American

Journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing

The

Fly Fisher

th Anniversary

Foster BamDave BeveridgePeter BowdenMark Comora

Deborah Pratt DawsonRonald GardAlan Gnann

Gardner Grant Jr.John Hadden

James Heckman, MDKaren Kaplan

Woods King IIIWilliam P. Leary III

Anthony J. MagardinoChristopher P. Mahan

Walter T. MatiaDavid Nichols

Robert A. Oden Jr.

Erik R. OkenAnnie Hollis PerkinsLeigh H. PerkinsFrederick S. PolhemusRoger RiccardiRobert G. ScottNicholas F. SelchWarren SternRonald B. StuckeyTyler S. ThompsonRichard G. TischDavid H. WalshAndrew WardPatricia WatsonThomas WeberFrankie WolfsonJames C. WoodsNancy W. Zakon

Yoshi AkiyamaDeputy Director

Alex FordDigital MarketingCoordinator

Kelsey McBrideAdministrative Assistant

Samantha PitcherAssistant Directorof Development

Shane QuintanaGallery Assistant

Patricia RussellBusiness Manager

Still Celebrating

A we’ve celebrat-ed the museum’s fiftieth anniver-sary this year (dinners! receptions!

a dedicated issue of the American FlyFisher!), we’re basking in the satisfactionof accomplishment, especially after thepositive feedback about the summerissue. Many of you took time to tell us howmuch you enjoyed the museum timelineand our “Fifty Museum Favorites,” a show-case of items beloved by staff. We had agreat time putting those pieces together,and we’re thankful to good museumfriends who contributed to our specialanniversary edition.

And now back to our authors, whohave been waiting patiently for publica-tion while we were off celebrating our-selves for an entire issue.

The name A. J. Bradford isn’t widelyrecognized in the world of angling history,but because of two well-known fly-fishingphotos—widely distributed through turn-of-the-twentieth-century promotionalMich igan railroad materials, Field &Stream, and Forest and Stream—his facewas famous. Over the years, few publica-tions identified the angler at all, and somemisidentified him (e.g., as Michigan con-servationist William B. Mershon orPresident Grover Cleveland). We at theAmerican Fly Fisher, it turns out, areamong those who got it wrong when weassumed that a photo in the museum’scollection was labeled correctly. Robert E.Kohrman sets the record straight in “OldBrad: The Best-Known Fishing Guide inthe Country,” giving a thorough historyof the photos, the angler they capture,and the photographer. Head to the PereMarquette with us on page .

Some of you may already be familiarwith the who-invented-it controversystarring Ed Shenk and Ernie Schwiebert.In “The Letort Hoppers,” John Capowskinotes that within the controversy are big-ger questions that are “easy to ask but dif-ficult to answer.” What importance doesthe name of a pattern have in making itthe original? How different do a pattern’smaterials need to be from an existing flyto make it a new one? To what degreedoes a fly with the same materials fas-tened in a different fashion make it a dif-

ferent one? Who is the originator of a flyif two very similar or same flies aredesigned contemporaneously by two cre-ators? Enjoy this history of a hopper fight,beginning on page .

“Even very experienced guides do notsee this often: a fine fisherman, anAtlantic salmon, a bamboo fly rod, and aBogdan reel all doing what they weremade to do.” So writes Robert Sohrweidein a reminiscence of his first salmon-fish-ing trip with his friend Rob. This TellingTails piece, “Bamboo and Bogdan,” can befound on page .

In March, the fly-fishing world lost thelegendary Lefty Kreh, a good friend to themuseum. We were grateful to receiveitems from his tying room for our collec-tion, including his tying desk, whichDigital Marketing Coordinator Alex Forddescribes in detail in “Inside Lefty’s TyingRoom” (page ). Take a look.

I’m sad to say that we’ve lost othermuseum friends this year, including two inJuly: Leon Martuch of Scientific Anglersfame, who was a longtime museum trusteeand past president, and the writer Art Lee.When Martuch was honored with themuseum’s Heritage Award in , formerexecutive director Paul Schullery wrote atribute for the occasion; we share it withyou on page . Then, on page , GalenMercer memorializes his good friend in“Riverman: Remembering Art Lee.”

Summer brought with it our weeklykids clinic in July (page ) and ourannual fly-fishing festival in August (page). We’re happy to welcome so manyfriends to the museum grounds.

And speaking of the kids clinics andthe festival, I should mention that themuseum is lucky to have a posse of dedi-cated tiers who help us out with demon-strations and teaching events. In the spir-it of thanking people who helped us makeit to fifty, we’d like to thank our tiers pub-licly, especially those who have been tire-lessly volunteering over the last decade(page ).

Yes, we’re still celebrating. On to fifty-one!

K AE

Karen KaplanPresident

Robert A. Oden Jr.Vice President

Andrew WardVice President

James C. WoodsSecretary

Peter BowdenTreasurer

Sarah FosterExecutive Director

James HardmanDavid B. LedliePaul Schullery

Sara WilcoxDirector of Visual Communication

E. M. BakwinMichael Bakwin

Foster Bam and Sallie BaldwinDave BeveridgePeter BowdenMark Comora

Jon and Deborah Pratt DawsonGardner Grant Jr.

Summerfield Johnston

Karen KaplanKenneth Kosakoff and Mariann CovelloDavid and Margaret NicholsLeigh and Annie Hollis PerkinsJohn RedpathRobert and Karen ScottNicholas and Jean SelchMarye and Richard G. TischPaul Volcker

’

The American Fly Fisher (ISSN -) is published four times a year by the museum at P.O. Box ,Manchester, Vermont . Publication dates are winter, spring, summer, and fall. Membership dues include thecost of the journal () and are tax deductible as provided for by law. Membership rates are listed in the back ofeach issue. All letters, manuscripts, photographs, and materials intended for publication in the journal should besent to the museum. The museum and journal are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, drawings, photo-graphic material, or memorabilia. The museum cannot accept responsibility for statements and interpretationsthat are wholly the author’s. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned unless postage is provided.Contributions to The American Fly Fisher are to be considered gratuitous and the property of the museum unlessotherwise requested by the contributor. Copyright © , The American Museum of Fly Fishing, Manchester,Vermont . Original material appearing may not be reprinted without prior permission. Periodical postagepaid at Manchester, Vermont ; Manchester, Vermont ; and additional offices (USPS ). TheAmerican Fly Fisher (ISSN -) : amff@amff.org : www.amff.org

: Send address changes to:The American Fly FisherP.O. Box

Manchester, Vermont

Alan and Nancy Zakon

Louis BaconAnthony Davino

Charles Patrick Durkin Jr.Alan Guarino

James and Susan HeckmanTim Hixon

Bill and Francesca LearyWalter and Pam MatiaBradford and Pamela MillsJason and Shachar ScottMatthew and Taylor ScottJames Woods

’

Kathleen AchorEditor

Sarah May ClarksonCopy Editor

Sara WilcoxDesign & Production

Parker CorbinBailey HallingbyWoods King IVJohn Neukom

Albert NicholsDavid E. Nichols Jr.Jason M. ScottBroderick Smith

’

Old Brad: The Best-KnownFishing Guide in the Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert E. Kohrman

Time to Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Jacobi

The Letort Hoppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John J. Capowski

Telling Tails: Bamboo and Bogdan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Sohrweide

Inside Lefty’s Tying Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Ford

Fly-Fishing Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Our Tireless Tiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In Memoriam: Leon Martuch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paul Schullery

In Memoriam: Riverman: Remembering Art Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Galen Mercer

Summer Kids Clinics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Museum News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

: Andrew J. “Old Brad” Bradford standing in the BaldwinRiver in Michigan. From the collection of Robert E. Kohrman.

the American Museum of Fly FishingJournal of

Shannon BrightmanNick Dawes

Alex de LatourTom Evans

Alan and Linda GnannJohn Hadden

Skip and Meg HermanPhyllis Herrick

Paul Tudor JonesArt and Martha Kaemmer

Wendy and Woods King IIIChristopher Mahan

Janet Mavec and Wayne Nordberg

Robert McGrawTom and Laurie McGuaneTeresa and Robert Oden Jr.Erik and Jennifer OkenFranklin Schurz Jr.Warren SternRonald and Joan StuckeyTyler and Francis ThompsonAndrew and Elizabeth WardPatricia WatsonTom WeberRobert WilsonSteve Woit

Frankie Wolfson

Shortly after the end of the nine-teenth century, a seemingly obscureangler from rural west Michigan

was described as the “best-known fishingguide in the country.”1 The fisherman,Andrew J. Bradford, also known as A. J.Bradford, often referred to himself as“Brad” and in later years as “Old Brad.”He was from Baldwin, a small communi-ty, located astride the upper reaches ofthe Pere Marquette River and its variousbranches, a watershed recognized thenand now for its fine trout fishing.However, from a national perspectiveand in an apparent contradiction to theabove laudatory description, Old Bradwas a relatively anonymous fly fisher.Moreover, in the world of angling histo-ry, his name evokes no recognition today.This seeming paradox arises from themeans by which Old Brad rose to promi-nence. He was the nameless subject oftwo iconic and well-known Americanpiscatorial images.

