The 22nd FIPS-Mouche Cortland World Youth Fly Fishing Championships and the 4th FIPS-Mouche World Ladies Fly Fishing Championships took place in Idaho Falls, USA, from the 12th to the 19th July 2025.

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

YOUTH

Czech Republic – England – Ireland – Poland – Slovakia – South Africa – Spain – USA

LADIES

Australia – Canada – Czech Republic – Mongolia – New Zealand – South Africa – USA

The Angling Trust Youth squad was: Nicholas Blisset, Inigo Burkinshaw, Marcus Cordingley, Harry Sharrett, Lydia Thomas, Alex Turnbull (reserve), Daniel Williams (captain) and Marsha Blisset (manager), together with Simon Sharrett and David Thomas.

The BBC has articles on the team here>> and here>>

You can also watch the BBC broadcast on Facebook here>>

RESULTS

Session 1

YOUTH

Inigo Burkinshaw caught one fish on Sheridan Lake (boat fishing), to finish equal 7th, while on the other boat fishing sector, Hebgen Lake, Alex Turnbull was one of five competitors to blank. On the river sectors, 8th places were recorded by the other team members, with Nicholas Blissett catching nine fish on the Grey’s River, Marcus Cordingley getting eight on the Warm River, and Harry Sharratt five on Henry’s Fork. England finished the first session in 8th place out of 8 teams on 39 placing points, with Ireland lying in 4th place. The USA were the team leaders with 6pts, ahead of South Africa in 2nd with 16pts.

Session 2

YOUTH

The second session saw England put in a better performance on the lakes, with Harry Sharratt catching two fish on Hebgen Lake to come 2nd, and Marcus Cordingley getting four on Sheridan Lake for 4th place. On the river sectors Inigo Burkinshaw came 7th on the Grey’s River with 5 fish, while Nicholas Blissett was 8th on Henry’s Fork and Alex Turnbull 8th on the Warm River. Despite this, England remained in 8th place with 68 placing points, one point behind Spain, while Ireland moved up a place to 3rd with 39pts. The USA remained in 1st place with 19pts, some distance in front of South Africa on 37pts.

Session 3

LADIES

‘The Australian ladies have been unable to fish in the World Championships in Idaho, USA. US Angling have failed to provide medical assistance insurance coverage as required by the rules of the peak body FIPs Mouche. Australian ladies were told that US Angling expected them to rely on their own travel insurance.’ Sport Fly Fishing New Zealand – Facebook

YOUTH

In the third session Marcus Cordingley came 5th on the Grey’s River with thirteen fish, while Harry Sharratt scored a 6th place on the Warm river with eleven. On the boat sectors, Nicholas Blissett was one of three anglers who blanked on Hebgen Lake, while Alex Turnbull also failed to catch on Sheridan Lake. Inigo Burkinshaw came 8th on the Henry’s Fork. England remained in 8th place with 103 placing points, while Ireland dropped to 4th place. The USA held onto their lead with 29pts, with South Africa 2nd on 58pts. With three 1st places Lawson Braun (USA) was the Individual leader.

Session 4

YOUTH

The fourth session saw a 1st place for Inigo Burkinshaw who topped the field on Hebgen Lake with four fish. On the other boat sector, Sheridan Lake, Harry Sharratt came 8th. On the river sectors, Alex Turnbull came 6th with eight fish on the Grey’s River, while Marcus Cordingley was 8th on Henry’s Fork, and Nicholas Blissett 8th on the Warm River. England remained in 8th place with 134 placing points, while Ireland moved back up into 3rd with 86pts, four points behind Poland in 2nd place, with the USA consolidating their top spot with 44pts. Three USA anglers occupied the top three Individual places, with Lawson Braun in 1st place with 6pts.

Session 5

LADIES

YOUTH

Paul Page reports: “After Inigo Burkinshaw got the team’s first individual sector win on Hebgen Lake on Thursday, Nicholas Blissett followed suit yesterday with another individual sector win, this time on Sheridan Lake. To top this the team also won the final day with 51 fish and 14 placings.” This was helped by Marcus Cordingley getting a 2nd place on Hebgen Lake (where only three anglers caught), Harry Sharratt coming 3rd on the Grey’s River with seventeen fish, Alex Turnbull coming 4th on Henry’s Fork, and Inigo Burkinshaw also getting a 4th place on the Warm River. Although England closed the gap between them and Spain they finished the competition in 8th place, while Ireland dropped to 4th. The USA easily won the Team competition with 65 placing points, with Poland 2nd on 103pts and South Africa 3rd on 108pts. Lawson Braun (USA) added a 2nd place to his tally of three 1sts, a 2nd and a 3rd place to take the Individual top spot, with Jan Zielinski (Poland) 2nd on 11pts, and Blake Hall (USA) 3rd with 13pts. Paul Page commented: “Session wins are a prized achievement in any FIPS-Mouche Championship and are personal treasured moments, to cap that with a team 1st in the last session, especially as it’s the team’s first FIPS-Mouche championship, and a long way from home waters in the USA, is a massive achievement and bodes well for the future progress of the team. Well done AT World Youth Team”.

