No Bull, We Had A Jolly Good Time!

Posted On December 20, 2024

FVTU celebrated its 2024 Christmas Party on Thursday, December 19th. If you missed it, you missed a really good time and fun for everyone. Hosted by our friends at Bias Brewing, and featuring some of the best weather we’ve ever had, this year’s event saw close to sixty people in attendance! Many came early and enjoyed dinner and a craft brew before we kicked off the event with a round of door prizes.

Of course, in addition to the camaraderie associated with being together with friends, the big draw is the bucket raffle and this year’s was a great one. If you’re not familiar with the concept, here’s how it works. There were six numbered buckets with assorted prizes associated with each bucket. You buy some raffle tickets (two each of the same number) toss one in the bucket connected with stuff you’d like to win and hang on to the other one. If your number is drawn, you get to choose one of the items assigned to that bucket. The first winner gets to choose from everything and everyone else gets to choose from what’s left. We usually sell raffle tickets for a buck a piece or $20 for two arms lengths (Hint: always buy from someone with long arms). Here’s a sample of this year’s goodies:

This year we offered fewer, but generally higher end prizes. Each basket had at least one premium item, such as a fly rod and reel, Griffin Mongoose fly tying vise, MFC Boat Box loaded with 10 dozen flies (worth over $400), or our “Grand Prize”, an Eskimo Quickfish insulated pop-up ice fishing shelter!

With dozens of prizes available everyone had plenty of chances to be a winner.

Of course, no Christmas party would be complete without a visit from the jolly old fellow with the beard and colorful suit. No, not THAT fellow, I mean our own FVTU chapter president Wade Fredenberg, dressed as our new Bull Trout mascot!

This was the first public unveiling of our new bull trout mascot; an idea we’ve been kicking around for some time. Bull Trout Belong in Montana, and anything we can do raise awareness of their plight is time well spent. You’ll see our finny friend again. Look for him at next year’s Sportsman’s Expo among other events.

The evening was a huge success. Many thanks to all of the FVTU volunteers who rounded up the prizes, set up the tables, and ran the event. A giant thanks to the many sponsors around the valley who donated or heavily discounted gear, especially the premium items. A special thank you to Bias Brewing who has hosted this event for years. And, of course, a big thanks to all of you who attended, bought raffle tickets, or just showed your support for FVTU by being there. We hope you had a great time and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Please join us at our next regular meeting, Tuesday, January 21st, 6:00pm, Sacred Waters Brewing Company. Our program will be “How to Fish Better from a Boat“. See you there!

Finally, all of us at FVTU wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and all the best this holiday season. Enjoy your friends and family, stay safe, and we’ll see you in the new year!

P.S. Any good team needs a mascot and, as you saw here, FVTU now has one! But what we don’t have is a name for our new mascot. So….. if you’re creative and can come up with a suitable (and family friendly name), drop me an email. See you on the river!