A Sitting Angler: Old Brad Removing a

Fly from a Brook Trout

In early 1902, in what was a major adver-tising effort, the Pere Marquette Railroad(PMRR) printed many copies of a large-format photo of Old Brad sitting on a logbeside a stream and, in a unique promo-tional venture, distributed them to rail-road agents and interested sportsmenthroughout the country. The first pub-lished advertisement of the photographappeared in the February 1902 issue ofField & Stream, wherein the stream wasidentified as Michigan’s Pere MarquetteRiver. The magazine noted that a readercould “send 25 cents in stamps (to covercost of packing and postage) to H. F.Moeller, G.P.A., Pere Marquette RailroadCo., Detroit, Mich., and a copy will besent to any address.”2 The copy wasdescribed as a 16-by-20-inch platinumprint. It appeared that the railroad waseffectively giving away these delightful

photographs. The image was captivating:an elderly angler in repose, carefullyextracting a fly from the lip of a brooktrout—an act to which every sportsmanmight aspire. At the time, this com-pelling scene was perhaps the largest andmost popular angling photograph everto receive nationwide distribution.

One of Field & Stream’s most impor-tant magazine competitors, Forest andStream, apparently took note of thisevent. Just a few months later, it pub-lished a supplementary page with asmall er version of the very same photo-graph and inserted it unbound into aregular issue of the magazine.3 Bothmag a zines gave copy right credit to therailroad’s distributor of the image, H. F.Moeller, and identified the stream in the

photo as the Pere Marquette River butoffered no additional information re -garding the angler or the photographer.4The poster size of the photo graph as dis-tributed by the railroad allowed it to beprominently displayed on the walls ofmany train stations, cabins, and homes;as a consequence, the attractive printproved to be a sensational promotion.5To meet popular demand, the PMRRdistributed thousands of copies of thelarge-format photos in various ver-sions.6 In subsequent years, the compa-ny continued to use the image in its var-ious publications and ultimately identi-fied Old Brad as the fly fisherman.However, his name never ap peared inadvertisements or directly on the largephotographs. To most of the country, he

Old Brad: The Best-KnownFishing Guide in the Country

by Robert E. Kohrman

Photo of Old Brad taken from the February Field & Stream magazine.

was seen as an appealing, but unknown,angler.

A Standing Angler: Old Brad and Trout

Time in the Pere Marquette Country

Presumably based on the widespread cir-culation of the 1902 Old Brad photo, thePMRR launched a second marketingcampaign in 1904 based on another 16-by-20-inch photograph of Bradford.This promotion, using a different imageof Old Brad, appeared in a full-pageadvertisement for the railroad in the 7May 1904 issue of Forest and Stream andlater in similar ads in several 1906 issuesof the National Sportsman.7 Again,readers of these sporting periodicalswere encouraged to write for a wonder-ful angling print. This second large-for-mat picture shows a standing angler withhis fly wallet—once again a scene withwhich all fly fishermen might easilyidentify. The photo reveals an idyllicvista. Irises are blooming nearby, andOld Brad is standing in a stream, pre-sumably the Baldwin River, apparentlypondering which fly to use.8Unfortunately, all distributed prints por-tray Old Brad and surroundings in areversed image (at right).9 As in the 1902advertising effort, the name of the fisher-man was not mentioned by the railroad;and once again, this marketing campaignappeared to be very successful as severalversions of the new photograph receivedbroad dissemination. Fittingly, the 1906edition of the photo also included aprinted title, Trout Time in the PereMarquette Country.

Lack of Identification Continues

Following the initial distribution of thelarge-format photographs, there werenumerous uses of the same images inother publications that continued thevisual recognition of an unidentified OldBrad, even into the twenty-first century.In 1904, the American Fish Culturistpublished an image of a nameless OldBrad that was identical to the photo thatappeared earlier in Field & Stream, aswell as two other photos showing him asan unidentified fly fisher.10 Many yearslater, in a 1979 history of hunting in thestate, the Michigan United ConservationClubs published the image of Old Bradstanding in a stream and misidentifiedhim as William B. Mershon, the famousMichi gan conservationist.11 In 1987,Richard W. Oliver’s cataloged auction offishing tackle and related items describeda large print of Old Brad sitting as “anold fly fisherman at streamside gentlyremoving the fly from a little brook

trout.”12 An article in a 2000 issue of theAmerican Fly Fisher labeled the standingphoto of Old Brad as President GroverCleveland.13 In 2012, Lang’s TackleAuctions mistakenly described the sit-ting image of Old Brad as “William B.Mershon on the Pine River”—alsomisidentifying the stream in thephoto.14 As recently as 1987, a poster-sized photograph of Old Brad that todayhangs on the walls of the Chamber ofCommerce in Baldwin, Michigan—OldBrad’s hometown—was misidentifiedwhen the item was received as a gift.15 In1962, angling historian Harold Smedleynamed Old Brad as the subject in bothlarge-format photos, but he did notinclude any images of Old Brad in thearticle and also incorrectly identified therailroad that published the promotionalphotographs.16 Because of this, his con-clusions seemingly went unnoticed.Finally, in 2009, Baldwin’s own LakeCounty Historical Society properly rec-

ognized the anonymous angler standingin the Baldwin River as “AndrewBradford” and placed his image on thecover of their new pictorial publicationthat became part of the AcadiaPublishing Company’s series on Imagesof America.17

Given the lack of information associ-ated with the original large-format pho-tographs, it is difficult to fault any of thepublications for errors in identification.Indeed, how would one know that it wasOld Brad shown in the photographs? Inthe past century, there appears to havebeen little description of the angler whoat one time was supposedly the country’sbest-known fishing guide. It is a bit of amystery why the PMRR did not do moreto promote Old Brad’s identity becausehis image became an integral part of therailroad’s competitive efforts to attractsportsmen.

Michigan Railroads and the Fishing

Large-format, reversed-image photo of Old Brad standingin the Baldwin River. From the collection of Robert E. Kohrman.

Tourist

Throughout the latter part of the nine-teenth century, railroad networks inMichigan, as in much of the rest of thecountry, saw considerable growth stem-ming from enormous public land grantscoupled with later development of thetimber and mining industries. Duringthe late 1800s, the miles of track inMichigan doubled, redoubled, and kepton expanding. Encouraged by thegrowth of railroad transportation, thenorthern Lower Peninsula of the statebecame a prime tourist destination astravelers were attracted to the pure air,bucolic countryside, and splendidresorts found in Traverse City,Charlevoix, Petoskey, Harbor Springs,Mackinac Island, and many other loca-tions.

All Michigan railroad companies ag -gressively vied for the business of tour -ists, fishermen, and hunters with adver-tising brochures. Beginning in 1892, aprecursor to the PMRR, the Chicago &West Michigan Railway (C&WM),jumped into the advertising fray. Therailroad especially catered to travelersfrom Chicago who could board a train inearly morning and arrive in Petoskey byevening with stops in Grand Rapids andTraverse City along the way.

A tourist booklet published byC&WM in 1897 was particularly attrac-tive because it contained two differentfull-page photographs of a middle-agedand bewhiskered fly fisherman unhook-ing trout; in one photo he is standing,and in the other he is sitting.18 It wasthis latter photo that was made into thelarge-format print by the Pere MarquetteRailroad in 1902. An 1899 merger of sev-eral companies, including the C&WM,created the new PMRR. In 1902, thePMRR noted, “the fishing and huntingterritory tributary to the Pere MarquetteRailroad is the best in the state, and forsome kinds of sport there is no bettercountry anywhere than the lower penin-sula of Michigan.”19 This bit of pufferywas typical for such promotional litera-ture, and as Paul Schullery put it, “inprose at least as ecstatic and beckoning asthe ads for any modern fishing lodge inany modern fly-fishing magazine, therailroads promised us heaven.”20 In real-ity, at the turn of the century, the PereMarquette River was indeed a wonderfultrout stream.

After the formation of the PereMarquette Railroad, the new companyannually printed two brochures: Fishingand Hunting in Michigan and MichiganSummer Resorts, each with a differentemphasis, but both catering to the

Old Brad pictured on a Shakespeare advertising postcard—unidentified.Used with permission of Bonnye Woods, granddaughter of Old Brad.

Map of the Pere Marquette Railroad system taken from the inside cover ofFishing and Hunting in Michigan (Chicago: Poole Bros., ). As illustrated,the major south-north track for the PMRR extended from Chicago via Grand

Rapids to Traverse City and Petoskey. In parallel fashion, the highlighted blue linerepresents the main track of the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad (GR&IRR),which extended from Cincinnati via Fort Wayne to Grand Rapids and Petoskeyand ultimately to Mackinaw City. The GR&IRR was a fierce competitor forpotential tourists and was commonly referred to as “The Fishing Line.”

sportsman tourist. The publicationswere printed in ephemeral paperboundeditions, and few copies have survived tothe present day. These brochures becamethe means by which the PMRR finallyidentified Old Brad.21 The railroad firstincluded an unidentified photo of OldBrad sitting in its 1900 edition ofMichigan Summer Resorts; his identitywas then revealed in the 1901 edition ofthe same title, when a portion of thephoto of the angler was titled “Old Brad,A Famous Trout Fisher of Baldwin.”22Old Brad was now known by his nick-name, and his formal identity as A. J.Bradford was shortly thereafter revealed

by the railroad in its 1903 publication ofFishing and Hunting in Michigan.23 Thesecret was out to a limited national audi-ence; the anonymous angler in the sit-ting photo was A. J. Bradford or OldBrad!

