Jean-Guy Côté Award
The organizing committee of the Québec/Maritimes Fly Fishing Forum held annually in Granby, nominates a Canadian who over the years has undeniably shown very high standards in the field of fly tying.
The recipient must have demonstrated a continuous contribution either to teaching of fly tying, very high quality fly tying, writings, creations and implication in making fly tying available to all.
In 2007 the Québec/Maritimes Fly fishing Forum has created the Canadian Fly Tiers Wall of Fame in partnership with the Canadian Fly Fishing Museum located in Waterloo.
The annual nominee will have a frame containing one of his flies along with a photograph and a text relating the important stages of his fly tying life put up on the Museum walls of the Canadian Fly Tiers Wall of Fame.
The winner will be announced at the Québec/Maritimes Fly Fishing Forum fund raising banquet held on the Saturday evening of the Forum.
A replica of the frame will be presented to the winner by the representatives of the Canadian Fly Fishing Museum and the Québec/Maritimes Fly Fishing Forum at the Saturday evening fund raising banquet.
2024 Jean-Guy Côté Award Presentation
He got his start in fly tying independently, without instructions or documentation. Soon, he was trying to reproduce the fishermen's favorite models. After several attempts, on a suggestion from his father, he showed his flies to his aunt Carmelle (LeBlanc) Bigaouette. The lady has a good eye and sees all the editing flaws. She even asks him to untie all the flies to collect the hooks and begins to teach him tying techniques. The young man has talent. His flies are beautiful, effective and he is starting to make his own creations. Around thirty, including the Green Spey, the Blue Sandy Plume and the famous Picasse, which have been the subject of reports in several magazines: Fly Fishing Destinations 2012, Wild Steelhead & Salmon Summer 1998 (in A Gaspé Guide's Inspired New Salmon Flies by Thomas R. Pero).
The Picasse
In addition to fly tying, he learned to handle large pole canoes and became a guide on the Petite and Grande Cascapedia and Bonaventure rivers. He never misses an opportunity to demonstrate his know-how.
It is for all of his work that Mr. Marc LeBlanc is the worthy recipient of the 2024 Jean-Guy Côté Award.
Marc LeBlanc
2023 Jean-Guy Côté Award Presentation
Claudel Dery
Lover of nature and calm, he began fly fishing in the early 1970s on the Montmorency and Jacques-Cartier rivers in Quebec near his home. “I watched the fly fishermen and was fascinated by how easily they caught the trout. From that moment my goal was to do like them and after a few years of learning on my own, I developed my skills as a fly fisher." He settled in the Montreal area in 1986 and being his territory of fishing around lakes Champlain and Erie, on the Rivière au Diable and even on the McKenzie River in Labrador, he also tries his luck on several salmon rivers in Quebec and New Brunswick.
Humbly, he will tell you that he participated in several Canadian Fly Fishing Championships (2011 and 2012), that he was a controller at international events, that he is invited to Fly Fishing Shows and Forums and has been leading assembly workshops for several assembly clubs for more than 25 years. If you do a little more research you will find that he has a Facebook page, that he has developed the technique of parachute flies, that he is one of the few Quebec fitters to be the subject of a report in the magazine Eastern Fly Fishing (Sept/Oct. 2013) and that these flies appear in the books: A Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns (Robert H. Jones and Paul C. Marinner) and Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies (Paul C Marriner). Especially the one created in collaboration with Marc Madore
His sense of observation and his joy in sharing his editing and fishing techniques make him the worthy recipient of the 2023 Jean-Guy Côté award.
2022 Jean-Guy Côté Award Presentation
He is one of Canada's most talented fly tyers. His attention to detail, especially on his flies for Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout is remarkable. He is commissioned Fly Tier and Designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants and had a major contributor to three fly tying books:
- Flies of the West
- Patent Patterns
- Nymph Fly Tying Techniques
He also won the BCFFF Jack Shaw Fly Tier of the Year 2007.
He is co-owner of Robinson's Sporting Goods in Victoria (Vancouver BC) where he still offers fly tying and fly fishing lessons. His participation in seminars and several publications (journals, books, websites, sales and auctions) helps to develop our sport.
It is for all these reasons that the members of the pan-Canadian selection committee have chosen to award the 2022 Jean-Guy Côté Prize to Mr. Matt King.
