2008 Jackson Hole One Fly Event
Chatham wins One Fly
Jackson Hole man also lands biggest fish; team title goes to
The Boys.
By Noah Brenner,
Jackson Hole News & Guide
Floaters on the Snake River were treated to a handful of grown
men stripping to their skivvies streamside this weekend.
No, the Bull Moose didn’t bring in the Chippendales — it was the
Jackson Hole One Fly competition and, as usual, contestants and
guides were taking the plunge, or doing whatever else necessary, to
keep their fly and stay in the game.
The annual invitation-only event features teams of four anglers
per day fishing 12 river sections stretching from Jackson Lake Dam
to the South Fork of the Snake in Idaho.
During the competition, anglers are allowed to use only a single
fly each day. If the fly is lost or destroyed, competitors must
retire from the day’s competition. Points are awarded based on the
size and number of fish caught. Proceeds from the weekend benefit
the One Fly Capital Foundation, which supports native trout
restoration and habitat projects in the area.
This year, Jackson Hole’s Bud Chatham took the individual title
for the first time with a total score of 1,537. Chatham used a
loop-wing mayfly tied by Bob Quigley on Saturday and won the event
with a whopping 991 points using a Barnett’s Red Ant on the Lower
South Fork Sunday.
“It was one of those epic days that every cast you make a big
fish comes up,” he said. “I was going to go with the mayfly again,
but my guide, Mike Bean, he said to go with a Barnett’s Red Ant. I
listened to him, because he fishes that section everyday.”
Chatham also took home the honor of catching the biggest fish of
the tournament: a 25.5-inch brown trout from the Lower South Fork
section on Sunday.
Peter Moyer, who is Chatham’s teammate on The Boys, took big fish
honors for Saturday with a 22-inch brown. Moyer caught the fish on
the lower South Fork on a San Juan worm pattern. With the help of
Chatham and Moyer, The Boys took the top team honors with an overall
score of 3,252 points.
“All the guys on the team have fished since about age 6, and
they’ve developed great instincts for the fish,” Moyer said of the
team’s success. “It’s not local knowledge. It’s just being in tune a
little bit out there.”
After The Boys, the second- through fifth-place teams were
separated by less than 100 points. The Loss Leaders came in second
with 2,590 points, led by Eddie Matney’s two-day total of 893
points.
They were followed by the Horse Creek Hookers, who tallied 2,590
total points on the strength of two solid days from Jim Hickey. The
finish was redemption for the valley team’s last-place finish in
2007.
Hickey tallied 523 points on Saturday and 637 points on Sunday.
His two-day total of 1,150 points netted him second place overall
and brought him the Top Gun Award. The honor is awarded yearly for
the best guide, shop owner or factory rep in the field.
Overall, scores were up significantly from last year, when
releases from Jackson Lake Dam led to high, muddy water and cold
weather left contestants fighting just to stay warm, much less boat
fish.
Weather this year was great, with moderate temperatures and
patchy cloud cover breaking up the sun’s rays. Anglers also may have
benefited from better water conditions throughout the summer, said
Moyer.
“The water has been much higher this year, so the fish are much
healthier and bigger,” he said. “Last year was, I hope, the end of
about a seven- or eight-year drought, and the fish weren’t as big or
as active.”
The only complaint about the weather was that it was a bit windy
at times, something that tripped up anglers and guides alike.
The wind pushed legendary guide and News&Guide columnist Paul
Bruun a bit off line entering the head of fabled Lunch Counter rapid
in the canyon section of the Snake River. Though he thought he could
still slide through the churning water, the raft ended upside down,
with its passengers hanging on through the whitewater.
“The front end started going up and the back end just stopped,”
Bruun said. “It was like when I used to dirt- bike race and your
life passes before your eyes as you go over the handle bars.”
The spill ended well, resulting in only a lost hat and car keys,
though fishermen and guides alike made sure to stop by Bruun’s table
Sunday night to rib him.
“It’s just part of the adventure,” said Homer Luther of the
Bloodknots, who was riding in Bruun’s raft. “It was a hell of a day.
I’ll remember this trip forever.”
Third-generation guide Boots Allen took home top guide honors for
Wyoming with 1,541 total points. Bean took home top honors among
Idaho guides with a 2,601 points overall.
Jim Reetz took home the Carmichael-Cohen Memorial Guide Award.
Glenn Janson, a 10-year veteran of the One Fly board, earned the
Crosby-Carlsburg Award for his dedication to the event.
“I am in shock over this,” Janson told the cheering crowd Sunday
night. “This is a very, very special organization. It has been a
privilege to have worked with and met all of you fantastic people.”
The article is reprinted
with the permission of the
Jackson Hole News and Guide
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