The photographic image of Old Bradstanding in a stream first appeared in theForest and Stream advertisement and inthe 1904 edition of the PMRR’s Fishingand Hunting in Michigan.24 The PMRRused the picture many times in advertis-ing, but it never directly identified OldBrad as the standing angler in any annu-al publications. In like fashion, thesebooklets never identified the photogra-

pher who took the photos of Old Brad.

William F. Sesser: Angling Photographer

On some versions of the two large-for-mat angling photographs are found, invery small print, the words copyrightand W. F. Sesser, accompanied by differ-ent dates. These clues provide the link tothe photographer whose artistry yieldedthe iconic images of Old Brad. William F.Sesser, a studio photographer from St.Joseph, Michigan, followed a profession-al path that took him increasingly farafield. He was described in the 1880 vil-lage directory as having “a reputation for

The cover of the edition of Michigan SummerResorts, a booklet that included the same image as seenin the large-format photograph later advertised in Field& Stream. From the collection of Robert E. Kohrman.

This image appeared in the edition ofMichigan Summer Resorts and provided the firstpublished identification of Old Brad as the subjectin the earlier and larger photograph of the sittingangler. From the collection of Robert E. Kohrman.

producing fine work which few artists inthe state enjoy.”25 In addition to theusual studio work centered on people inthe community, he aspired to moreworldly opportunities and ultimatelydeveloped a national reputation for pho-tography associated with transportationand tourism. In 1886 and 1887, he wasone of the first photographers to publishcabinet card photographs of scenes fromMammoth Cave in Kentucky. In 1889, hetaught photography at the famedChautauqua program held at the BayView Assembly in Petoskey, Michigan.26In 1890, he visited Mexico City and laterpublished Vistas of the City of Mexico, atourist photo-booklet that partly in -spired his accomplishments in Hawaiiduring the 1890s.27

In early 1891, Sesser developed a planfor obtaining large-format photographsof Hawaiian scenery. He proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii and sent hisscheme to Lorin A. Thurston, a promi-nent citizen of Hawaii, who was veryactive in promoting the islands’ potentialannexation by the United States.Thurston, together with the VolcanoHouse Hotel and the Oahu Railway andLand Com pany, commissioned Sesser tocome to Hawaii. On the islands, Sessertook 150 photographs with an 8-by-10-

inch camera and about fifty photographswith a 14-by-17-inch view camera.28Sesser’s work in Hawaii resulted in threeview books and a series of twenty large14-by-17-inch photogravures that todayare quite rare and valuable. These printsconfirmed his ability as an outstandingcreator of large-format photographicimages.

Notably, upon his return to Michigan,he also self-published a rare bookletdescribing the Punahou School inHonolulu—an institution from whichformer President Obama graduated.29In 1893, Sesser, together with Thurston,used many of the Hawaiian photographsto create a large cyclorama for the 1893Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Later,Sesser accompanied this display to bothBoston and San Francisco and even trav-eled to Hawaii, Australia, and Londonattempting to further market the exhibit.By the end of the nineteenth century, hewas a global traveler as well as an accom-plished photographic artist.

Compared with his internationalexperiences, it might seem that takingpictures of Old Brad in rural Baldwin,Michigan, would be anticlimactic for thisworldly photographer. However, W. F.Sesser started taking pictures for theChicago & West Michigan Railway in

1892; and, after the later railroad merger,he became the official photographer forthe Pere Marquette Railroad. Indeed, by1901, the railroad outfitted a baggage carfor Sesser’s use that served as both a pho-tography studio as well as his office.30Thus, he appeared to enjoy enormousprofessional flexibility and was able tocoordinate his many railroad-relatedassignments with other initiatives. Heprovided photographs for the PMRRand its predecessor C&WM for almosttwenty years and captured many scenesof hotels, tourist vistas, steamships, andsporting excursions that filled the firm’sbrochures with attractive images to lurefuture travelers.31 The publications ofthe PMRR contained many angling pho-tos by Sesser, as did a circa 1900 viewbook for his hometown of St. Joseph.32Sesser’s photos may be generally charac-terized as pastoral views of the sport offishing—scenes of an angler rowing aboat, netting and releasing fish, or evenmore contemplative images of sports-men just waiting patiently for a bite orwatching ripples in a stream. Based onthe positive public reception to thesuperb photos showing Old Brad theangler, both sitting and standing, there islittle doubt that Sesser’s prior experiencewith large-format photography and

Photographer W. F. Sesser used burning magnesium as a source of illumination in hisearly cave photographs. Cabinet card is from the collection of Robert E. Kohrman.

artistic composition paid significant div-idends for the railroad.

A. J. Bradford: Early Life and Role in the

Civil War

How did Old Brad end up in front of W.F. Sesser’s camera? An examination ofthe early life of A. J. Bradford, his career,and his ultimate evolution as Old Bradthe angler is instructive.

Bradford was born on 18 September1842 in Oakland County, Michigan.When he was ten years old, his fathermoved the family first to Grand Rapidsand then later to Ravenna, a communitynear Muskegon, Michigan. At the age ofnineteen, young Bradford enlisted in theUnion Army and served for almost threeyears in Company F of the 2nd MichiganCavalry, led by Colonel Philip H.Sheridan.33 He was involved in manysignificant actions, including Perryville,the Battle of Nashville, and numerousother engagements—Chickamauga,Lookout Mountain, Resaca, New HopeChurch, and Kennesaw Mountain—allpart of General Sherman’s famousmarch on Atlanta. From his war experi-ences, Bradford developed an interest inwriting, an avocation that he pursued forthe rest of his life. In a local newspaper,he published a serialized, comprehensiveaccount of his war memories and alsowrote a two-part summary of the Battleof Nashville that was published in anational publication.34 He was active inveterans’ organizations and, in 1899,served as president of the 2nd MichiganCavalry veterans’ group.35

Hotel Manager and Early Life in

Baldwin

Immediately after the war, Bradfordreturned to Ravenna and, in 1866, mar-ried local resident Mary Eckles. Heapparently explored several careers forthe next few years and, in the late 1870s,briefly edited a newspaper, theMuskegon Times. In partnership withhis father-in-law, he managed theOccidental Hotel in Muskegon for morethan a decade before he and his wifeopened the Bradford Hotel in 1887.

After the death of his wife in 1889,Bradford moved to Baldwin, Michigan;and, shortly thereafter, his daughterAimee married and left for California. Inretrospect, it appears that angling filled avoid in his life and ultimately coupledwell with his experiences in writing andhotel management. He operated first theOccidental Hotel and then the ArlingtonHotel in Baldwin where his berries,steak, and fries became famous.36 In

In an undated photograph, Brad, as he called himself during his younger days, may beseen sitting in front of a Civil War–era tent. Oddly, the insignia on his sleeve appearsto be that of a sergeant although he was a corporal during the war. This photo may befrom a postwar reunion of his nd Michigan Cavalry unit, for which he borrowed the

jacket. Photo used with permission of Bonnye Woods.

Old Brad’s business card emphasizes the interconnection of trout fishing, berrypicking, and his hotel business. Image used with permission of Bonnye Woods.

1892, he was elected as justice of thepeace in Baldwin and, with the excep-tion of one year, served continuously inthat role until his death. For at least twoyears in the early 1890s, he worked onagricultural issues for the MichiganDepartment of State. He picked berriesin season and was a professional pho-tographer, United States pension attor-ney, and “conveyancer” or dealer in realestate. For a few years after 1901, he alsomanaged the new eighty-eight-roomMarlborough Hotel located just southof Baldwin and was the official photog-rapher for both the hotel and the newcement factory in Marlborough.37Bradford pursued several other endeav-ors to supplement his income. In 1906,his name was even used in numerousadvertisements for a possible treatmentfor hemorrhoids!38 He wrote for theLake County Star, the local newspaper,and in 1910 was elected village presi-dent of Baldwin. In the 1900 census, helisted his occupation as “deputy sheriff,”whereas his response to a similar ques-tion in the 1910 census was “carpenter,odd jobs.”39 Despite his many disparateprofessions, there is no doubt that hiswork was of high quality, and he was ahighly respected, prominent citizen ofBaldwin, Michigan.

After fourteen years of life as a wid-ower, Old Brad courted Clara Bonney ofThompsonville, Michigan, a former res-ident of Baldwin.40 The couple wasultimately married on 21 December1904. Shortly thereafter, Old Bradbought a lot on the main street ofBaldwin not far from the Baldwin River,where he built their new home. In 1907,at the age of sixty-five, Old Brad became

Letterhead from Old Brad’s business stationery illustrating many of his livelihoods. Note in the insert photo his right handis holding a berry pail while the other hand holds a frying pan for trout. Image used with permission of Bonnye Woods.

Old Brad shown wearing hisdeputy sheriff badge. Used withpermission of Bonnye Woods.