2021 Jean-Guy Côté Award Presentation
From an early age, he was captivated by everything related to nature, hunting and fishing. It was at the age of 14 that he began making his own flies and developed a real passion for this activity.
It was of course this that led him to go into business, but without his many other talents, he could not have achieved the same success. An artist at heart, a fervent orator speaking four languages, a great generosity of knowledge and honour, comedian and magician in his spare time, with a competitive spirit and a strong capacity for persuasion, this man of many talents knew how to carve out a unique place in the business world.
In addition to being the soul of the Neptune fly company in Drummondville, which is recognized throughout the fishing community in Quebec, and having managed to operate his business for more than 30 years, he has, among other things, written the lunar tables which allow you to know the best times to fish as well as several specialized articles for the Fondation de la faune and the magazine Aventure Chasse et Pêche. In addition, his flies are the subject of several books.
It is for all these reasons that the members of the pan-Canadian selection committee have chosen to award the 2021 Jean-Guy Côté Prize to
Mr. Yvon Gendron.
2018 Jean-Guy Côté Award Presentation
Ruth Zinck
The 2018 winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award is the twelfth member joining a group made up of John Cuco, Paul C. Marriner, Paul Leblanc, Warren Duncan, Art Lingren, Brian Chan, Bryant Freeman, Sheldon Seale, Denys Poirier, Jacques Héroux and Phil Rowley.
During their fly tying careers they have demonstrated a continuous contribution to one or more of the following as related to fly tying; teaching, very high quality fly tying, writing, creating significant new patterns and broad-spectrum public promotion. This is what the Jean-Guy Côté Award is all about!
She began tying flies in 1970, the only female in the class. Her instructor was Ian Martin, 15 years of age at the time. Since then she has won fly tying awards and has been among the demonstration tiers at many of the Federation of Fly Fishers’ International Fly Fishing Shows. Ruth served as an International Director of FFF for six years including Senior Vice President for Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Western Rocky Mountain Council of the FFF. Ruth has written for various for FFF journals and books as well as for other publications.
Together with Joan Kirkham, Ruth founded the KW Fishers Club in Kitchener Waterloo. When she relocated to Calgary in 1981, Ruth became the first woman to join the Hook and Hackle Club and is now a life member. In 2011 Ruth was one of the original members of the newly formed Calgary Women Fly Fishers Club.
She has created many patterns, six of which formed «The Royal Lady Series» tied specially for the Casting For Life Association in Calgary.
Over the years Ruth has volunteered at schools, clubs, and community events, and fly tying expos to teach fly tying. She has been recognized for her contributions to the world of fly tying; in 1984 «Tier of the Year-Senior Fly Tying» Hook and Hackle Club; 1998 «Fly Tier of the Year» Western Rocky Mountain Council; 2003 «Woman of the Year» FFF and 2012 «Ron Pike Award» Hook and Hackle Club.
What a contribution!
Jean-Guy Côté was the founding president of UNI Products sold throughout the world to amateur and professional fly tiers. Since his untimely death in 2006, the Canadian Fly Fishing Museum honors Canadians for their important life contribution to fly tying. The first Canadian to receive this honor was John Cuco from Montreal in 2007.
The Canada wide Jean-Guy Côté Award selection committee has chosen to present the 2018 Award to Madame Ruth Zinck of Calgary.
* Credit of Jim and Lynda McLennan
2017 Jean-Guy Côté Award Presentation
Phil Rowley
The 2017 winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award is the eleventh member joining a group made up of John Cuco, Paul C. Marriner, Paul Leblanc, Warren Duncan, Art Lingren, Brian Chan, Bryant Freeman, Sheldon Seale, Denys Poirier and Jacques Héroux.
During their fly tying careers they have demonstrated a continuous contribution to one or more of the following as related to fly tying; very high execution, writings, teaching, significant pattern creation, and broad-spectrum public promotion. This is what the Jean-Guy Côté Award is all about!
For more than thirty years he has been tying fishing flies. Obviously he fishes for trout, Pacific and Atlantic salmon, walleye and pike with a fly but he is better known for is stillwater exploits. A former commercial tyer, he is a devoted teacher of fly tying. He is also the author of three books and many articles for North-American fly fishing magazines. He has produced four instructional DVD’s dealing with tying some of his flies. He is very much in demand to speak at Outdoor shows besides running fly fishing schools. Since all that is not enough he stillwater guides anglers near his Alberta home.
