Suncoast Fly Fishers will host its Third Annual Ladies Fly Fishing Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 12. The tournament boundaries run along the west coast of Florida, from the southern tip of Sanibel Island to the southern edge of the Crystal River Power Plant main channel.
I first heard about a ladies-only fly fishing tournament in the Tampa Bay area in 2024, but it wasn’t until I recently received the Suncoast Fly Fishers newsletter announcing the 2026 tournament that I finally connected with tournament director and founder Samantha Tallyn.
Interested in what motivated her to start the tournament, I reached out to ask her.
In her email response, Tallyn said, “I started participating in a fly fishing tournament with my husband in 2019 – one we still fish annually.
“A few years ago, I started looking around to see what other women’s fly fishing tournaments there were in Florida. Besides the few in the Keys, I couldn’t find anything. I decided to look into starting a tournament locally. I proposed the idea to my local fly fishing club, Suncoast Fly Fishers, with a proposed budget and guidelines. After receiving approval, the club launched the first Suncoast Lady Fly tournament in 2024.
“I’m a runner, and having participated in numerous races, wanted to create the same atmosphere in a fly fishing tournament. When I participated in those races, I found everyone is relaxed, positive, and just having a good time while doing something they love. I wanted to create that same atmosphere for women with this tournament. I wanted this to be an event for ladies to get together, share stories and no matter the experience level, just have a good time,” she said.
“I’m thankful for all the support we receive for the tournament, and it has been exciting to watch it grow. I’m especially excited to see our youth division grow, that is something I am working to expand for future tournaments,” Tallyn said.
Tallyn is available to answer questions or provide advice to anyone interested in starting a women’s fly fishing tournament in their area.
“I’d love to see fly fishing tournaments for women grow throughout the U.S. and globally,” she said.
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
The tournament is an inshore fly-fishing tournament with one or two anglers per team and a maximum of 75 teams. The anglers must be female, but they can have a male guide or captain. The cost is $250 per team.
Target species for the tournament are snook, redfish and spotted seatrout. Scoring is worth one point per inch, based on the combined measured length of the longest two fish caught in the approved categories, with the Calcutta award going to the largest ladyfish.
Cash prizes go to the top three teams for longest length measured, with $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $300 for third, plus a $250 cash prize for the team closest to 24 inches. Additional prizes will be given for the smallest trout measured, the largest pinfish measured and the first- and second-place youth teams, along with a 50/50 Calcutta ladyfish.
Sign up now for what promises to be, in Tallyn’s words, “a tournament where everyone is relaxed, positive, and just having a good time while doing something they love, fly fishing!”
After the tournament, there will be an awards dinner at the Tiki Docks Skyway in St. Petersburg, with live music, food, drinks and raffle prizes.
The registration link can be found at the tournament page at the Suncoast Fly Fishers website. For more information, email stallyn86@gmail.com or call 727-710-3207.
