Fly fishers often dream of traveling to exotic locations to wet a line.

Two anglers with Utah connections will be doing just that while representing their country. Devin Olsen and Lance Egan will compete with the USA Fly Fishing Team this fall at the World Fly Fishing Championships in Italy.

Both represented their country in the championships before, and both are hoping to lead Team USA to the title.

Egan won the overall gold medal in the individual title at the USA National Fly Fishing Championships held recently in Cherokee, N.C. His previous best was second place. Egan's team, which included Olsen, also took first in North Carolina, giving him a double gold.

Olsen, who grew up in Midvale and is now on his way to graduate school in Colorado, took the silver in the individual competition at the U.S. Nationals.

The two men know each other well. Egan, who works at Cabela's in Lehi, has also won other fly fishing competitions like Utah's Single Fly contest on the Green River, the last two gold medals offered in the fly fishing event at ESPN's Great Outdoor Games and another gold medal in the Teva Mountain Games. He visited the fly fishing club at Hillcrest High School to do a casting demonstration when Olsen was a senior at the school.

"Most of the kids in those clubs just kind of went through the motions, but Devin was super serious. He wanted to learn," said Egan, who first qualified for a spot on the U.S. team in 2003 and for the World Championship since 2006. "He just had that fishability about him."

They ended up fishing together when opportunities arose, and the two eventually ended up working at Cabela's.

"There was a natural progression. I was interested in a lot of the unique techniques Lance was using, and he was a great teacher," Olsen said.

The student did his mentor proud last fall and won the America's Cup tournament in Colorado. Egan took second to his buddy.

Things flopped for the nationals, but the two don't seem to care less who finished in what order. They are excited to have qualified for the world championship and are looking forward to using the skills honed on Utah waters to bring Team USA a gold medal in Italy.

"We have realized over the last few years that working as a complete team together and not holding back from the others for individual standing is how we can be the most successful," Olsen said. "We used that team aspect in North Carolina, and it really worked."

For Egan that means getting to know the other anglers, their techniques and their styles, as much as possible before the fishing starts in Italy.

"We will all have the same information, the same flies and the same support for each other," he said. "I am convinced if everybody is on the same page the results will end up like you like them."

Olsen and Egan say their experiences fishing with each other casually and in competitions should serve them well at the worlds.

"We know each other well and what the other is capable of," Egan said. "It is good to be comfortable with other anglers and to have guys on the team you really get along with. You know how they fish and the flies they use. If they are giving you information you can really visualize what they were doing when they caught the fish. That helps a lot."

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