CLOSING CEREMONY VIDEO here>>

PROGRAMME

Saturday 12th July
2:00-5:00pm Registration of teams and check-in
6:30pm Parade of Nations (to the Museum of Idaho)
7:00pm Opening Ceremony & Opening Banquet in the Museum of Idaho
8:00pm Conservation Symposium

Sunday 13th July
9:00-10:00am Captains’ Meeting (Ladies)
10:00-11:00am Captains’ Meeting (Youth)
6:00-8:00pm Dinner at hotel

Monday 14th July: First competition session
9:00am-12:00pm Session in Sectors I and IV (Youth)
9:00am-12:00pm Session in all Sectors (Ladies)
2:00-5:00pm Session in Sectors II, III and V (Youth)
6:00-8:00pm Dinner at hotel

Tuesday 15th July: Second competition session
9:00am-12:00pm Session in Sectors I and IV (Youth)
9:00am-12:00pm Session in all Sectors (Ladies)
2:00-5:00pm Session in Sectors II, III and V (Youth)
6:00-8:00pm Dinner at hotel

Wednesday 16th July: Third competition session
9:00am-12:00pm Session in Sectors I and IV (Youth)
9:00am-12:00pm Session in all Sectors (Ladies)
2:00-5:00pm Session in Sectors II, III and V (Youth)
6:00-8:00pm Dinner at hotel

Thursday 17th July: Fourth competition session
9:00am-12:00pm Session in Sectors I and IV (Youth)
9:00am-12:00pm Session in all Sectors (Ladies)
2:00-5:00pm Session in Sectors II, III and V (Youth)
6:00-8:00pm Dinner at hotel

Friday 18th July: Fifth competition session
8:00am-11:00pm Session in Sectors I and IV (Youth)
8:00am-11:00pm Session in all Sectors (Ladies)
1:00-4:00pm Session in Sectors II, III and V (Youth)
7:00-10:00pm Closing Ceremony & Banquest (Waterfront at Snake River Landing)

Saturday 19th July: Departure from hotel

SECTORS

Sector 1 – Snake river – Henry’s Fork
The Henry’s Fork is one of the most storied and scenic rivers in the United States. At over 175 kilometers the Henry’s Fork contains good numbers of trout and whitefish throughout its length. Some stretches of the river contain as many as 4,000 trout per kilometer.
The Henry’s is incredibly diverse starting as a primarily spring fed river it transforms to tailwater stretches as it goes through various impoundments. Some of the stretches are among the most famous in the world; Box Canyon, Railroad Ranch, Cardiac Canyon and numerous world class float and wade fishing segments before it joins the South Fork of the Snake River. All age classes of fish can be found in the river. Above Mesa Falls the river contains mostly Rainbow Trout and Mountain Whitefish, with some Brook trout. Below the falls Brown Trout become common.
There will be water available for practice on the river in advance of the championship.
Target Fish Species: Brook trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow trout, Cutbows and Mountain Whitefish

Sector 2 – Hebgen lake (boat fishing)
Fed primarily by the Madison River as it exits Yellowstone National park, Hebgen is perhaps the highest quality trout lake in all of Montana. The lake covers about 12500 surface acres. Famous for its summer Gulper fishing there are plenty of dry fly fishing opportunities on the lake. Large Brown and Rainbow Trout with many exceeding 40 cm populate the lake. Mountain Whitefish can also be caught in the lake and there are possibilities to catch remnant Arctic Grayling and Cutthroat. Championship fishing will be limited to the Madison Arm of the lake. Because of the scarcity of rental boats, all practice will be coordinated by the organizer. Practice times will be limited and scheduled.
Target Fish Species: Arctic Grayling, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow trout, Mountain Whitefish

Sector 3 – Warm river
A tributary to the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River the Warm River is primarily spring fed, is crystal clear and has an average temperature of about 10 degrees celsius year round. It ranges in width from just a few to more than 20 meters wide in places. The upper stretches are low gradient and have prevalent watercress and clean gravel bottoms. The middle section increases in gradient, reduces in width and turns into a mix of pocket water and deep runs. The lowest section of the river changes again with a reduction in gradient where the river again gains in width and depth until it meets with the Henry’s Fork downstream. This river has some of the widest fish diversity in the area, with regular catches of Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout and Mountain Whitefish. Brook Trout can also be found and it is possible to catch Cutthroat or Hybrid Rainbow/Cutthroat Trout. The river is a nursery to the Henry’s Fork and has a wide range of fish sizes with most trout measuring less than 35 cm. Many of the largest fish in the river will be Mountain Whitefish that can reach 45-50 cm in length.
There will be water available for practice on the river in advance of the championship.
Target Fish Species: Brook trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow trout, Cutbows and Mountain Whitefish

Sector 4 – Sheridan lake (boat fishing)
One of the premier trout lakes in North America, Sheridan is a private lake with restricted access. The lake covers about 250 surface acres and has an average depth of 3 meters with some areas as deep as 8 meters. The lake is stocked with primarily Kamloops Rainbow Trout. These are hard fighting and fast growing fish. It is possible to catch Cutthroat Trout in the lake as well. Most fish will exceed 35 cm in length with some achieving 50 cm or more.
There will be no practice available at the lake in preparation for the championship.
Target Fish Species: Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow trout

Sector 5 – Grey’s river
The Grey’s River is the primary drainage river for the Wyoming Range in western Wyoming. 100 kilometers long the Grey’s ends in the Snake River as it enters Palisades Reservoir. Made up of primarily small snow melt creeks, the river experiences high spring and early summer flows that make the river habitat perfect for the native species. The Greys River presents perhaps the best opportunity to catch Snake River Fine Spotted Cutthroat Trout and Mountain Whitefish in good numbers. Many of both species will exceed 40 cm in length.
There will be water available for practice on the river in advance of the championship.
Target Fish Species: Brook trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow trout, Cutbows and Mountain Whitefish

You will find more information on the Youth Championship website here>> and on the Ladies Championship website here>>