There’s no question the One Fly Tournament has a long and rich history—a tradition of community comradery and conservation that began with Paul Bruun and Jack Dennis in 1986. It has become one of the most prestigious (and quirky!) tournaments, raising millions of dollars for trout and water conservation. The driving force behind the tournament, the Jackson Hole One Fly Foundation 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.
During the closing award ceremonies on Sunday evening, AMFF Board President Fred Polhemus stood in front of hundreds of anglers, guides, conservationists, writers, artists, philanthropists, nonprofit partners and friends (new and old). Guests, sitting family style, under the tent at the base of Snow King Mountain were eagerly awaiting the results of the two-day competition. But before the winners (and losers) were announced, the crowd celebrated in solidarity as the 2024 Heritage Award was presented to the JHOFF. One Fly Chairman Greg Case and Board President John Holland stood side by side holding the artfully framed award—a VK Steelworks fly that visually symbolized the 38-year tourney—and rightfully so directed the spotlight to One Fly founders Jack Dennis and Paul Bruun. “This award is for them. It is for all the anglers, it is for all the guides” as Holland said, “it was for everyone’s children and their children. Let it be forever.”
The 2024 Heritage celebration was unlike any other but when sporting artists Mike Sudal and Paul Puckett offered to participate, the icing on the cake got a little bit sweeter. 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 offered to create two pieces—one for the 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 place in fly fishing history, Puckett’s piece, The Storm After The Calm (22” x 30” oil on wood) depicts the chaos and energy that gets generated when a 100 pound fish eats a 3 inch fly on a nine foot fly rod. There really is no way to explain it or describe it unless you put yourself into that situation. It’s the sea life, the water, the sky, the interesting guide, the boat and the unknown that make it so exciting and rewarding. The water almost runs off this piece that puts the viewer right into this tarpon’s world. Sudal pushed himself, and this piece, to new heights. Land of Rivers Blue & Gold (24” x 36” ink and watercolor on paper), tells the story of world class river access in the U.S. and the trout that inhabit them. This original contains over 2,600 individual flies with each one representing a trout river in the US of top quality. The larger colored flies signify each state’s blue ribbon or gold medal streams, color-keyed and organized by region. Gray secondary flies represent Class A systems, high quality trout streams that didn’t achieve the 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 to catch them. It celebrates both the places and wild trout we need to protect.
In addition to what was already a very full weekend program, AMFF hosted a “Bamboo Derby” the day before the official tournament kickoff. We asked our 22 participants to think of this as a “tune up” before the big weekend with friends old and new, and enjoy the time on the water floating beneath the majesty of the Grand Tetons while commemorating the American Museum of Fly Fishing and the traditions of this great sport. They did just that! They also added a competitive edge with the top three anglers putting over 300 points on their score sheet. Congratulations to Jim Klug on winning the derby and taking home the top prize—a Thomas & Thomas classic bamboo rod. 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. Thank you to T&T for their donation, to Scott Sanchez for providing the flies and to REC Components for supplying the Wheatley boxes to keep the flies safe. 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.
Check out Dac Collins’ take on the event over at Outdoor Life: Diaries from The One Fly, the Strangest Fishing Contest in America.
Photos by Neal Henderson except where noted.