He has created many lake fly patterns and relates to them with enthusiasm when speaking on television or at shows such as B.C. Outdoors, Fishing Alberta and when co-hosting on the New Fly Fisher television show.
Since that was not enough with his ongoing career the members of the Canada wide Jean-Guy Côté Award selection committee have chosen to present the 2017 Award to;
Phil Rowley
Presentation of the 2016 Jean-Guy Côté Award
Jacques Héroux
The 2016 winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award is the tenth member joining a group made up of John Cuco, Paul C. Marriner, Paul Leblanc, Warren Duncan, Art Lingren, Brian Chan, Bryant Freeman, Sheldon Seale, and Denys Poirier.
During their fly tying careers they have demonstrated a continuous contribution to one or more of the following as related to fly tying; very high quality execution, writings, teaching, significant pattern creation, and broad-spectrum public promotion. This is what the Jean-Guy Côté Award is all about!
In 1970 fly tying was only a passtime for him. Later he seriously read many fly tying books and attended training sessions with Warren Duncan for salmon hairwing flies and with Bryant Freeman for featherwing flies. He also credits Marc Leblanc and Jerome Molloy for making the tier he is today.
He created many new patterns of salmon flies for international competitions such as for the FQSA and the Scandinavian fly tying championship. In 1999, he was the Atlantic Provinces Fly tying champion.
His interest in fly tying led him to begin the Dieppe Fly Tying Club in 1998 and in 2003 he was one of the instigators of the Dieppe Fly Fishing Forum.
For more than twenty five years he has been teaching fly tying classes for beginners and for those advanced tiers interested in upgrading their tying skills.
In 2009 he was inducted into the New Brunswick Atlantic Salmon Museum located in Doaktown.
In 2015 he was selected by the Canadian Wildlife Federation which presented to him the Roderick Haig-Brown Award for recreational fishing conservation.
As an addition to his ongoing carreer and for the reasons mentionned above, the Canada wide selection committee has chosen to present the 2016 Jean-Guy Côté Award to :
Jacques Héroux
Presentation of the 2015 Jean-Guy Côté Award
Denys Poirier
The winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award for 2015 is the ninth from an imposing group including John Cucco, Paul C. Marriner, Paul Leblanc, Warren Duncan, Art Lingren, Brian Chan, Bryant Freeman and Sheldon Seale.
During their career as fly tiers they have demonstrated a continuous contribution either to teaching of fly tying, demonstrated very high quality fly tying, contributed to writing about fly tying, creating new patterns and making fly tying available to all. This is what the Jean-Guy Côté Award is all about!
Our winner has been fishing and tying flies for a long time. He and his wife gave a lot of time and effort to create the Metropolitain Montréal Fly Fishers.
Always researching the history of salmon flies, he published «Mystère des Spey» in 1994. A year later, working closely with the FQSA «Mouches sèches à saumon» was published. In that book Denys added an imposing glossary of salmon tying terminology.
With Jacques Juneau and Denis Gervais they created the «Club des 20». Denys tied an original Spey pattern for each of the club members.
He has also written many articles in various magasines. Patterns he tied were published in «Flies for Atlantic Salmon» and «Flies for Trout» published by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen.
For all those reasons the members of the Canada wide selection committee have chosen to present the Jean-Guy Côté Award for 2015 to
Denys Poirier
Presentation of the 2014 Jean-Guy Côté Award
Sheldon Seale
Le récipiendaire du Prix Jean-Guy Côté pour l’année 2014 est le huitième d’un groupe imposant tel que John Cuco, Paul C. Marriner, Paul Leblanc, Warren Duncan, Art Lingren, Brian Chan et Bryant Freeman.
The winner of the Jean-Guy Award for 2014 is the eight among an imposing group of fly tyers that I have just named.
Tout au long de leur carrière de monteur de mouches, ceux-ci ont démontré une grande contribution soit à l’enseignement, soit par l’excellence de leur montages, soit par leurs écrits, soit par leur habileté de création ou par une très grande implication à vulgariser le montage de mouches à l’ensemble des monteurs.
During their career as fly tyers they have demonstrated a continuous contribution either to teaching of fly tying, demonstrated very high quality fly tying, contributed to writing about fly tying, creating new patterns and making fly tying available to all.