In this photograph of his new babyson George, Old Brad appears tohave the same hat and creel seenin the earlier large-format angling

photographs. Photo used withpermission of Bonnye Woods.

the father of a baby son, George.

A. J. Bradford:

The Fisherman

The hardscrabble life of Bradford ulti-mately led to his recognition as a well-known fisherman and guide. Soon aftermoving to Baldwin, he found himselfliving near the Pere Marquette River sys-tem, one of America’s premier troutstreams and a potential source of foodfor the table and income for him.Perhaps for these practical reasons, hebegan his angling career as a bait fisher-man. Indeed, in the Lake County Star, hewrote this account of his fishing rootsand introduction to fly fishing.

Was I ever a tenderfoot? Well yes Ishould say I was. When I first cameto Lake County I had fished forbass, pickerel, siscos and bullheadswith success, and as my head wassomewhat swelled I just knew that Icould gobble up the speckled troutas well as any of the old residenters.

I became the owner of a 14 oz.bait rod, a brass reel, a five-cent lineand a half dozen hooks, and Ithought I was as well fixed up withfishing tackle as most of the fisher-men residing in Baldwin.

Well, to begin with, I went toplunking, or using the barnyardhackle, and finally bought two fliesand a three-foot leader, and startedout to show the natives how easy itwas to catch trout. I progressedfinely, and in 1890, when FrankNixon, Dick Bloomrich and one ortwo others came up from GrandRapids the next year, I just toldthem that fly fishing was no good,and that they had better hire someof the boys to dig them someworms as plunking was the onlything that would win.

Nixon and Dick refused to takemy advice and caught 110 and 80the first day. The third day of theirstay Nixon took me in hand andmade me cast a leader of flies withthe 14 oz bait rod all day long. I wastired and Nixon jawed because Imade so much noise with my rod.However, I lived through it andbrought in 46 trout to Nixon’s 120.When Nixon went home he hadmoney of mine to buy me a wholefly fishing outfit, and I have beenpounding the streams ever since.41

Bradford evidently was successful inquickly adapting his skills to fly fishing,for in July 1890 he wrote, “The PereMarquette River is the finest trout andgrayling stream I ever chanced to meet.On times-out a little each day I havetaken 460 speckled trout and 10 grayling

7–15 inches and up to 24 ounces. OnMay 23, I took 83 trout on [a] fly in lessthan 4 hours, all nearly of a size, three onone case, two 10 inches and one 9 inchesweighing 3¼ pounds.”42 In 1893,Bradford was part of a group who caught165 speckled trout with flies on the LittleManistee River. The anglers also landedfifteen grayling, but these were caughtusing bait.43 It was later reported inForest and Stream that while using avariety of fly patterns, he caught sixtytrout on the Middle Branch of the PereMarquette River.44

By 1899, Bradford’s conversion to flyfishing appeared to be complete. He hadbecome an expert in the art, and anglingwas a very satisfying activity as well asmeans to provide for his livelihood.

Just imagine yourself on the PereMarquette River at the close of ahot summer’s day, the mosquitoeshave already begun their sweetmusic about your ears, the fishbegin to rise for their evening mealand you make a cast of flies uponthe clear waters with a careful cal-culation of luring one of those rain-bows from their hiding place. Youmake two or three casts, there is acommotion in the water, a rush forthe fly and with a simple turn of thewrist you have hooked a three-pound rainbow. Care fully, you han-dle your rod and line with the skillof an old angler; a step down thestream to ease the strain on yourline, a coaxing pull to keep yourprey from snags and roots, in fact afight for supremacy for ten minutesand then Mr. Rainbows rolls up onhis side and the victory is won. Butwhat are you going to do now? Youralready half-filled basket will nothold your latest catch, and you donot want to leave the river yet. Youlook around and finally string himon your basket strap and againbegin to cast your flies for his mate.The rainbow trout is game everytime, and if you do not believe mystory ask John Waddell, A. D.Porter, Frank Nixon of GrandRapids and any other old fishermanyou run across.45

This newspaper column was signed “OldBrad,” the first appearance of a namewith which he increasingly identified.

Old Brad: The Best-Known Fishing

Guide in the Country

Unfortunately, evidence of Old Brad’sexperiences with clients on the PereMarquette River and other streams isseverely limited by the absence of backfiles of the local newspaper, the Lake

County Star.46 No written records sur-vive that give names of individualswhom he guided or experiences theymight have enjoyed. No authors areknown to have written about his guidingservices. Prominent fly fishers such asJohn Waddell and Frank Nixon appear tohave fished with him as friends and notas clients. Nonetheless, his career lastedalmost twenty years until he died ofheart trouble on 8 June 1911. He wasserving as village president of Baldwin atthe time.

His obituary noted, “with his manyyears in hotels and as a fishing guide hemade hosts of friends and these re -sponded with a host of floral offeringsthat heaped the brier [sic] and fairlyfilled the home where he spent the lateryears of his life. Messages of condolencepoured in from all parts of the state . . . itwas he who furnished the subject for thefamous Pere Marquette angling pic-ture[s] of which more than 10,000 weresold. He was noted as a fly fisherman andguide and numbered among his friends,residents of nearly every state of theunion.”47

In retrospect, one can hypothesizehow Old Brad was selected by the PMRRas the object of a photographic promo-tional campaign. He was the mostprominent fishing guide in Baldwin andon the Pere Marquette River, a streamthat had a name in common with that ofthe railroad. His genial demeanor andvaried occupations brought him intouch with many people and made himquite popular with both local townspeo-ple and tourists alike. His avuncularappearance coupled with the classic,well-worn garb of fishing jacket, creel,fishing net, and hat covered with snelledflies obviously was one that photograph-er W. F. Sesser found attractive; it alsoprovided an irresistible icon to use asmarketing symbol. His overall counte-nance was one with which the commonman could easily identify. In a referenceto Old Brad’s photo, an unknown news-paper editor, under the headline “FishingStyles Don’t Change,” mentioned that,“Styles may come and go and women’shats may never be alike two seasons insuccession, but the style in trout fishingoutfits varies little through the years. Ifyou doubt it, look at this picture, one ofthe most famous old time fishing pho-tographs ever made.”48 Perhaps the ad -vertising people in the PMRR felt thatnaming him would detract from theirpromotional message that everyoneshould ride the Pere Marquette Railroad!

Ultimately, through his guiding andfishing experiences and despite the rail-road’s efforts to somewhat shield hisidentity, Old Brad’s name became more

widely known. In 1904, a ChicagoChronicle newspaper article publicallyrevealed him to a larger audience. Itdescribed him as “Michigan’s Grand OldMan of the Rod and Reel, and . . . one ofthe most noted fishermen in Michigan, ifnot the whole west . . . he is known farand wide because of the vast number ofhis pictures, which have been soldthroughout the United States. He is agenial and mellow character and takesmore pride in his piscatorial adventuresthan he does in anything else in thewhole world . . . he has a great fund ofanecdotes and is fond of telling stories offishing excursions.”49

Despite his lack of broad personalrecognition, the pictures of Old Bradpro vided a compelling and continuingappeal to sporting magazine publishersand readers who empathized with hisiconic images. Even after his death,Forest and Stream magazine used OldBrad’s picture—unidentified—on coversof March issues in both 1913 and 1914(at right).50 For those who did knowOld Brad, his kindly nature and love forangling were universal attributes thatwere captured in these photos. Was hethe best-known fishing guide in thecountry? Probably not, but his imagesprovided a visual appreciation of fly fish-ing and were exceptionally familiar tothe national angling public.

u

endnotes

1. Passenger Department, PereMarquette Railroad, Fishing andHunting in Michigan (Chicago: PooleBros., 1908), 21. This quotation contin-ued to appear in booklets of the sametitle for the next several years.

2. Field & Stream (February 1902,vol. 6, no. 12), 773. The text describinghow to order the print is found on page773, although the photo itself is shownon page 731.

3. Forest and Stream (10 May 1902,vol. 58, no. 19), [np], 101⁄2-by-15-inchsheet, with 8-by-10-inch image, laid in assupplement.

4. H. F. Moeller was the general pas-senger agent for the Pere MarquetteRailroad from 1899 to 1912.

5. Harold Smedley, “The MichiganBrook Trout,” Trout (July–August 1962,vol. 3, no. 4), 8–9.

6. At least four versions of this pho-tograph are known, and all are in anapproximately 16-by-20-inch format.One version of the photograph is foundwithin a printed matte border. Theprinting on the matte states on the peremarquette river with the phrase copy-righted 1902 by h. f. moeller. Another

edition of the photograph contains thewords copyright 1901 by w. f. sesser inthe lower left-hand corner identifyingthe photographer; the same large black-and-white photograph is also found withno printed lettering. Finally, several ver-sions of this black-and-white photoappear to have been color tinted.

7. Forest and Stream (7 May 1904,vol. 62, no. 19), 390. Interestingly, ascompared with the rest of the issue, ahigher-quality grade of paper was usedfor the single page on which the adappeared—most certainly to betterreproduce the large photograph. TheForest and Stream advertisement indi-cated that a 1904 brochure titled“Fishing and Hunting in Michigan” wasavailable by writing H. F. Moeller, G.P.A.of the Pere Marquette Railroad. Ads inthe National Sportsman magazine offer-ing large-format prints of Old Brad

standing in the stream later appeared inits June, July, August, and September1906 issues.

