Superfly 2004
By Joel Evans
Superfly! What a great time! The 2004 Superfly at Almont, Colorado, sponsored by the Gunnison Angling Society chapter of Trout Unlimited, was held September 11. 13 teams from Colorado, Texas, and Arizona competed in the annual fundraiser for GAS.
A friendly competition, Superfly is a one-fly contest, the winner determined by most inches of fish caught in the day. Teams of two fishermen vie not only for Top Team honors for the most inches by a two man team but also Top Rod for the most inches caught by an individual.
Contestants actually get to use two declared flies Ð literally two flies and only those two flies. Lose those flies and you are done for the day. Timed fishing occurred on two beats. Fishermen spend the morning on one specific stretch, or beat, of river in the morning, break for lunch, then switch to a different river in the afternoon. A guide accompanies each team, acting only as a referee to measure and count fish. Fish are released immediately. Beats this year included private water on the East and Gunnison Rivers.
Friday evening preparation activities, aside from the usual re-acquaintance chatter among long time friends over food and drinks, included registration of teams, strategy about fly patterns, and stories of prior yearÕs contests. After SaturdayÕs last afternoon cast, everyone met back at the Almont Resort for dinner, awards, and a silent auction.
Top Team with 476 inches, winners of a Ross reel each, went to Nick Porquis and Greg Cunningham. Runnerup was the team of Jon Hundley and Craig McManus. Top Rod with 289.5 inches, winning a Scott rod, was Greg Cunningham, fishing a GregÕs Emerger. Runnerup with 260 inches, winning a Ross reel, was Gale Doudy. Biggest fish went to Tom McDermott, for a 20 inch rainbow from the East River. Top TU chapter was the Gunnison Gorge Anglers team of Gale Doudy and Larry Ing. Sportsmanship was awarded to Jim Blugerman, Best Swimmer to Sharon Lance, Guide Swimmer to Ben Olson, and Tough Luck to Larry Ing. Todd Shaw won the Guides raffle.
A special thanks to prize sponsors Scott Rods and Ross Reels, Harold and Susan Seiff of the Almont Resort for great food and facilities, and the Gunnison Fly Fishing Club, The Gunnison River Banks Ranch, and Mike Wilson for the private water access. Silent auction donations also greatly helped the cause.
Congratulations to the members of the Gunnison Angling Society for organizing the event for another successful year. Tra Lowell, president of GAS, noted that part of the proceeds are in turn donated to Colorado Trout Unlimited, as well as being spent on local projects such as river signage, stream improvement, and public access.
To learn more about CTU, visit www.cotrout.org
