The 21st annual FIPS-Mouche Cortland World Youth Fly Fishing Championship was held inVyssi Brod from August 11th through August 17th where 60 teenagers from 10 countriescompeted for a week on the Vltava River. The six US teens, their coach, and their manager worked tirelessly together to bring the team gold back home to the USA for an unprecedented second year in a row.

This team was led by the wisdom and experience of the Captain/Coach, Josh Miller (Gibsonia, PA), and the excellent coordination of the Team Manager, Jess Westbrook (Benton, AR), to stand on the top of the podium.

Competing for three hours each morning for five days straight in the summer heat, The USYouth Fly Fishing Team gained a lead on day one and remained the “team to beat” again this year by maintaining their lead each day and ending with a record-breaking 29-point lead over second place Poland and a 37-point lead over the Czech team, who took third place.

The young men tied hundreds of flies, shared supplies, rods, and ideas to maximize their team edge by focusing on the team medal over the individual medals. Happily, they got both: Team USA stood together on the podium when they earned the gold team medal, and also swept the individual medals taking gold, silver and bronze. Kage Kossler, age 18 (Bend, OR) won gold as the current World Champion, Max Logan, age 18 (Boulder, CO) won silver, and Justin Hardie, age 18 (Springfield, VA) won bronze.

The other team USA members also fished extremely well Lawson Braun, 17 (Waynesville, NC) earned 9 th place, Blake Hall, 15 (Marion, VA), and Landon Cook, 17 (Marion Center, PA). These six exceptional anglers, and their coaches and manager, are a part of the US Youth Fly Fishing Team (USYFFT) and the US Angling Confederation (USAngling).

ABOUT USA YOUTH FLY FISHING TEAM

The US Youth Fly Fishing Team is a 501c3 Non-Profit dedicated to the development of a distinguished and skilled fly-fishing team that proudly represents the United States in FIPS-Mouche sanctioned international championships each year. Just as important as the fishing is the camaraderie and the cross-cultural connections that are made through the events. Team members are also involved in a number of other areas of fly fishing such as guiding, offering fly fishing tying clinics, participating in watershed preservation projects, and promoting environmental stewardship. Contact Jess Westbrook for corporate sponsorship or donation information.