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Fly
Fishing

Flyfishing

Fly Casting Tournament: Twelve competitors compete in distance and accuracy competitions to seed them for the Fly Fishing Tournament. The competitors execute four separate types of casts, each testing a specific casting skill. The scores from all of the casts will be combined for a final score, which will serve to seed the competitors for the following day's Fly Fishing Tournament.

Fly Fishing Tournament: The same 12 competitors from the casting tournament will compete in the fly-fishing tournament. The competitors will be broken into two groups of six, with one group fishing for a three hour morning "flight" and the second group fishing for a three hour afternoon "flight".

A stretch of a Wisconsin river will be divided into six sections and the anglers will choose which flight and which stretch of the river they wish to fish, with the results of the casting tournament determining the order in which the anglers make their choice (i.e. 1st place in the casting competition will be the first to choose his/her flight and section of river). An official and a cameraman accompanies each angler during their flight and serves as the judge, measuring the length of each of the trout caught by their angler and verifies that all fish caught are returned to the river alive.

When each angler has caught the fish they believe to be the longest fish they will catch during their flight they must designate that fish as their catch fish and must cease fishing and leave the river. The anglers will be ranked 1-12 based on the longest to shortest of the catch fish from both flights.

  • 2004 qualifying criteria


    Fly Fishing terms

    Backing
    Extra line wound on a reel behind a fly line, used in fly-fishing.

    Backlash
    Snarl of line on reel.

    Bobber
    Cork float attached to line in still fishing; movement indicates when a fish bites.

    Bucktail
    Artificial wet fly made from hair of a deer's tail.

    Creel
    Basket or bag suspended from the shoulder in which to carry fishes.

    Drag
    Movement of line across the water that gives the lure unnatural action in fly-fishing.

    Drop-off
    Place in a lake where shoal water near shore suddenly drops off to the depths.

    Dropper
    Extra fly affixed to the leader ahead of the end, or "tail," fly.

    Eddy
    Circulation of water in a moving stream in whirlpool fashion, which frequently concentrates food for fishes.

    Eyed fly
    An artificial fly without a piece of leader already attached to it.

    Forage fishes
    Fishes commonly eaten by other fishes for food.

    Foul-hooked
    The hooking of a fish accidentally in any part of the body except the mouth.

    Hair frog
    Imitation frog made from deer hair.

    Hatch
    Emergence of natural insect life on the water.

    Hook cast
    A type of cast in fly-fishing in which the lure hooks around interfering objects.

    Hook shank
    Long straight part of the hook.

    Landing net
    Cotton or linen net bag on a hoop used to lift hooked fishes from the water.

    Leader
    Nylon or gut extension attached to the end of the line.

    Nymph
    Type of fly resembling underwater insect life.

    Pan fish
    Type of fish most commonly sought for food rather than sport, such as perch and crappies.

    Plug
    Wooden or plastic lure with hooks attached made to resemble a food attractive to fishes.

    Pool
    Deep portion of a stream commonly found at bends, where bigger fishes lie.

    Reel seat
    Place where a reel is affixed to the rod.

    Riffle
    Shallow portion of a stream, where water passes over sunken boulders or rocks.

    Rise
    Activity of fishes in feeding on a natural insect hatch.

    Rollcast
    Type of cast developed in fly-fishing where background obstructions prohibit a

    Rough fish
    Type of fish not considered useful for food or sport.

    Seine
    Cotton or twine net used to capture fishes.

    Sinker
    Lead weight that can be affixed to the line to carry the lure into deeper water.

    Snag
    Hooked lure fouled on some obstruction.

    Snelled fly
    Fly with a piece of leader already attached to it.

    Spinner
    Shiny metal blade that revolves around a fine wire shank when pulled through the water and thus attracts fishes.

    Split shot
    Type of sinker in the shape of a sphere, with a split in the middle in which the line rests.

    Streamer
    Wet fly made from full chicken feathers to resemble a minnow.

    Strike
    Action of a fish in taking a lure.

    Taper
    Graduation in diameter of a line or leader from large to small.

    Terminal tackle
    Part of fishing gear nearest the lure--for example, leaders.

    Tippet
    Extension tied on to the end of leaders that have been broken off or used up.