1997 Jackson Hole One Fly Event
Livingston One Fly: Cloudy Water, Sunny Dispositions
Due to the 1997 World Fly Fishing Championships being
held in Jackson, the One Fly took a four-hour trip north to the
Yellowstone River. Wyoming allows only one fishing contest per year on
its rivers. The original proposal was for the One Fly to take a
sabbatical for 1997. In 1995, however, John Bailey and George Anderson
made the proposal to the One Fly Board to move the contest to
Livingston, Montana for 1997, and it was accepted.
The contest was to be held on the Yellowstone, between Gardiner and Big
Timber. This stretches about 30 miles up and downstream of Livingston.
The Yellowstone is the longest undammed river in the United States. Its
headwaters are in the Teton Wilderness, north of Jackson. It then flows
north into Yellowstone Lake and through Yellowstone Park, after which it
winds its way through Montana to its confluence with the Missouri. The
trout population is mixed between Yellowstone cutthroat, rainbows and
browns. To spice up the contest a bit, a Grand Slam rule was added for
1997. A combination of a cutthroat, rainbow and brown caught on the sme
day was worth 150 bonus points. After 10 years in Jackson, the
Livingston event was a fun change of pace.
Due to one of the largest snowpacks on record during the 1996-97 season
and the 100-year flood in 1996, the Yellowstone experienced high and
muddy water. As the mud reared its ugly head, the One Fly Rules
Committee made last minute changes allowing any size of fly and sinking
lines. Even with the extended rules it was anyone's guess as to what fly
might work in the mud.
After tallying the scores for the first day, it was apparent the
Livingston One Fly was extraordinary. Scores varied from, Jeff Alexio's
(Feather Embedders) 512 points to those unfortunate anglers with zeros
and 25 keep-your-fly points. Alexio's individual lead was overtaken by
Clif Williams and his olive rubber leg woolly bugger. Clif ended up with
663 points to Jeff's 569. Williams' individual title went nicely with
the Atlantic Salmon trip he won two days earlier.
Walter Ungermann's Team U.S.A. won the team title. But it was James
Webber who led the team this time. His effective use of a green crystal
bugger made him the top rod for Sunday and put team U.S.A. on top.
Frank Stansfield of Team Mitsubishi caught the big trout of the contest.
He landed a 22-inch brown on a #8 woolly bugger. The big non-scoring
fish of the contest, however, is a toss-up between the two carp caught
by Dennis Butcher and Bubba Raspberry.
Despite tough fishing conditions, the Livingston One Fly was a great
success. Contestants and guides met new people that share their
enjoyment of the sport, proving once again that a good fishing
experience is as important as the number of fish caught. Funds were
raised to support and enhance Montana fisheries. The 1997 One Fly ended,
as theory, friendships and feats became fact.
1997 One Fly Event Winning Fly
Rubber Leg Wooly Bugger
In a number of past One Fly events, wet flies have done well. The Rubber
Leg Wooly Bugger is a combination of an old pattern, the Wooly Bugger,
and a newer pattern, the Yuk Bug. The rubber legs and marabou tail both
provide motion, which generally triggers strikes. This color combination
can imitate a variety of aquatic foods. |
