Michael Bradley claims the individual world title as the United States edges France and Belgium at the 45th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — September 23, 2026 — The USA Fly Fishing Team won the first Senior World Fly Fishing Championship team gold medal and individual gold medal in the program’s history at the 45th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship, held September 13–18 across five venues in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. 

The United States finished with 159 placing points and 472 fish landed, ahead of three-time defending champion France (175) and Belgium (187) — ending France’s three-year title streak. North Carolina’s Michael Bradley took the individual world title with 20 placing points, never finishing worse than seventh in any session, with placings of first, fourth, third, seventh and fifth. Spain’s David Arcay took individual silver and France’s Grégoire Juglaret took bronze.  Reflecting on the victory, Bradley stated, “Being able to have my family with me in Idaho Falls to watch as we take a gold team medal and an individual gold medal for myself is something I’ll never forget.”

The result caps a steady climb for the American program, which took silver in 2015 and bronze in 2016, 2024 and 2025, but had never reached the top of the podium. The historic victory also marks a striking reversal on home water: the last time the championship was held in the Greater Yellowstone region, at Jackson, Wyoming, in 1997, the United States finished 15th of 18 nations. 

Twenty-one nations competed across the championship’s five sectors: the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, Hebgen Lake in Montana, the Teton River, Sheridan Lake, and the Greys River in Wyoming. Competitors fished timed catch-and-release sessions under FIPS-Mouche rules, in which an independent controller — not the angler — handles, measures, revives and releases every fish, and a negligently injured fish costs the competitor points rather than earning them. 

The USA team’s depth across all five venues proved decisive: every member of the five-angler roster finished inside the top 25 individually out of 105 anglers—a feat no other nation at the championship matched. Team veteran Devin Olsen finished eighth overall with 30 placing points with a notable third-place finish on the Greys, fourth on the Teton and sixth on the Henrys Fork. Mike Komara placed 17th with 35 placing points including a second-place session on Hebgen Lake, a third on the Teton and fourth on the Henrys Fork. Jack Arnot and Cody Burgdorff each finished inside the top 25 with 37 placing points, with Arnot recording a notable second-place finish on Hebgen Lake and third-place finishes on the Greys and Teton, while Burgdorff recorded a third on the Henrys Fork, fourth on the Teton and sixth on Hebgen Lake. It was this depth and consistency from each of the anglers that helped the team rise to the top. 

Jack Arnot explained, “This championship had plenty of challenges with rough weather, changing conditions, and some sessions that did not go exactly how we wanted. What mattered most was how we responded as a team. We stayed together, shared information, made adjustments, and continued to support each other throughout the entire championship. Every session mattered, and every person on this team played a part in getting us to first place.”

Captain Pat Weiss and reserve Austin Shoemaker were also crucial to the team’s victory, providing important information, guidance and leadership throughout the championship. Current national champion and USA angler Cody Burgdorff said, “Austin was invaluable and every bit as important to this effort as anyone who stepped onto the water.” He added, “Pat was also a tremendous asset on the Teton River…his guidance, wisdom, and calming presence helped us own that venue, where we earned just 15 points across five sessions.”

Captain Pat Weiss emphasized, “The result is the culmination of years of work by team members past and present. The tournament was full of ups and downs but ended with the fulfillment of a dream.”

The championship was hosted by the United States Angling Confederation (USA Angling), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, on behalf of FIPS-Mouche, the international governing body for competitive fly fishing. The confederation would like to thank their sponsors tremendously for helping to put on the event. Organizers projected more than $250,000 in direct local spending from the event, with a comparable amount in indirect spending as teams arrived early to practice on the region’s waters. 

Organizers and the USA Fly Fishing Team would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this event possible, including the coordinators, sector judges, controllers, media and logistics volunteers.

Photo credits: Curtis Bayer (@landofentroutment), Chrystine Whyte (@cw_idaho_design), Courtney Van der Linden, and Kathryn Komara.

USA FLY FISHING TEAM — 2026 WORLD CHAMPIONS 

Michael Bradley — Cherokee, NC 

Cody Burgdorff — Lafayette, CO 

Devin Olsen — Lander, WY 

Jack Arnot — Denver, CO 

Mike Komara — Bellefonte, PA 

Austin Shoemaker — Canton, NC 

Pat Weiss — Port Matilda, PA

MEDIA CONTACTS 

Nathan Dorathy PR  ·  comms.flyfishingteamusa@gmail.com

Courtney Van der Linden  Social Media  · courtney.flyfishingteamusa@gmail.com 

45th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championship ·Idaho Falls, Idaho ·September 13–18, 2026