Following Sunday’s opening ceremonies (see the video above) and two days of practice, the 36th annual FIPS-Mouche World Fly-Fishing Championship gets underway tomorrow in the waters around Vail, Colorado. After last year’s second-place finish–the highest ever by an American team–in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Fly Fishing Team USA is shooting for gold. And team member Devin Olson looks to improve on his 2015 bronze medal, as well.
Fly Fishing Team USA shows off its hardware from the 2015 event in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Photo via Fly Fishing Team USA
The last time the event was held in the U.S.–in 1997, when the host city was Jackson, Wyoming–Fly Fishing Team USA finished a dismal 15th out of 18 teams. At the time, competition fly fishing was virtually unknown here, but its popularity has been increasing ever since. And the results are evident: the American anglers have been in the top five at the World Championship in four out of the last five years. Could this be the year they finally win it all?
The event website is full of great features, including a helpful section for spectators. Those of us who can’t get to Vail can follow along on the official app, which is pretty cool. You can see all the venues for the competition in the video below.
Good luck to all competitors!