1993 Jackson Hole One Fly Event
Walter Does It Again
Team U.S.A. captain Walter Ungermann captured the
highest individual score for the second consecutive year. When assessing
his performance, Walter observed, "I just fished, this time with a half
Bunny." As usual, speculation as to THE fly that will deceive the most
fish was a closely guarded secret. National Secretary of Defense Dick
Cheney complained, "it's as hard to get any information about flies as
it is trying to pry secrets out of the CIA."
Walter's points were spectacular, but they weren't enough to propel his
team to the top position. The Snake River Yacht Club with their stunning
1661 points became the team champion. John Simms caught a tournament
record 25" cutthroat with a Special Muddler.
When the South Fork of the Snake in Idaho was added to the event, it was speculated
that its large browns would set the records, but for the last three
years the winners have come from the Snake River in Wyoming. But who
knows when it will be broken by a 27"-30" brown from the South Fork. The
river was good as rain and snow had threatened early on Saturday, but it
turned out to be a decent weekend on both rivers.
It was the second time that an amateur angler had won the individual
award two times in a row, and marked the second time that the record
large fish had been broken on the same year. However, 1993 will probably
be remembered best for the excitement of so many teams being close to
winning. There was a possibility of six or seven teams winning and the
competition went right down to the last day - perhaps even the last hours.
The individual champion's spot was up for grabs until the very end. The
real winner was the river itself and how well it fished compared to the
first time the event was held.
1993 One Fly Event Winning Fly
The Double Bunny
In 1993, Walter took the Single Bunny and crafted a slightly sparser
version of the Scott Sanchez Double Bunny, creating what he called the
Half Bunny. The Half Bunny is tied with glass eyes and two rabbit strips
glued together, cut very short, thus its name. Walter fished the Half
Bunny on a sinking line deep into the runs and on deep pools of both the
Snake and the South Fork rivers. The high winds of the day made dry fly
fishing difficult, but Walter's deep rig proved to be the winning
combination, scoring him more than 800 points to win the 1993 individual
honors. |
