We've been kicking off our photo contests the last few years by saying something to the effect of "it's back ... and bigger than ever." Unfortunately, at the risk of sounding unoriginal, we're forced to again make the same claims. This year, we're taking the grand prize winner with us on our hosted trip to The Palometa Club in search of permit. As if that weren't enough, the grand prize winner will also hit the flats of Ascension Bay with a brand new saltwater fly fishing outfit from Stickman Rods, Abel Reels, Airflo, Smith Optics and Simms.

And since we're going overboard, why stop there? This year's winners will be walking away with their share of over $10,000 in prizes. Let's have a look.

THE PRIZES

THE PALOMETA CLUB

Someone's going permit fishing. And not just anywhere. The Palometa Club has solidified itself as one of the world's premier permit fishing operations.

“If you want to catch a permit on the fly, there is no question that you stand a better chance here than any place I know.” – Lefty Kreh

We're headed to back sleepy Punta Allen on Mexico's Ascension Bay in early 2016, February 5-12. This time, we're taking 10 anglers with us. One of those 10 will be this year's grand prize winner. That's pretty cool.

The Palometa Club built its reputation not only on its location -- which offers anglers shots at plentiful populations of permit, hordes of bonefish, baby tarpon, snook, jack crevalle, barracuda and more -- but on its obsessive permit culture which has turned bringing Ascension Bay's permit to the boat into more of a discipline than a pursuit. It is possible that no operation lands more permit than The Palometa Club, thanks in no small part to its 1:1 angler to guide ratio.

It's also a hell of a fine place to spend a week. Time not spent on the flats is spent oceanfront at the club, sipping margaritas, lounging in the hammocks, dining on excellently prepared traditional Mexican fare and enjoying the company of the other guests.

For more information on our hosted trip to The Palometa Club, head to the official trip page.

Travel accommodations are all deftly and expertly handled by the club's exclusive booking agent, Tailwaters Fly Fishing, who puts anglers in many of the world's finest fishing destinations.

STICKMAN RODS

Over the last year or so, we've been doing a lot of boasting about Stickman and the rods they're turning out. Their P5 may be the best trout rod on the market, and toting their T-8 to chase bonefish left us impressed by a rod that was able to handle the demands of the flats while still wowing us with its feel. Stickman Rods are a boutique shop that is building rods with a progressive design philosophy, technology and materials to match the biggest name brands in the industry and the handmade craftsmanship you'd expect from a custom rod maker.

So, we're pretty stoked that this year's grand prize winner will be taking Stickman's yet-to-be-released T-10 to The Palometa Club to chase permit. This year's runner up will be walking away with one of Stickman's amazing rods as well.

ABEL SUPER SERIES

There may be no other brand other than Abel in the world of fly fishing that satisfies both traditionalists in search of heritage craftsmanship and modern gear heads that praise performance above all. Abel manages to do both with ease. For years, Abel's cork disk drag system has provided immense stopping power with sometimes unbelievably smooth starts and stops that carbon disk drag reels simply can't match. For anglers that chase big, powerful fish like permit on light tippets, there may be no better fish fighting tool than Abel's Super Series.

Add in the fact that Abel's online Reel Builder Tool may be the most fun way to buy a new reel, and anglers looking for a premium reel are hard pressed to find a reason to shop elsewhere. This year's winners will use Abel's Reel Builder Tool to build their own custom reel including finishes from Abel's artist series, such as the tarpon finish seen above.

AIRFLO CHARD'S TROPICAL PUNCH

For years, Airflo has been making our favorite saltwater lines. The combination of Airflo's polyurethane construction -- which is unharmed by sunscreen, deet and other chemicals that are often in our boats but wreak havoc on most other fly lines -- and their Ridge construction which results in the ability to shoot surprisingly long lengths of line keeps us reaching for Airflo's lines in the salt. Airflo's newest addition to its saltwater lineup, Chard's Tropical Punch, was designed by flats guide and saltwater casting guru Bruce Chard. The Tropical Punch's aggressive, compact front taper and extended rear taper helps anglers load their rods quickly and shoot long casts even in adverse conditions.

SMITH CHROMAPOP

There's a reason that Smith keeps getting more mentions in our features highlighting the Best Fishing Sunglasses on the market: Smith keeps turning out impressively versatile eyewear with superior optics and performance.

Having high performing polarized eyewear is possibly more important on tropical flats than in any other fishing environment. On these shallow, sun-bleached, turtle-grass speckled fishing grounds, spotting fish swiftly moving and well camouflaged fish is half the battle. For the last couple of seasons, Smith's Polarized Blue Mirror ChromaPop lenses have been one of our goto pairs whether chasing permit on the flats of Ascension Bay, cruising tarpon in the shallows of the British Virgin Islands or bonefish on the coral-laden flats of Belize's Turneffe Atoll.

SIMMS SUN PROTECTION

Everyone who has their head screwed on straight is taking sun protection more seriously these days. Vanity has taken a backseat to good old common sense, and people are choosing long sleeves, long pants, hats with big brims and such over the specter of skin cancer. But who's to say that protecting your skin has to mean a painted-white nose and a dorky hat?

From shirts to hats to less traditional apparel like gloves, sungaiters and sun sleeves, Simms has been leading the charge in producing technical apparel that provides UPF rated sun protection while not only functioning the well, but looking good too.

THE BREAKDOWN

Grand Prize: A 6-day/7-night trip to The Palometa Club in Ascension Bay, Stickman Rods T-10 fly rod, Abel Super Series reel, Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line, Smith ChromaPop Polarized Blue Mirror sunglasses, Simms Fishing sun protection apparel.

First Prize: Stickman Rods fly rod, Abel Super Series reel, Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line, Smith ChromaPop Polarized Blue Mirror sunglasses, Simms Fishing sun protection apparel.

Second Prize Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line, Smith ChromaPop Polarized Blue Mirror sunglasses, Simms Fishing sun protection apparel.

Third Prize: Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line, Smith ChromaPop Polarized Blue Mirror sunglasses, Simms Fishing sun protection apparel.

Fourth Prize: Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch fly line, Smith ChromaPop Polarized Blue Mirror sunglasses.

As always, it doesn't get much simpler: send us your best fishing photos from this year. Share them with others via Facebook, Twitter and more. Hope to win.

Here are some guidelines/helpful tips on submitting a contest entry:

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