AMFF Celebrates the Heritage Award at the Jackson Hole One Fly

The One Fly Tournament has a long and rich history: a tradition of community, camaraderie, and conservation that began with Paul Bruun and Jack Dennis in 1986. It has become one of the most prestigious (and quirky!) of fishing tournaments, raising millions of dollars for trout and water conservation. The Jackson Hole One Fly Foundation—the driving force behind the tournament—remains committed to the sport of fly fishing and the conservation of our natural resources. It sets standards to which we all should aspire, making it a wholly worthy recipient of the American Museum of Fly Fishing’s Heritage Award.

The award was presented during the event’s closing ceremonies on September 8. Hundreds of anglers, guides, conservationists, writers, artists, philanthropists, nonprofit partners, and friends gathered under a tent at the base of Snow King Mountain in Jackson, Wyoming, to eagerly await the results of the two-day competition. But before the winners (and losers) were announced, the crowd celebrated as AMFF Board President Fred Polhemus presented the 2024 Heritage Award to JHOFF. One Fly Chair Greg Case and Board President John Holland accepted the artfully framed award—a VK Steelworks fly symbolizing the thirty-eight-year-old tourney—but quickly directed the spotlight toward One Fly founders Jack Dennis and Paul Bruun. “This award is for them,” Holland said. “It is for all the anglers; it is for all the guides. It is for everyone’s children and their children. Let it be forever.”

The 2024 Heritage celebration was unlike any other, but the icing on the cake got even sweeter when sporting artists Mike Sudal and Paul Puckett offered to participate. Sudal and Puckett are regular contributors to the One Fly auction, and their sought-after works of art do some heavy lifting in the fundraising game. This year, they each offered to create two pieces: one for a winning bidder and one for the permanent collection of the American Museum of Fly Fishing, adding to the breadth of the museum’s art collection and securing their places in fly-fishing history. Puckett’s piece, The Storm after the Calm (a 22 x 30–inch oil on wood) depicts the chaos and energy generated when a 100-pound fish eats a 3-inch fly on a 9-foot fly rod. The water almost runs off this piece, putting the viewer right into the tarpon’s world. With Land of Rivers Blue and Gold (a 24 x 36–inch ink and watercolor on paper), Sudal pushed himself to new heights. This original contains more than 2,600 individual flies, each representing a top-quality trout river in the United States. Larger flies in color signify each state’s blue-ribbon or gold-medal streams organized by region. Gray secondary flies represent Class A systems, high-quality trout streams that haven’t achieved gold or blue classification. This masterpiece highlights the vast number of amazing trout rivers we have access to in the U.S. and the variety (and similarities) of patterns used. It celebrates both the places and wild trout we need to protect.

On September 6, the day before the official tournament kickoff, AMFF hosted a Bamboo Derby, during which twenty-two participants competed in their own One Fly with bamboo rods dating as far back as 1950. The event recognized both the museum and the traditions of our great sport. The top three anglers put more than 300 points on their respective score sheets. Congratulations to Jim Klug on winning the derby and taking home the top prize: a Thomas & Thomas classic bamboo rod. We’d also like to recognize winning guide Kris Dancs and his passion for and knowledge of the Snake River. Gary Grant and Margie Kaat landed second and third place. Thanks to T&T for their donation, to Scott Sanchez for providing the flies, and to REC Components for supplying the Wheatley boxes. It was a pleasure working with Snake River Outfitters and Grand Teton Fly Fishing and their teams of great guides. Special thanks to John Holland and Greg Case for their tireless efforts, open minds, and open arms.