On a recent episode (#37) of the Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast, Ross Purnell, Publisher/Editor of Fly Fisherman Magazine, sits down with Mike Komara, a Pennsylvania fly fisherman, owner of Innovative Angling fishing guide service in Central Pennsylvania, and an important member of Fly Fishing Team USA, which is currently taking part in the 45th World Fly Fishing Championship being held Sept. 13-19 in Idaho. The Championships are organized through FIPS-Mouche (the International Sport Fly Fishing Federation), which is the fly-fishing arm of CIPS (the International Sport Fishing Confederation), the World regulating body, following the Olympic ideal, for competitive fishing in all disciplines. Annual World Championships and accompanying conservation symposiums have taken place every year since the summer of 1998. The World Championships took place in the Czech Republic in 2025, and Team USA took the Bronze, following Poland with the Silver and now three-time defending World Champion France with the Gold. Hopes are high in '26 that Team USA will do very well with the "home field advantage," but many talented fly fishers are descending on Idaho Falls and will be putting their skills to work on regional fisheries in the "Golden Triangle" region of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
In this podcast, Mike Komara and Purnell talk about how competitive fly fishing works, how Team USA is selected, and who will compete at the 2026 World Championships based out of Idaho Falls. Komara and Purnell also discuss each of this year's other team members, including Team Captain Pat Weiss and anglers Jack Arnot, Cody Burgdorff, Devin Olsen, Michael Bradley and alternate Austin Shoemaker.
"So, I got started when I was really young," Mike Komara began, in response to Purnell's question about how his competitive fly-fishing career began. "I think I was 12 when I found out about competitive fishing, and I was 13 when I first got actively involved. There's a great program – the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team – and they're actually based in State College, so Central PA, not far from where I grew up in Pittsburgh and where I currently live. They host clinics every year across the country. I think they do one out west, down south, and in Pennsylvania, to kind of get kids interested in the sport and learn a little bit. We get a lot of kids who go to the clinics who are not necessarily even interested in competing, but they get to learn from some really good coaches and stuff like that."
"I think last year we had almost 30 kids for two days, in Pennsylvania at least," Komara continued, "and it was basically two kids to one instructor, so we had a lot of people there. …It's a great program, and that's how I got started. I did a clinic in Pennsylvania on Fishing Creek, and I met some great instructors who really helped me out along the way. Two weeks later I did my first competition. …It was a great time. I liked it, so I kept coming back for more. And, I made the U.S. Youth Team in 2016, about two years after I started. Then I went to my first Youth World Championships in 2017. I did that in 2017, 2018, 2019, in Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic for Youth Worlds. I aged off when I got to college and took a little bit of a forced break because of Covid, and I didn't get a chance to make the Adult team until 2022…I made the team in February of '24 and got to go to the World Championships in France and then again last year in the Czech Republic."
Given Komara's significant experience in use of the Euro nymphing often favored in international competition, Purnell was curious about Komara's thoughts on the growing popularity of the technique among everyday fly fishers. "You know, it has become way more mainstream with the flies you see in fly shops," said Komara. "I remember when I started you pretty much would never see a tungsten-beaded nymph in a fly shop box. You had to order it online or tie it yourself. Now, just about every fly shop has a load of them in different weights and sizes. It's pretty cool that it's just part of the fly-fishing journey now… It's not as much of a specialty tactic anymore…it used to be that you'd dry fly fish, you'd indicator fish, you'd streamer fish. Now it's dry fly fish, Euro nymph, indicator fish and streamer fish. It's just one of the main tactics now."
Of course, noting that Team USA will be facing a variety of water types and conditions, Purnell commented that they will need to be ready for anything. "There's a lot of variety for sure," continued Komara. "There will be a little bit of everything, depending on the water levels, obviously. Sometimes one thing can be a little bit more useful than the other, but you'll see a lot of Euro nymphing in the clips of the Championships here."
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It's worth noting that the competitors fund their own participation and must be extremely passionate and dedicated to make Team USA and compete in the World Championships.
"So, I'm a guide," Komara explained. "If you're doing world championships and trying to make Team USA, it's about six weeks of straight fishing days a year you need. So, it's a lot of time off work. You really kind of have to be self-employed or pretty high up in your company with a lot of leeway to make it work. So, for the most part, all of us are self-employed. That's a big thing. You can't really have a 9-5 and do it. You can, but you've got to have the time off or a company that is [supportive]. So, probably more so than the money, that is an aspect that keeps people from making the team. …It's practically a second job if you want to be really competitive and do well."
Mike Komara's guide service is in Central Pennsylvania. "Based in Bellefonte, we fish all the area's famous limestoners," said Komara. He also guides for bass and muskies and teaches Euro nymphing and the advanced dry fly techniques that are used in competition. During the winter, Komara guides in New Zealand. If you're interested in fishing with Mike Komara, go to InnovativeAngling.com.
"I'm so thankful that Mike Komara found time to visit with me at the Fly Fisherman office," said Purnell. "I've fished under pressure before, needing to make the perfect cast on a big fish while a guide or mentor looks on, but I've never fished competitively other than for fun. However, I must admit that I'm fascinated by the competition, the competitors, and their mindset, as well as the tackle and techniques that have filtered down to everyday fly fishing. You can bet that I'll be cheering on Mike and Fly Fishing Team USA in Idaho this week and invite listeners to see how Mike Komara Demonstrates the Pitch Cast. To learn more about Fly Fishing Team USA, be sure to visit FlyFishingTeamUSA.com and follow them on social media too.
Available on Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, and at FlyFisherman.com the latest episode of Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast is a must-listen for fly fishing enthusiasts of all levels who want to stay informed.
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