2007 Jackson Hole One Fly Event
Butcher Takes Individual Title
Team USA wins team competition
By Michael Pearlman,
Jackson Hole News & Guide
Although the conditions were tough for anglers in the annual
Jackson Hole One Fly competition last weekend, Dennis Butcher wasn't
complaining.
One day after scoring a meager 50 points on the section of the
Snake River between South Park and the Pritchard Creek boat ramp,
Butcher's luck changed dramatically on the South Fork of the Snake.
The Jackson physician landed three fish longer than 20 inches to
score a whopping 906 pints in the canyon section of the South Fork,
earning him top amateur-angler honors at the annual fundraising
event.
"Everything happened right away," said Butcher, who also landed
the biggest-fish award for the second straight year with a 23-inch
trout he caught during his two-hour bonanza. "It was my best day on
the water ever."
Butcher used a Marabou Minnow streamer tied by guide Jay Buchner
during several hours of hot fishing on Sunday. Before losing his fly
midway through the afternoon, Butcher had pulled in 23-, 21-, and
20-inch trout, as well as a pair of 18-inch trout. His two-day total
of 953 points was 147 points higher than Walter Ungermann, the
second-place finisher. Ungermann also used Buchner's Marabou Minnow
and scored 551 points on the South Fork on Saturday. The 2-1/2-inch
fly features Marabou feathers with brown and white-olive coloring
with a flashy tail and collar.
"When it's dry it looks like a powder puff, but when it's wet it
has a minnow-like profile," Buchner said.
"To a certain degree, it's matching the type of minnows that are
readily available to them this time of year."
Ungermann's two-day score of 806 points helped carry his Team USA
to a decisive 661-point victory in the 40-team field, with Butcher's
Fishscalers team second and Thomas & Thomas third with 1,514 points.
The annual invitation-only event features teams of four anglers
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.
With unseasonably high releases from Jackson Lake Dam combining
with rainstorms that occurred three days before the competition
began, most competitors and guides agreed that condition were far
from ideal. Anglers who had the misfortune of drawing the section of
the Snake River Canyon between West Table and Sheep Gulch battled
flows averaging 6,300 cubic feet per second and one guide reported
rowing past a surfer on the Lunch Counter wave, a rare sight for
September.
"There were more skunks on the Snake than there have been since
the last time we had a total mud year," said Jeff Currier, fly shop
manager at Jack Dennis Outdoor shop. "The storms we had blew out the
Buffalo Fork, Gros Ventre and the Hoback. It gets better each day,
but it's not a 48-hour thing."
Competing as a participant for the first time was guide Will
Dornan, owner of the Snake River Angler and his mother, Ellen Wilson
Tambor, who quickly became addicted to the sport after Dornan gave
her unlimited guided trips for life with his staff. Wilson Tambor
quickly became a regular in the outfitter's shop this summer,
developing an addiction to fly fishing that was reinforced during
the weekend of friendly competition.
"He spawned my interest, and now I'm done. I'm hooked," Wilson
Tambor said of her new passion for fly fishing. "When we're on the
river, all that other stuff isn't there. It's all about fishing."
Wilson Tambor even managed to outscore her son on Sunday, scoring
31 points to Dornan's 27.
Though the total amount raised by the event wasn't available
Tuesday, organizers expected to match the $200,000 the 2006 event
raised through sponsorships, entry frees and an auction on Friday
night. All proceeds benefit the One Fly Capital Foundation, which
funds stream enhancement projects in the Snake River drainage. Those
funds are matched by the nonprofit National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation. Last year's projects included restoration work of Six
Springs Creek in Driggs, Idaho, and continued rehabilitation work on
Flat Creek as it runs through the town of Jackson.
Third-generation fishing guide Boots Allen received the
Carmichael-Cohen Memorial Guide award while Stan Chatham won the
Crosby-Carlsberg award for his dedication and commitment to the One
Fly. Cole Sutheimer of South Fork Outfitters was the top Idaho
guide, with his boats earning a two-day total of 1,697 points. Dean
Burton of Westbank Anglers was the top Wyoming guide with 1,154
points. Dave Dierdorf of the LA Rods was the professional individual
champion with a two-day total of 855 points.
The article is reprinted
with the permission of the
Jackson Hole News and Guide
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