1988 Jackson Hole One Fly Event
Surprise! It's Winter
The summer of 1988 will be remembered as the year of
the great Yellowstone fires. Probably the single greatest contribution
to subsequent control of the fires came in the form of a heavy early
September snowstorm. This storm followed a day of light rains and gusty
winds.
For those who participated in the third annual One Fly Event, it was an
endurance test of man against nature. Although the weather may have
cooled the fires, it kindled the competitive fires of the now 28 teams
in the contest. Saturday's rain and wind did not prevent the skilled
anglers from enjoying some good catches. A heavy and persistent snow
greeted the contestants on Sunday. Many anglers were put ashore early in
their float to seek shelter and warm clothes.
In the contest's three years, no other demonstrations of human
resourcefulness equal those of the fishermen and guides of the 56 boats
that endured the foul weather.
The biggest fish of the event, a 20-inch cutthroat, was landed by Mike
Callahan. With this kind of luck his Westbank Anglers team brought the
team championship trophy back to Jackson Hole. The individual winner
points went to John Flick of the Duranglers team of Colorado. The
Duranglers finished in second place overall for the third year running.
To add variety, the 1988 event had fishermen from Australia and New
Zealand. They probably still think they made a wrong turn and headed
south to Antarctica rather than north to Wyoming! Hollywood actress,
Heather Thomas, added glamour and showed great sportsmanship while
casting hour after hour into a driving snowstorm.
It was a year to remember!
1988 One Fly Event Winning Fly
The Western Coachman
This was the year of the Yellowstone fires. The first day was cloudy and
threatening rain. Thinking that the day was going to be stormy, most
anglers went for the wet flies, but not top angler John Flick of
Durango, Colorado. John wanted a fly that could be fished both wet and
dry and thus chose a Western Coachman, a Trude-style fly tied with
white-rump deer hair for the wing and stiff brown hackle and peacock
herl for the body. On Saturday, John built a lead so large that nobody
was able to catch him. His two days of fishing the Western Coachman
earned him top honors and a place in history for the fly.
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