The Felsenthal Formula: Fishing and Fun

Bubba, a big ol’ brindle pit bull terrier, is part and parcel of a fishing crew competing in the 2014 Felsenthal, Arkansas Breamfest bream fishing tournament.

Felsenthal, Arkansas is not among the populous giants when it comes to municipalities since one hundred fifty souls, give or take a few, is close to the daily population of Felsenthal. What they lack in size, they more than make up for in, shall we say, “outdoor sporting opportunities.”

Translated to tailgate English, that means they are in the big middle of some of the best dadgum fishing and hunting territory you will find in the lower 48. The town sits next door to Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge. Game fish rich Grand Marias Lake makes up the northwest city limits. Few if any can match that.

Click on the anglers to see more Felsenthal pictures.

All of the above gives rise to Felsenthal’s annual Breamfest, a festival named after the Bream, a small pugnacious fish legendary for fight and table appeal. The two-day event happens on the Friday and Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend.

Festival activities include a bream fishing tournament, bands, exhibitors, food vendors, baggo and horseshoe tournaments, dances, kids activities, inflatables, sometimes election-year politicians, and last but not least, “hangin’ out.” You can see more pictures of the event on the Photo of the Week page at Corndancer dot-com. Click go and look. We will wait here.

Mike Nash of nearby El Dorado, Arkansas works up a sweat in the heat of the Breamfest baggo tournament.

This water slide, one of two inflatables on the site, was easily the most popular attraction of the festival. The line of kids remained constant.

This crew in the bream fishing tournament had their game face on, ready to drag ’em in.

Someone forgot to tell this large catfish that this is a bream tournament. Nevertheless, this fish is headed for the table.

This Ecclesiastical appeal under a Razorback tent is a hard combination to beat.

This woman shows off a fine catch of bream after the weigh-in. Next stop, “grease,” hush-puppies, fries, and supper.

Meet your friendly weigh-in crew, a good-natured husband and wife team who do the job each year.

This boy was invited to stand for a portrait by his grandfather. Both had a great sense of humor. The face painter did a good job of color-coordination.

Congratulations to Felsenthal for a great event. Your formula, Fun and Fishing, is about as good as it gets.

Check out Felsenthal.

Thanks for dropping by,

Joe Dempsey
Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind

http://www.joedempseyphoto.com/
http://www.joedempseycommunications.com/
http://www.corndancer.com/joephoto/photohome.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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