8. The background of the photoshows a long and straight alteration inthe hillside and suggests the roadbed oftoday’s M-37 adjacent to the BaldwinRiver, just south of the town of Baldwin.Harold Smedley stated that the site forthe photograph was adjacent to the road.See Smedley, “The Michigan BrookTrout,” 8. See also “Mrs. Clara BradfordIs Oldest Citizen Here,” Lake County Star(30 March 1967), 7.

9. Unlike the large-format prints, thepicture of Old Brad standing in the 1904Forest and Stream advertisement is cor-rectly oriented. All large-format prints ofOld Brad standing in the stream showhim using his left hand to select a fly andwith the buttons located on the wrongside of his vest—evidence that the nega-

In contrast to the large-format image, Forest and Stream printed OldBrad’s picture in the correct orientation on its magazine cover. He was

right-handed, and the vest buttons are shown on the right, or proper, side.

tive was reversed in the productionprocess.

10. “Benefits of the Propagationof Game Fish to the State of Michigan,”The American Fish Culturist (June 1904,vol. 1, no. 6), 4; other unnamed imagesof Old Brad are found on page 7 of thesame issue and in the American FishCulturist (August 1904, vol. 1, no. 8), 23.

11. Eugene T. Peterson, Hunter’sHeritage: A History of Hunting inMichigan (Lansing: Michigan UnitedConservation Clubs, 1979), 31.

12. Richard W. Oliver AuctionGallery, Third Annual Auction of FishingTackle and Related Items, July 2–3, 1987,lot no. 501.

13. Bill Mares, “Fishing andEscape,” The American Fly Fisher(Winter 2000, vol. 26, no. 1), 15.

14. Lang’s Auction Catalog,October 2012, part 1, lot no. 769.Printing on the real photo postcardwrongly stated that the stream in thephoto was the Pine River and appears tobe partially responsible for Lang’s incor-rect description.

15. Lake County Star (16 June1987), 1.

16. Smedley, “The MichiganBrook Trout,” 8.

17. Bruce T. Micinski et al., eds.,Lake County [Michigan] HistoricalSociety, Lake County: 1871–1960,Images of America (Charles ton, S.C.:Arcadia Publishing Co., 2009).

18. Passenger Department,Chicago & West Michigan Railway andthe Detroit, Grand Rapids & WesternRailroad, Summer Tours 1897 (GrandRapids, Mich.: Dean PublishingCompany, 1897), 64. This rare (only twocopies found on WorldCat) brochurecontains the first two photos of OldBrad—unidentified—to appear in anyrailroad publication. One photo of himstanding is found on page 2; one of himsitting appears on page 57. In eachimage, he is removing a fly from a brooktrout.

19. Passenger Department, PereMarquette Railroad, Fishing andHunting in Michigan (Detroit: TheRichmond & Backus Co., 1902), 2.

20. Paul Schullery, If Fish CouldScream (Mechanicsburg, Pa.: StackpoleBooks, 2008), 22.

21. WorldCat locates only onecopy each of the 1900 and the 1901 edi-tions of Michigan Summer Resorts, bothbooklets containing the same photo ofOld Brad sitting on a log. WorldCat alsoshows only one copy of the 1904 editionof Fishing and Hunting in Michigan,which introduces the nameless photo ofOld Brad standing in a stream. Althoughthe publication date of the booklet is notknown, the railroad likely published thebooklet before the season, or at least ear-lier in the season than 7 May 1904, whenit appeared in an advertisement in Forestand Stream (see reference 7).

22. Pere Marquette Railroad,Michigan Summer Resorts, Season of1901 (Detroit: Richmond & Backus Co.,1901), 45.

23. Passenger Department, PereMarquette Railroad, Fishing andHunting in Michigan, Season of 1903(Detroit: Pere Marquette Railroad,1903), 21.

24. Passenger Department, PereMarquette Railroad, Fishing andHunting in Michigan, Season of 1904(Chicago: R. L. Polk Printing Co., 1904),7.

25. The Daily News St. JosephDirectory for 1880 (St. Joseph, Mich.:Dudley, Jennings & Skinner, 1880), 77.

26. Frances J. Baker, “Bay ViewAssembly,” Michigan School Moderator(5 September 1889, vol. 10, no. 1), 12.

27. The St. Joseph SaturdayHerald (24 January 1891), 5; [W. F.Sesser], Vistas of the City of Mexico,Illustrated by Photo-Gravures from theOriginal Photographs (St. Joseph, Mich.:A. B. Morse Printer, 1891).

28. “Advertising the Islands,”Hawaiian Gazette (10 November 1891),6.

29. [W. F. Sesser], A Souvenir ofPunahou (Oahu College) Honolulu, H.I.(St. Joseph, Mich.: W. F. Sesser, 1892);Honolulu Daily Bulletin (14 January1892), 3.

30. The News-Palladium [BentonHarbor, Mich.] (18 July 1901), 5.

31. In addition to providingimages for the annual brochures, Sesserproduced photos for several other rail-road-related view books and at least oneportfolio of prints.

32. Burkhard Bros., CameraStories In and About St. Joseph,Michigan (St. Joseph, Mich.: A. B. MorseCo., 1900).

33. According to his obituarypublished in the local newspaper, whenA. J. Bradford presented himself inGrand Rapids for enlistment in theUnion army, he was so short that therecruiting officer asked him to stand ona sheet of paper so as to raise him to therequired height. See “A. J. BradfordPasses Away,” Lake County Star (8 June1911), 1.

34. Bradford authored in serialform “My Story of the War” in the LakeCounty Star in the early 1890s.Regrettably, back files of this newspaperhave not survived for this period, and hisaccount is lost to history. His memoriesof the Battle of Nashville were initiallypublished in the National Tribune (9April 1896, vol. 15, no. 26), 1, and con-cluded in the next issue.

35. “A Very Happy Reunion,”Jackson Daily Citizen (10 December1899), 6.

36. “A. J. Bradford Passes Away,”Lake County Star, 1.

37. Marlborough is now a ghosttown located just south of Baldwin.

During the period of 1901–1907, thetown was the location for manufacturingcement derived from the marl found innearby lakes. At its inception, the factorywas proposed to produce 12,000 barrelsof cement daily. Ultimately, inadequatefinancing and planning forced closure ofthe facility. See “Building a Big Plantalong the Marl Lakes,” Grand RapidsPress (15 June 1901), 5.

38. “Just as Young as He Used toBe,” Grand Rapids Press (1 February1906), 7; the same advertisementappeared in Grand Rapids Press issues of2 April and 30 June 1906. The full-pageadvertisement is titled “Piles-FistulaeCured” by Willard M. Burleson, M.D.,and includes many individual support-ing letters. Included is a 10 December1903 testimonial letter from Bradford toDr. Burleson and given the advertisingtitle “Just as Young as He Used to Be,” inwhich Andrew J. Bradford describes, infulsome detail, the benefits of Burleson’streatment. It is not clear that the authorsof the letters were paid for their corre-spondence, but the similar language thatappears in all of them is suggestive thatthere was at least some degree of quidpro quo and much editing by the gooddoctor.

39. 1900 U.S. Census, LakeCounty, Michigan, Population Schedule,ED 15, Sheet 1, Line 80; 1910 U.S.Census, Lake County, Michigan,Population Schedule, ED 13, Sheet 5,Line 67.

40. Old Brad’s second wife, Clara,referred to herself as “Mrs. Brad” andcontinued to live in the home that hebuilt for more than fifty years after hisdeath. See “Mrs. Clara Bradford Is OldestCitizen Here,” Lake County Star (30March 1967), 7.

41. Old Brad [A. J. Bradford],Lake County Star (12 May 1899). Thisreference is to an unpaginated newspa-per clipping found in a scrapbookowned by A. J. Bradford’s granddaugh-ter, Bonnye Woods. Frank Nixon was anangler, as well as a machinist whoworked at a brush factory in GrandRapids. While he apparently was anexpert fly fisherman on the PereMarquette River, he is recognized todayfor inventing an underwater casting andtrolling bait named “The Aristocrat”used for bass fishing. This bait wasdescribed as made of “Persian ivory” orcelluloid and is a highly sought-afterfishing-lure collectible. See Carl F.

Time to Dreamby George Jacobi

I wish I could fish the Neversink in ,Use silken line and catgut, Royal Coachman and Blue Dun.With cane and tweed and pipe smoke beneath a tall elm tree,We’d talk of quills and wood-duck wings, Theodore Gordon and me.

I wish I could fish the Batten Kill in ,learn from Wesley Jordan the craft of split bamboo.I’d argue with Jack Atherton about abstract art and such.And those brookies in the Gunsmith Pool? We’d never get a touch.

I wish I could fish Spring Creek just once in May of ’Down in that misty valley where it flows melodiously.The sky is all green drakes tonight, as Brown and I go backTo a time before the poison. Yeah, I wish we had the knack.

