America Cup International Fly Fishing Tournament 2011
September 23, 2011
By John Knight
The America Cup International Fly Fishing Tournament has just wrapped up its 4th year, September 16-18th, 2011. Held in Vail, Colorado, the catch and release tournament hosted 70 anglers from around the U.S. and Europe, all competing for the right to take home ‘The Cup’. The picturesque venues of The Colorado and Blue Rivers, Lake Nottingham and Sylvan Lake were excellent locations for anglers and spectators. The weather was challenging at times, but the fishermen adapted and all venues produced high numbers of trout. Team Winners: Team Emerger from Ireland took home gold medals and earned ‘The Cup’, Team Wyoming the silver medals and Team Caddis from Colorado got bronze medals. Individual Winners: Rob Kolanda of Littleton, Colorado won gold and ‘The Cup’, Riley Cotter of Denver, Colorado, silver and Dejon Hamann of Buffalo, N.Y. the bronze medal. Kolanda was part of Team Emerger, taking home double gold! It was an impressive tournament, filled with talent and camaraderie amongst all. The 3 day fish count of scored trout was 2,189, a number that truly shows the quality of fly fishing in Colorado.
The Evergreen Lodge in Vail was the host hotel providing great lodging and accommodations for anglers and volunteers. Timberline Tours supplied easy, efficient and comfortable transportation to all fishing venues. For many attendees it was their first time visiting Vail. They were impressed at the town’s beauty and location and stated they were excited to return for next year’s competition.
Special Thanks to the Town of Vail, the Town of Avon, CDOW and Colorado State Parks, Coyote River Ranch and Blue Valley Ranch for providing the anglers access to these wonderful venues.
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If you’d like more information on The America Cup International Fly Fishing tournament, please visit www.theamericacup.com .