Notre gagnant, pêche et monte des mouches depuis très longtemps. Il a donné beaucoup de son temps à l’Isaac Walton Fly Fishing Club et à Trout Unlimited comme administrateur. Sa collaboration avec la revue Canadian Fly Fisher a duré au-delà de douze ans et maintenant il contribue au site web The New Fly Fisher comme éditeur de montage de mouches. Le lauréat de cette année est guide et moniteur à l’école de pêche à la mouche Wilson.
Our winner has been fishing and tying flies for a long time. He was very much involved with the Isaac Walton Fly Fishing Club as past president and director besides being very active with Trout Unlimited. For more than twelve years he wrote fly tying articles for the Canadian Fly Fisher magazine. Now he is now the fly tying editor for the New Fly Fisher E-zine. This year’s winner guides and is one of the instructors at the Wilson fly fishing school.
Il a formé quantité de monteurs de mouche et soumit plusieurs parures dans le Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns de Paul Marriner. Maintenant à la retraite il est occupé à temps plein par le montage, les écritures, les conférences et la pêche.
He has trained a great number of fly tyers and seen many patterns from his vise printed in Paul Marriner’s Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns. Now retired, he is now a full time fly tyer, writer, speaker and fly fisherman.
Pour toutes ces raisons, les membres du comité de sélection pancanadien ont choisi de remettre le Prix Jean-Guy Côté pour l’année 2014, à notre concitoyen de la province d’Ontario;
For all those reasons, the members of the Canada wide selection committee have chosen to present the 2014 Jean-Guy Côté Award to our fellow Canadian from the province of Ontario;
Sheldon Seale
Presentation of the 2013 Jean-Guy Côté Award
Bryant Freeman
The recipient of the Jean-Guy-Côté Award for 2013 is now the seventh member of an impressive group made of John Cucco, Paul Marriner, Paul Leblanc, Warren Duncan, Art Lingren and Brian Chan.
Throughout their fly tying career, they have made a huge contribution to fly tying through their writings, the high quality of their tyings, their creative abilities and their implication in making fly tying available to all fly tiers.
Our winner has started fly tying at the age of seven, helping his father. A “Silver Grey” has allowed him to take his first salmon at the age of 10. At the age of 14, he was working as a guide on the Medway River for the Freeman House Hotel owned by his father. He now has more than 65 years of experience in teaching and fly tying, and he has held various administrative functions related to Atlantic salmon fishing. He has trained many fly tiers and submitted various patterns published in the Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns by Paul Marriner such as “General Practioner”, “Rabbi”, “RT Special”, and “Carter’s Bug”. His latest creation is known as “Andora Spey”.
Since 1985 he is the owner of the Eskape Anglers Shop in Riverview, New Brunswick. He is well known as a specialist in feathers and dyeing. Many consider him the ¨Magician of Materials¨ for salmon flies.
On February 1st 1991, he retired from his day job and since then he keeps busy tying flies, preparing feathers for his clients, teaching and lecturing.
In recognition of all his accomplishments, the members of the Canadian Fly Fishing selection committee are pleased to present Bryant Freeman of Riverview, N.B., with the Jean-Guy-Côté Award for 2013.
Presentation of the 2012 Jean-Guy Côté Award
Brian Chan
The winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award for 2012 is a resident of Kamloops Brirish Columbia. A recreational fisheries biologist for his province, he is now retired. Our winner managed and promoted fishing in hundreds of trout lakes in the greater Kamloops area. He is a specialist of fishing « Kamloops » rainbow trout with midge imitations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in soft water ecology from Simon Fraser University.
He is an active member of the B.C. Federation of Fly Fishers and of the Kamloops Fly Fisher Club for at least 25 years and always passionate with lake fishing. Author, video producer, speaker and fishing guide occupy most of his time.
During his career he has made a huge contribution to canadian fly tying through his writings, the high quality of his tying, his creative ability and his implication to make fly tying available to all fly tiers. His most recent books are «Fly Fishing Trout Lakes», «Stillwater Solutions Recipes-30 Proven Patterns» and his DVD «Learning with the Pros Stillwater Fly Tying». He is a regular contributor to fly fishing specialty magazines. He frequently appears on fly fishing television shows.
Our 2012 award recipient enjoys fishing all those trout lakes near his home but also enjoys river wading for steelhead. Northwest Territories and Yukon fishing for large lake trout and pike are among his favorites.