I wish I could fish the Hous again about With Pete and Jay and all those boysWhen they were all alive.Those golden April afternoons pass by in memory.We didn’t know back then It was as good as it would be.

I get to play the Old Man now, pretend to know it all.I’ve seen the glory of the spring, Watched the last leaf fall.An old man has to pick and choose his times to go astream.It was always time for fishing.Now it’s time to dream.

I wish I could fish in Lobsterville just one more night in June,Where skunks patrol and stripers roll under the Vineyard moon,Or Firehole, or Grand Lake Stream, down in the Evening Pool.Do landlocked salmon jump for joyOr is life just cruel?

Illustration

from P. Fish

er, The A

ngler’s Souvenir(Lon

don: C

harles T

ilt, ), .

George Jacobi is a fly fisher, artist, writer,and musician living in Connecticut.

A W fish-ing as the contemplative person’srecreation and fly fishing is known

as the quiet sport, it is not without con-troversy. Fly-fishing controversies areminor compared with those in the largerworld, but some have treated them withsimilar seriousness. Perhaps the bestknown fly-fishing conflict was the onebetween Frederick Halford, GeorgeMarryat, and their dry-fly adherents andG. E. M. Skues, who advocated the useof the upstream nymph. Another well-known conflict is between those whoendorse the importance of imitativeflies and those who emphasize the pre-sentation of an artificial fly.

The focus of this article is on the con-troversy around the development of theLetort Hopper or, perhaps, the LetortHoppers. The Letort Hopper most famil-iar to fly fishers is the one associated withEd Shenk. Shenk’s Letort Hopper has aspun deer-hair head, dubbed yellow

body, and a flat wing made from turkeywing feathers. It may be best knownbecause although Shenk’s career waswith the Geological Survey, he has beena commercial fly tier, and his LetortHopper is and has been sold throughmany fly-fishing catalogs. He also hasbeen a guide and author who is mostassociated with Letort Spring Creek, astream he has fished since childhood.

The other Letort Hopper was designedby the late Ernest Schwiebert, the prolificfly-fishing author and lecturer. Schwie -bert’s Letort Hopper also has a clippeddeer-hair head and a yellow body, butinstead of a flat wing, it has two slips ofturkey feather, each one on opposite sidesof the fly.

The obvious question is: “Who in -vented the Letort Hopper?” Within thecontroversy are questions that are easy toask but difficult to answer. What impor-tance does the name of a pattern have inmaking it the original? For example, the

Purple Haze comes in a range of stylesthat include parachute, comparadun,and spider. Are all these flies the PurpleHaze? How different do a pattern’s mate-rials need to be from an existing fly tomake it a new one? Traditional Catskilldry flies generally are made with similarmaterials—for example, rolled woodduck wings, cock hackles, and a furbody—but slight variations in the colorof the materials make them different flieswith different originators. A salientexample is the Light Hendrick son, creat-ed by Roy Steenrod and named for hisfriend, A. E. Hendrickson, which sharesthe same structure as the Dark Cahill,Light Cahill, and others, but varies onlyin body fur and hackle color. To whatdegree does a fly with the same materialsfastened in a different fashion make it adifferent one? And who is the originatorof a fly if two very similar or same fliesare designed contemporaneously by twocreators?

The Letort Hoppersby John J. Capowski

A Schwiebert-style Letort Hopper tied by the author.

A Shenk Letort Hopper tied by Ed Shenk.

John J. Capowski

John J. Capowski

Because there are two Letort Hoppers,there are two histories. Shenk’s history isstraightforward. In Ed Shenk’s Fly RodTrouting, he sets out the structure anddevelopment of his Letort Hopper andbriefly describes Schwiebert’s hopper andits genesis. After mentioning that“[g]rasshoppers are a must in any terres-trial fisherman’s fly box,” he tells us thathe favors “the flat-winged Shenk Hop per,which I also call the Letort Hopper,” andgoes on to say:

Coincidentally, Ernie Schwiebert con-trived a terrific hopper pattern alsocalled the Letort Hopper. Ernie’s patternstarted with a yellow-nylon-yarn body,matched but divided mottled turkey-quill wings (like the Joe’s Hopper), and aclipped deer-hair head with tips extend-ing to the rear. My pattern started with apale yellow dubbed spun-fur-body, anda mottled turkey wing with the featherfolded, tied flat, and trimmed in a broad“V.” The head is naturally tan deer hair,tied and clipped the same way as inErnie’s pattern. So, while I was tying andfishing my Shenk Hopper on the upperLetort and showing it to very few otherfisherman, Ernie made a few visits toCharlie Fox’s meadow and showed theSchwiebert Hopper to Ross Trimmerand Charlie. They promptly named hishopper the Letort Hopper.

Shenk then tells us that the developmentand naming of the hoppers “was a seriesof coincidences, and neither of us knewthat our similar patterns had identicalnames.” To differentiate the two LetortHoppers, Shenk added his name to hishopper and occasionally adds thedescriptive phrase “flat-winged.”

During an oral history interview, Shenkexplains that he tied and used size Muddler Minnows as hopper imitationsand derived his Letort Hopper from thoseMuddlers. He suggests that Schweibert’shopper, with its paired and upright wings,is more like the Joe’s Hopper.

In Terrestrial Fishing, Ed Koch sets outthe evolution of hopper patterns on theLetort and writes that to charm the hop-per-feeding Letort browns, Charlie Fox,Vince Marinaro, Ross Trimmer, NormLightner, Ed Shenk, and others “concoct-ed hopper imitations, the likes of whichI had never even dreamed about.” Kochrecalled sitting with Charlie Fox, whohad laid out on a bench a significantnumber of hoppers, while Fox describedthe various hoppers, who had tied them,and in some cases mentioned letters thataccompanied some and extolled theirvirtues. Fox’s favorite had been fromthe Phillips Fly Company in Alexandria,Pennsylvania. This hopper pattern pre-dated the efforts to make more effectivepatterns specifically for the Letort andhad a body of “yellow deer hair clippedtop, bottom, and sides, and a turkey-feather and deer hair wing.” With somevariations, these are components of bothShenk’s and Schwiebert’s Letort Hoppers.

Koch, after mentioning the develop-ment and fishing of Marinaro’s PontoonHopper, talks about watching ErnieSchwiebert, with extraordinary skill, landa series of hopper-feeding Letort brownswith his own hopper pattern. Kochdescribes the fly (the description closelymatches Schwiebert’s Letort Hopper)and then mentions “that everyone startedtying Ernie’s imitation.”

He follows this story by describing aSaturday morning when he and Shenkwere fishing the Letort with hopper pat-terns and Shenk outfished him five or sixfish to one. They compared flies, andShenk was fishing his flat-wing LetortHopper (which Shenk explained pre-sented a more specific silhouette), whileKoch fished a variation of Schwiebert’spattern. Fishing one of Shenk’s LetortHoppers, “[t]he last half of the morningwas the exact opposite of what had hap-pened to me in the previous two hours.Shenk’s Hopper really worked.”

In his article “Grasshopper Country,”Paul Schullery provides a general historyof the development of hopper patternsand briefly discusses both Schwiebert’sand Shenk’s hoppers. Schullery, afterdescribing Schwiebert’s Letort Hopper,says that “in the matter of influence,Ernie must share the credit with veteranlimestoner Ed Shenk, who, recognizingthe conflict and confusion to be caused bythere being two competing Letort Hop -pers, chose to name his the Shenk LetortHopper, even though it originated atroughly the same time as the Schwiebertversion.” Schullery prefaces his discus-sion of the Letort Hoppers by writing thatwhile recognizing “there was some con-fusion over the pattern and its origin for[a]while, the parties seem to have settledthe question amicably and with clarity.”

In Schwiebert’s letter to me,because of his tone and vociferousdefense of his position as the creator ofthe Letort Hopper, I doubt that ever wasso. In that letter, he wrote, “I simply can-not share credit for the Letort Hopper,since its conception and development

“Autumn Stillness at Bonny Brook,” photographed byJames Steinmetz, circa . Courtesy of Cumberland CountyHistorical Society, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Photo #PC-..

were entirely mine.” In this letter,Schwiebert references his writings andthose of others that establish the develop-ment of his Letort Hopper back to .

For example, in Schwiebert’s article,“Legend and the Letort,” he includes boththe recipe for dressing his Letort Hopperand a photograph of the fly.

Schwiebert’s references to his LetortHopper establish that he tied them asearly as , but the various referencesto his hopper do not preclude the possi-bility that another was developing a sim-ilar fly with the same name and on thesame stream. And some of Schwiebert’sreferences may be read to imply eitherthat there were two Letort Hoppers orthat Schwiebert was the creator of the fly.For example, Charlie Fox, in ThisWonderful World of Trout, refers toSchwiebert’s hopper as “the SchwiebertLetort Hopper” and later writes that“Ernie switched to his Letort Hopper.”

There is no controversy that Schwiebertdeveloped a Letort Hopper with wingsthat flared out from the body and Shenkdeveloped a Letort Hopper with a flatwing. Whether Schwiebert or Shenk canbe credited with being the originator ofthe first Letort Hopper seems unre-solved, and the question is clouded bythe questions posed earlier in the article.What does it mean to create a pattern,and how important is a fly’s name inestablishing its separate identity? Thesequestions defy clear resolution, and somay the answer to who invented theLetort Hopper.

