News

Team NC Places Three on Team USA

Team North Carolina is excited to announce that teammates Paul Bourcq, Brown Hobson, and Scott Enloe have finished the Team USA competitive cycle as top fifteen anglers. As a result, all three will represent Team NC as members of Fly Fishing Team USA!

The competitive cycle culminated this past weekend with the National Fly Fishing Championships, hosted in Basalt, Colorado. Fifty-five of the top competitive anglers in the country competed for gold, silver, and bronze at both the team and individual levels. Points accumulated from six regional competitions were added to points awarded at the championships to determine this year’s national team.

In addition to the appointment of three members to the National Team, Team North Carolina’s Josh Stephens and Paul Bourcq brought home team gold along with fellow Team USA anglers Norm Maktima, Brian Capsay, and Josh Graffam. Congratulations to Paul, Josh, and their Team USA colleagues.

In all, 11 Team North Carolina anglers qualified to compete in the National Championships, more than any regional team in the country.

NC Takes Individual and Team Medals at the Smoky Mountain Showdown

Congratulations to competing members of the North Carolina Fly Fishing team for a dominant performance at the Smoky Mountain Showdown!

Held May 3rd-5th in Cherokee, North Carolina, the Smoky Mountain Showdown featured seven teams from the TroutLegend Competitive Fly Fishing League, all headquartered in the southeast.

Over the course of two days, twenty-eight anglers competed for both individual and team medals. Venues included the Raven’s Fork of the Oconaluftee as well as the lower, middle, and upper sections of the Nantahala.

Heavy rains and flooding provided difficult conditions to test even the best anglers. At the end of day two, the following anglers and teams stood on the medal stand:

  • Individual Gold – Paul Bourcq
  • Individual Silver – Hunter Hoffler
  • Individual Bronze – Hunter Enloe

Team Gold – Team NC Youth (Hunter Hoffler, Hunter Enloe, Andrew Brown, and Mason Simms)

Team Silver – Team North Carolina 1 (Paul Bourcq, Josh Stephens, Joey Walraven, and Scott Enloe)

Team Bronze – Team North Carolina 2 (Chris Lee, Nick Johnson, Bill Strickland, and Chris Smith)

Special thanks go out to JacobWheelerFishing.com and the father/son team of Scott Enloe and Hunter Enloe. As always when the Enloe family is involved, it was a great event.

For more information on this competitive event and others, visit the Trout Legend Competitive Fly Fishing League website at https://troutlegend.com/

Team USA Regional Round-Up: Team NC Places 5 in Top Ten!

The first weekend of June proved eventful as eight Team North Carolina anglers participated in Team USA regionals across the country.

At the North Regional in Syracuse, NY, higher than normal flows on the rivers and bluebird skies on the lake proved little to no factor as twenty-seven of the top competitive anglers in the country scored more than 859 fish in two days. A dominant performance by Team North Carolina’s Paul Bourcq and Hunter Hoffler on day one set the team up for a strong performance on Sunday.

In the end, Team North Carolina’s Joey Walraven led the way with a silver medal performance, winning multiple river sessions and performing strongly on the lake!

Walraven was followed with top ten performances by Scott Enloe (7th), Chris Smith (8th), and Hunter Enloe (9th). Fellow NC and Team USA teammates Paul Bourcq and Hunter Hoffler were close behind with 12th and 13th places respectively. Congratulations also go out to teammate Michael Bradley for an 18th-place finish in his first regional qualifier.

Meanwhile, at the Northwest Regional in Bozeman, MT, teammate Jason Buffkin squared off against twenty-four of the top western anglers on Hepgen and Quake Lakes. Tough wind conditions and large fish were the norm with Buffkin taking 7th overall. His top ten finish positions Team North Carolina with 11 qualifying anglers for the National Fly Fishing Championships!

Full scoresheet available on https://www.flyfishingteamusa.com/

Team Announces George Daniel as Head Coach

Team NC invited George Daniel down to coach the team as a guest instructor. After a weekend of fantastic learning at the Appalachian Tenkara Jam from arguably the best fly fisherman in the country, the talks of Georges’ visit echoed for weeks.

George had just recently left a position as the coach of Team USA. George had stayed in contact with several team members as mentors to their fishing, and progress in the sport. At a team meeting several members mentioned how much we learned when George was here and how it would be “awesome if he was our head coach”. This got my wheels turning. I made a phone call and started in motion the first-of-its-kind coaching program in competitive fly fishing.

Thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous investor, the NC Team with George Daniel at the helm, is structuring what will be the largest, most technique-driven coaching program in recent history. It will feature a cadre of international and domestic instructors. I can speak for all team members in saying that we are floored by the realization that an angler like George will be leading our coaching for our team as well as arranging for the other instructors from around the world.

This will certainly up the accountability of all team members and will be another recipe for the key to the NC Teams’ continued success. We are thrilled and looking forward to bringing in the best in the business to teach our team.

More About George

George started fly fishing at age 6 while growing up in Potter County, PA, and credits Joe Humphreys for the bulk of his knowledge along with many national and international industry professionals. George has been seen on ESPN and OLN while competing in the Great Outdoor Games and the Fly Fishing Masters and is a certified FFF Fly Casting Instructor. George’s passion is in Fly Fishing Education and teaching others to enjoy this leisure activity. He logs over 200 days a year on trout waters near and far from his home in Lock Haven, PA. George just recently finished his highly acclaimed book “Dynamic Nymphing”. It can be purchased directly from TCO Fly Shop. George currently resides in Lock Haven with his wife, Amidea, and their daughter, Evangeline along with their golden retriever, Madison.

North Carolina Fly Fishing Team to Host National Fly Fishing Championship

The Fly Fishing Team USA National Championships, which will be held May 19-22 and based on the Reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.

This is an invitational fly fishing tournament with invitations going to competitors who finish in the top 5 places in at least one of the Team USA Regional qualifiers. These are being held on various dates and in various locations around the United States. Team USA members get an automatic bid to the National Championship and they will compete against the individuals who get a bid through regional qualification.

This is the first time the event has been hosted in the South East. May brings some of the best fly-fishing in the region and spectators will be treated to southern hospitality. Competitors and judges will be treated to a considerable discount when booking their hotel at the Holiday Inn- Cherokee.

The tribe will be providing Simms National Championships logo gear to competitors and judges who judge each session. Rivers Edge Outfitters will provide the space for the conservation symposium and more support has poured in from other local and national businesses.

Judges are needed to help make the event run smoothly. This is your chance to get to know and learn from the best fly anglers from around the country. There is no experience necessary; all that is required is a pair of waders. Judges will also receive Simms National Championship logo gear.

Competitors will follow rules set forth by the international regulatory body for sport fly-fishing, Fips-Mouche. For more information, you can “Like” the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team and Fly Fishing Team USA on Facebook. You can also follow the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team on Twitter.