trying their luck
on the stream early.
Brian Kouba - Driftless Area Flyathlon So there is some real strategy that takes
part in this event.
If running is your strong point maybe you want to focus on fishing; get that out of
the way, get that trout caught then run your race.
Whereas maybe if fishing is your better sport, maybe you want to focus on the run first.
Get a lot of that under your belt so you feel comfortable, then focus on fishing.
For participants who aren’t as skilled at fishing, the Flyathlon has volunteer guides
along the course to help novices learn some of the tricks to casting a line.
Normally you look for some deeper areas like along this run here.
There’s somethign called a bubble line so when they’re swimming along here, you’ll
see the bubble.
Normally fish will stay off the bubble line because they’ll dart in and grab food.
Yes the Flyathlon does have winners, and Brian has carefully plotted out the rules so participants
can’t game the system.
First, you can’t run with your rod assembled.
Second, after runners catch a fish they must snap a photo of it on a supplied chart for
official measurement, with each inch of fish providing a 2-minute deduction to a runner’s
final time.
Finally, if a runner decides to simply sprint through the course, and not reel in a fish,
that comes with a 20 minute penalty.
I really like to run and my husband really likes to run and fish, and we both like to
drink beer.
The run is great, I did not catch a fish I’ll probably just take the penalty… he’s still
fishing.
Where participants are given some slack is with their fishing approach.
While we really encourage fly fishing, it certainly is open to fly casting as well.
And while they could wet wade, it could be a little chilly this time of year.
Certainly big paint creek is wide enough that they could reach most of the water from stream
banks.
So you know they could catch as many fish as they want, but they only get to count one
fish to their time bonus.
So it’s up to them to determine how much time they want to spend fishing, and how many
places they want to fish.
I told Dave, slow and steady win the race.
Not everyone participating in Flyathlon is taking it so seriously, friends Gregg Patterson
and Dave James decided not to break a sweat and take their time.
Still that doesn’t mean they don’t have a strategy.
After we hit the check in point, we’ll have seen all the water or at least a lot of it.
And then a lot of people who’ve already hit the water will have to run so we’ll
have access.
While there is a competitive piece to the event, it’s really not a competitive natured
event.
It’s about having a good time.
So whether do well at fishing or running it doesn’t matter.
But beyond a good time, Brian also established the event with a conservation mission as well.
While the event is comprised of run-fish-beer (which is the tagline), the whole mission
is to get people involved in conservation and helping make a difference.
Each participant is asked to help to volunteer to help fundraise.
All those proceeds that are raised are going to go back to my conservation partner that
is Trout Unlimited Iowa Council.
Specifically for on the ground projects, related to be-it restoration on our streams in northeast
iowa, trail improvement, or access issues for getting access to these great places.
So after the race is over and the last fish released, the hope is the Flyathlon will help
sustain the distinct nature of the driftless area as it’s profile continues to grow.
If you have any interest in the outdoors what so ever.
Whether it’s running, fishing or none of those.
It’s about coming out, helping out, having a great time… enjoying our natural resources
and being able to help give back through participation that on the surface really doesn’t beg conservation.