�

. Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler; or,the Contemplative Man’s Recreation (Nor -walk, Conn.: Easton Press, , collector’sedition).

. See, for example, Richard Landerman,The Fly Rod Chronicles: A Collection of Essayson the Quiet Sport of Fly Fishing (Gilbert,Ariz.: Sortis Publishing, ).

. Gordon M. Wickstrom, The History ofFishing for Trout with Artificial Flies in Britainand America: A Chronology of Five HundredYears, to (Boulder, Colo.: MillennialEdition, D & K Printing, ). See also F. M.Halford, Dry-Fly Fishing in Theory andPractice (Reading, England: Barry Shurlock &Co., , reprinted from the first edi-tion, Field and Stream Club Edition).

. G. E. M. Skues, Minor Tactics of theChalk Stream (London: A. and C. Black, ).

. See, for example, Ernest Schwiebert,Nymphs: A Complete Guide to Naturals andImitations (New York: Winchester Press, ).

. See Art Lee, Fishing Dry Flies for Trouton Rivers and Streams, nd ed. (Champaign,Ill.: Human Kinetics, ), : “Thus it’s

safe to say that a fly or a promise is seldom theroot of its own rejection, but that rejection ofthe fly or promise instead represents a prod-uct of the flaws to be found in the mechanicsof its delivery.”

. Ed Shenk, Ed Shenk’s Fly Rod Trouting(Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, ), .

. Ibid.. Ed Koch, Terrestrial Fishing (Harris -

burg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, ), .. See, for example, Leonard’s Spring

Catalog, , and The Angler’s Cataloguefrom Angler’s Mail, .

. Shenk, Ed Shenk’s Fly Rod Trouting, .. Gardner Grant, “Ernest G. Schwiebert,

–,” The American Fly Fisher (Spring, vol. , no. ), .

. See Ernest Schwiebert, Trout, nd ed.(New York: Truman Talley Books, ),–. See also the drawings of miscella-neous dry flies on facing page .

. See Austin McK. Francis, Land of LittleRivers: A Story in Photos of Catskill Fly Fishing(New York: The Beaverkill Press, ), –.

. See, for example, Mike Valla, TyingCatskill Dry Flies (New Cumberland, Pa.:Headwater Books, ), , , , and . Now,when flies are so often named after their cre-ators, trademarked, and frequently changed onlyslightly from a preexisting pattern, one is buoyedby Steenrod’s gesture and its symbolic humility.

. Shenk, Ed Shenk’s Fly Rod Trouting,–. Because I know Ed Shenk and knewErnest Schwiebert well, I was tempted to usetheir first names in this article. Ed and I bothlive in the Cumberland Valley, and I have methim at various fly-fishing events in the area.As a founding director of the PennsylvaniaFly Fishing Museum Association, I invitedErnie to become an honorary board memberand hosted him when he attended our annu-al banquet, which he regularly did.

. Ibid., .. Ibid., –. The fly that became

known as the Joe’s Hopper was designed by Art

Winnie in the s and named the MichiganHopper. See Paul Schullery, “GrasshopperCountry,” The American Fly Fisher (Summer, vol. , no. ), . Schullery provides a his-tory of the development of various hopper pat-terns and includes a discussion of bothSchwiebert’s and Shenk’s Letort Hoppers.

. Shenk, Ed Shenk’s Fly Rod Trouting,.

. Ibid., , .. Ibid., .. Ed Jarorowski and Charles Knight, Ed

Shenk interview, March . An oral histo-ry by the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing MuseumAssociation. CD on file with the author.

. Shenk, Ed Shenk’s Fly Rod Trouting,.

. Ed Koch, Terrestrial Fishing: The His toryand Development of the Jassid, Beetle, Cricket,Hopper, Ant and Inchworm on Pennsylvania’sLegendary Letort (Harrisburg, Pa.: StackpoleBooks, ), –.

. Ibid., .. Ibid., –. . Ibid., –.. Ibid., .. Ibid., . . Ibid. . Schullery, “Grasshopper Country,” . . Ibid.. Ibid. . Letter from Ernest Schwiebert to

author, October . Archive, the AmericanMuseum of Fly Fishing.

. Ibid. . Ernest G. Schwiebert, “Legend and the

Letort,” Esquire (May ), . In his letter tome (note ), Schwiebert states that the firstpublished reference to the Letort Hopper wasin his article in True’s Fishing Yearbook,“One Step Ahead of the Trout.”

. Charles K. Fox, This Wonderful Worldof Trout, rev. ed., (Rockville Centre, N.Y.:Freshet Press, ), .

. Ibid., .

From H. T. Fernald, Applied Entomology: An IntroductoryText-book of Insects in Their Relations to Man(New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, ), .

S , I was showing a fly-fishing friend pic-tures of my first Atlantic salmon trip. He stopped dead atone and said, “My god, Bob, is that a Bogdan reel? And

that rod is bamboo. Who made it?”“It’s a Payne rod,” I replied. “My friend, Rob, likes to fish a

bamboo rod for Atlantic salmon. And that is a Bogdan salmonreel on it. What better way to complete the outfit?” I thenshowed him a picture of one of the Atlantic salmon Rob hadcaught using that rig. “He believes that they were made to beused.”

Rob is not a total classicist. He does use graphite rods andnewer reels. But he loves to trot his old rods out and exercisethem. This year he brought a Winston bamboo rod along withthe two graphites to New Brunswick’s Atlantic salmonwaters—and the Bogdan. The Winston is feet long and castsan -weight line. The Bogdan is, of course, a Bogdan salmonreel. Enough said.

We’d spent eight days salmon fishing on the NorthwestMiramichi: four days of heat and low water, then a soakingovernight rain that gave the river a -inch bump and three daysof good fishing conditions in seven of “our” pools. That dayRob trotted out his bamboo rod and rigged it with the Bogdan.They made a beautiful pair, and with Rob, a handsome trio.

Very sensibly—for he is not too casual with bamboo—whenRob has to walk through the woods any distance to get to hisassigned pools, he fishes graphite. But the nearby pools are forbamboo. Corner Pool is a bamboo pool just a hundred yardsfrom Adams Camp—a beautiful spot. Even more beautiful toRob’s eyes were the four salmon that he and his guide, Steven,saw while getting in position.

Bright day, bright fly. Rob put on an Ally’s Shrimp, one thathe had tied himself one very hot afternoon in Dam Campwhile we were waiting for conditions to improve. Five feet ofline, cast and drift. Another foot, cast and drift. Again, andagain. Eventually Rob was casting feet of line, and hisWinston was handling the line easily. Forty-five, fifty, andwham! Fish on! A running, jumping, strong Atlantic salmon,one that this trio had been forged to fight: Rob by knowledgeand experience, the Winston and Bogdan by skill and crafts-manship. Oh, and let’s not forget Rob’s Ally’s Shrimp. They allhad quite a time.

Bamboo and Bogdanby Robert Sohrweide

Photos by Robert Sohrweide

Rob, with his Winston bamboo rod and Bogdan reel, tying on an Ally’s Shrimp.

No one likes to muscle an Atlantic salmon to the net. It’s abeginner’s mistake and one that would be especially risky to thebamboo Winston. It takes time and space to land a salmon withbamboo. Rob let it run and watched as the salmon took line.

“Lots of room, Rob. No rocks to worry about. Play him! Tirehim out!” Steven had the net ready, but was in no hurry to use it.He was enjoying the show. Even very experienced guides do notsee this often: a fine fisherman, an Atlantic salmon, a bamboo flyrod, and a Bogdan reel all doing what they were made to do.

Rob managed to get some line in, then watched as thesalmon took it back with a fast run. Rob bowed to the salmonas it left the water and shaking, danced on its tail. Then anoth-er run. More line in on the Bogdan. Another leap, bow, andrun. Line out.

This salmon was silver and strong, fresh from the sea. It hadcome into the river with the -inch rise and had ridden the riseto us. And Rob had a shrimp tied and ready, just for him.Another jump. More line out.

Now the line came in a few feet. The Bogdan was workingon the tired fish, and more feet came on the reel. Another run,but not as strong. More feet in.

“Get ready, Steven. He’s coming in.”Steven was balanced, one foot on a rock, another in inches

of water. The large net had a -foot handle. He was ready. Robbrought the salmon close. It sensed Steven, and feet of lineran off the Bogdan. Rob let it go a bit and then tried again. Thistime in the net! And then carefully out, as it was released backinto the river. Strong and bright, a -pound fish, it swam away.

�

Robert Sohrweide is a retired instructor of Greek and Latin at theHotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. He now lives in Lyme,New Hampshire, just a day’s drive from New Brunswick Atlanticsalmon waters.

Rob fishing the Corner Pool at Adams Camp.

The Northwest Miramichi is grandAtlantic salmon water.

Rob at makeshift bench using naturallight to tie the Ally’s Shrimp.

The author’s guide, Danny, looking over apool at Dam Camp.