He is also involved in the fly fishing industry through his affiliations with companies such as Sage, Rio and Mustad.
For all the above mentionned reasons, the members of the Canada wide selection committee have chosen to present the 2012 Jean-Guy Côté Award, to Brian Chan de Kamloops C.B.
Presentation of the 2011 Jean-Guy Côté Award
Arthur James Lingren
The 2011 winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award is a resident of British Columbia. During his adult life he has always been involved with fly fishing. He is a member and past president of the Totem Fly Fishers and acted as president of the British Columbia Federation of Fly Fishers. He is a member and served for many years as a director
of the Steelhead Society of BC.
He has fished salmonids everywhere in Western Canada. He is very much involved in the protection of our Canadian fly fishing history and heritage.
Tier and creator of original fly patterns for trout and salmon for more than thirty years, he has written nine fly tying books. Two of those books are « Fly Patterns of Roderick Haig-Brown » and « Fly Patterns of British-Columbia ». His involvement does not stop there since he has contributed to ten others.
Two of his books served as Western Canada reference books for the Canada Post 1998 and 2005 fly fishing stamp series and four of the ten flies featured in these series came from our winners’ books. In fact, he dressed the Coquihalla Orange for the 1998 series.
During his career he has made an important contribution to Canadian fly tying through his writings, impressive creative ability and broad spectrum public promotion.
For these reasons, the members of the Canada wide selection committee have chosen to present the Jean-Guy Côté Award for the year 2011 to, Art Lingren from Vancouver BC.
Presentation of the 2010 Jean-Guy Côté Award
To Warren Duncan
He tied hundreds of thousands of Atlantic salmon flies for anglers from all economic and social groups. Perhaps his best known client, and occasional Miramichi fishing partner, was Major League Hall of Famer Ted Williams.
In 1995, Uni Products owner, Jean-Guy Côté was in the process of selecting new colors for his Uni-Stretch material. Concurrently, he was cooperating with a
renowned fly tier who appreciated Uni-Stretch and wanted to be able to use it for one of his special patterns. From this close cooperation, two new colors came to market, Chinese red and chartreuse. The special pattern was the well-known «Undertaker».
Our winner of the 2010 Jean-Guy Award was born in Campbelton and spent his 32-year working career with the Irving Oil Company.
His avocation was fly tying. Many consider him to have been the fastest tier of high-quality flies of his time. In a demonstration of his flawless technique, he once tied a ready-to-fish Rusty Rat in one minute and thirty seconds. He used a great deal of Uni-Thread in his 25-year fly tying career!
Generous, sometimes to a fault, he loved to share the pleasures of life with family, friends, and acquaintances; a plate of lobster, a smoke, a joke, a glass of rye.
In 1993, the government of New Brunswick requested he create the official fly of the province. This fly, the «Picture Province», was offered to the G-8 leaders in Halifax in 1995.
On February 10, 2007, a customer of Dunc’s Fly Shop, on Hickey Street in St-John, N.B., found him slumped over his tying desk, still holding his bobbin.
Over the years our winner demonstrated continuous contributions to the art and craft of fly tying including teaching, superior execution, significant pattern creation, and public promotion.
In recognition of his accomplishments, the Canadian Fly Fishing Museum of Canada and the selection committee are very proud to announce Warren Duncan as the winner of the 2010 Jean-Guy Côté Award.
The winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award for 2009
In mid March of 1981 along with Leon Larocque I was representing ATOS at the Montreal Dinner of the ASF. That’s where I first met the 2009 recipient of the Jean-Guy Côté Award. He was there representing the fly shop he was working for at that time in his fly tying career.
Our winner was born in Tracadie New Brunswick. At age six his dad suggested to him going fishing in the fourth range brook near Saint-Aubert. Once there his father told him to choose a fly. He went for a bright Red Ibis.
What his father did that day is what sparked his love for fly fishing. Later on when someone would ask what he would do in life he would proudly say he would earn his living by going fly fishing.
Later he would say wanting to go salmon fishing. His dream would come true casting a fly on the Matane, St-Anne and Godbout rivers.
Once in Montreal he is hired by a sports shop and starts tying flies. He became close to Jacques Authier, John Cuco, Serge J.Vincent and Jean-Guy Côté.
His creative mind was the reason for new flies such as the Orange Grey Ghost, Black Domino, Lady Step and Hazel.
Comfortable before a crowd or a camera he was involved in a series of television programs for our benefit. He was recognized as a Master Tier by the FQSA and fly tier of the year by the ASF.
He is a co-founder of the Moucheurs du Montreal Métropolitain (MMM) and the Montreal Fly Fishing Museum.
His great talent is noticed by Canada Post when he is asked to tie a Dark Montreal for a new series of stamps.
You now know enough to identify the winner of the Jean-Guy Côté Award for 2009.
I am honoured to introduce to you the latest member of the Canadian Fly Tiers’ Hall of Fame, Mister Orvis, Paul Leblanc. 
The second recipient of the Jean-Guy Côté Award
I am honoured to be the one to introduce the 2008 recipient of the Jean-Guy Côté Award.
Toward the end of April in 1998, I had been invited as guest speaker at the opening supper of the Cold Creek Fly Fishers. Sitting on the shore of Cold Creek near Trenton Ontario, I was talking with Jean-Guy Côté watching Hendricksons coming off the water. We were really concentrated that we did not notice this world renowned angler who was coming over to do a little bit of talking.
That gentleman is our winner for 2008 of the Jean-Guy Côté Award. That was for both Jean-Guy and myself our first official meeting. Near the water we chatted for a while, got to know each other better, cast a few flies and released a few browns.
At this time I would like to recall for your benefit, the selection criteria for the Award:
The recipient must have demonstrated an important contribution either to teaching, to the high quality of his fly tying, writings, creative ability and or his implication in making fly tying available to all fly tiers.
Our winner is very well known everywhere in Canada for the numerous writings in all the best fly fishing magazines. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada, the owner of Gale’s End Press, associate editor for the Canadian Fly Fisher magazine, the author of Stillwater Fly Fishing, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying Thread for UNI Products and many more articles and books dedicated to fly fishing. His latest contribution is the Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns for Fly Fishing Canada.
At this time I know many among you have recognized our recipient of the Jean-Guy Côté Award for the year 2008. However, because of prior engagements, before he could be given the good news, he will only be with us in our thoughts. The prize will be presented to him by Jacques Héroux, from Edmunston, at the Dieppe Fly Fishing Forum in Moncton NB at the end of March.
And now, the recipient of the Jean-Guy Award for the year 2008 is,
Paul C. Marriner from Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.
The first recipient of the Jean-Guy Côté Award
Early in 2005 Jean-Guy knew the nature of his illness.
He kept this to himself in the hope that a miracle would allow him to continue his daily activities far into the future.
That same spring he resigned himself to share this knowledge with his friends.
During the summer he made a farewell tour of his friends, fishing one last time with each of them.
The administrators of the Canadian Fly-Fishing Museum obtained authorization from Jean-Guy Côté to create an award in his honour.
The objective was to underline the work of a Canadian who has contributed, heart and soul, to the world of fly tying.
Jean-Guy himself chose John Cuco as the first recipient.
It was John Cuco who welcomed Jean-Guy into his Montreal home upon his arrival in town.
It was John Cuco who refined Jean-Guy’s techniques as a fly tyer.
It was John Cuco who showed Jean-Guy how to spool thread from a large bobbin.
It was John Cuco who taught Jean-Guy how to fish for brookies in the lakes of the Laurentians.
It was John Cuco who took Jean-Guy to fishing exhibitions.
It was John Cuco who introduced Jean-Guy to numerous personalities of the fishing world.
It was John Cuco who showed Jean-Guy how to teach fly-tying.
It was thanks to John Cuco that Jean-Guy developed his creativity and became an innovator.
Unless Jean-Guy Côté had met and become the friend of John Cuco, the business “UNI Products” would not have existed.
It is for all these reasons that Jean-Guy Côté chose to honor and to thank John Cuco by choosing him as the first recipient of the award bearing his name.
John Cuco is now the first member of the Canadian Hall of Fame of Fly Tyers of the Canadian Fly Fishing Museum in Waterloo, Québec.
Presentation of the Jean-Guy Côté Award was made to the daughter of the late John Cuco, Ms. Caroline Davidson, and other members of his family, at Paul Leblanc’s Salmo Nature Orvis fly shop , 110 McGill Street in Montréal on Saturday 24 March 2007.