I of Lefty’s Maryland home lies more fish-ing gear than most fly shops keep in stock. It’s a treasure offly-fishing paraphernalia: cases of materials, hooks, flies,

rods, reels, vises, and tools. Amidst all the travels, speakingengagements, classes, and film shoots, Lefty returned here, tothis basement, to relax and tie flies. It was from this collectionof materials and gear that Lefty’s Deceiver was conceived, aswell as countless other contributions to our sport.

His tying desk is a simple thing. It’s not made of mahoganyor drilled with specific holes for specific tools. At a glance, itseems more suitable for a classroom or an interrogation room.A closer look reveals its nuances. Two architect lamps aremounted on the far corners. You can picture him swinging onecloser to better light a stack of bucktail or a tricky wrap of flash.The legroom is minimal, blocked by the sheet of metal thatcovers the desk’s front side. It’s made for the tier to lean for-ward, not sit back.

On the right side there are two drawers, the deeper oneoriginally designed for manila files, but you can picture Lefty’sfilled with fur and feathers. The top drawer is made for pens,staples, and paperclips. Instead, it was filled with bobbins,thread, scraps of colored feathers, and half-empty tubes ofhead cement. At the front is a PVC pipe, cut in half and securedto the desk to collect the scraps brushed into it. Lefty was nostranger to repurposing items, to creating and customizing.

A look up from the desk would show walls filled with gear.Rod cases hang from the ceiling and line the walls like sta-lactites. There are towers of materials, each labeled carefully:calf tails, squirrel, peacock herl, wig hair, Zonker strips. Thereis a bag of flashy tape rolls from a party store hanging off thestack of materials. You can picture Lefty freestyling on a fly,reading and rereading the labels on materials until oneinspires him to lash it onto whatever creation he has going onat the moment. The setup facilitates innovation.

Another wall has completed flies in labeled drawers. Thetop three are labeled “Deceivers.” They’re still there. Lefty wastying at a rate faster than anyone could lose flies.

Inside Lefty’s Tying Roomby Alex Ford

On March , the angling community lost one of its great-est influencers. Bernard “Lefty” Kreh was born February in Frederick, Maryland, and by he had taken the fishingworld by storm. The contributions he made to the sport areunmatched and will never be forgotten. At the American Museum of Fly Fishing, we love everything

associated with fly-fishing history—especially the stories. Leftywas a storyteller in his own right. Back in , when the muse-um filmed interviews with some fly-fishing legends, Lefty told us,“The thing I get the most fun out of is to put someone on thefront end of a boat, help them with their casting, teach them toretrieve, stand up there beside them, and have them catch theirfirst fish . . . it’s almost like me catching my first one all overagain.”As we remember Lefty, I invite you to take a look at his per-

sonal space—a place where Lefty worked, relaxed, and reflected.—Sarah Foster

Executive Director

Bernard “Lefty” Kreh ( February –March )seated at his tying desk. Visible by his right forearm isthe halved PVC pipe he attached to the desk to collecttying scraps. Photo from the Lefty Kreh collection.

Sara Wilcox

Lefty was not afraid to get his hands dirty, and his tyingroom often turned into a chop shop. With the help of hisfirst mentor, fly-fishing legend Joe Brooks, Lefty’s first flyreel was a Pflueger Medalist. Unimpressed by its drag, hecut a thumb-sized hole in the side of it to put additionalpressure on the line. This constant tinkering with fly

equipment later became evident in the collection of Tiborreels he designed with Flip Pallot and Ted Juracsik.

Sarah Foster

Mark Lamos

Mark Lamos

Mark Lamos

Lefty’s specialty vise is, quite literally, a visegrip mounted on a solid base. Lefty’s frustrationwith earlier vises made for size trout fliesmust have been exhausting. Tiny clamps weresimply not an option for a hefty / hook hewas turning into tarpon food. His solution was

elegant but simple.

There is a noticeable mass of conventional gear as well.Offshore rods sit next to bass spinners, rubber-banded togeth-er in two pieces. The reel wall is mostly fly reels, but there are afew dozen conventional reels too, all rigged up and ready to go.You get the sense that he never had to bother switching spools.

There is no shortage of anything here. It is a fly fisher’s par-adise—a perfectly feathered nest of fly-fishing design anddevelopment and virtual documentary of the progression ofgear during fly fishing’s golden years.

Lefty’s constant improvement, instruction, and ambas-sadorship to the sport of fly fishing is clearly woven throughthe walls of this room and stand as a symbol of the all-encom-passing effect he had on the angling community as a whole.

We were proud to accept a variety of items from Lefty’s tyingroom as a donation to the American Museum of Fly Fishing’spermanent collection. They provide a unique look into his per-sonal space, where many of fly fishing’s innovations andadvances were made. Whether he knew it or not at the time, thework done in his tying room would influence generations of flyfishers. Lefty’s tying desk—along with photographs, equipment,and other paraphernalia—will be on display at the museum in, allowing members and visitors to get a little bit closer tothe mind of the man who changed fly-fishing history forever.

—A FD M C

A trio of images providing apeek into Lefty’s inner sanctum,including his rods, reels, gear,

and tying supplies.

O A , AMFF celebrated its eleventh annual Fly-FishingFestival. Despite the clouds and a smattering of rain, morethan visitors stopped by to enjoy the wares and expertise

on offer from a host of talented vendors and take a look at the muse-um, including the newly opened saltwater exhibit. Angling enthusiastswere treated to casting clinics under the adept tutelage of AMFFAmbassadors Rachel Finn and Drew Chicone. Orvis was on hand tooversee the casting competition, which is always a festival favorite.The contest was very close, with a tie for second and third place. Thisyear AMFF Trustee Jamie Woods put together a booth about the livesof John and Maxine Atherton, featuring a wonderful collection ofphotographs and flies.

We welcomed Why Knot Fishing to the festival this year, who raf-fled off items including a Yeti cooler, a Traeger grill, and Costa sun-glasses, all donated for this event. We were grateful for additional auc-tion items, such as the Lefty’s Deceiver belt buckle from Taf SchaeferDesigns and a box of beautiful Mud Dog saltwater flies from AMFFAmbassador Mike Rice. The raffle, which included participation viaFacebook Live, was a great hit.

A special thanks to our sponsors and additional donors for makingthis festival a success: the Aspen, Buff, Express Copy, Finn and Stone,Grateful Dog, the Image Loft, Johnson Outdoors, the McBrideCompany, Mulligans of Manchester, Northshire Bookstore, the OrvisCompany, Pets Etc., rk Miles, Vermont Kitchen Supply, Wild RiverPress, and the Works Bakery Café. We are also grateful to all of thevendors who participated in this wonderful summer event, and welook forward to seeing everyone next year on August !

�

Fly-Fishing Festival

Alex Ford

Brook trout keep an eye on festival visitorsfrom the U.S. Forest Service table.

AMFF Ambassador Rachel Finn teachesa young visitor how to cast a fly rod.

Author Mike Valla (left) signs abook for artist George Van Hook.

Sara Wilcox

Sara Wilcox

Learning how to tie a clown fly.

Sara Wilcox

Attendees survey what festival vendors have to offer.

Alex Ford

AMFF Ambassador Drew Chicone discussessaltwater fly fishing dos and don’ts.

Sara Wilcox

Trustee Jamie Woods shares stories of John andMaxine Atherton with visitors to his table.

Sara Wilcox

A participant in the Orvis casting competition tests her skill.

Sara Wilcox

AMFF Ambassador Mike Rice (left) selects theraffle winner of his donated saltwater flies whileBeau Thebault of Why Knot Fishing looks on.

Sara Wilcox

Jim BeckerKelly BedfordPeggy Brenner Greg BrownGeorge ButtsHenry HallMike HulveyGloria JordanSean Martin Barry MayerBill NewcombRhey Plumley Brian Price

Kevin Ramirez Mike Rice

Chris Samson Paul SinickiBill SylvesterRyan Whitney

A on this past decade of public programming, wewould like thank the many fly tiers who have volunteered their timeto make the Fly-Fishing Festival, Frequent Fly Tier, Tie One On,

Iron Fly, and other tying clinics so successful. Without their dedication,expertise, and guidance, these programs simply would not be possible.

To the following past and present fly tiers, our appreciation is greaterthan you know—thank you!

Cheers!�

Our Tireless Tiers

Clockwise from above: George Butts teaching anaspiring young tier at a museum event.

Bill Newcomb at the Fly-Fishing Festival in .

Kelly Bedford and Paul Sinicki during the museum’sFit to Be Tied event in .

Background art from J. Harrington Keene, Fly-Fishingand Fly-Making (New York: O. Judd Co., ), .

All photos from the collection of the American Museum of Fly Fishing

Leon Martuch April – July

I with Leon—what kind of per-son he was, I mean—long before I actually met him. Oneearly spring day about forty years ago, while fishing the

Pere Marquette (Michigan) for steelhead, my brother Stevebroke the last few inches from the tip of my Scientific AnglersSystem Seven fly rod, the only decent fly rod I’d ever owned. Ineeded a replacement before returning to Yellowstone for mysummer work, so I sent the rod to the Scientific Anglers facto-ry in Midland for repair. A few weeks later, as Steve and I wereon our way to the Au Sable for some trout fishing, we stoppedin Midland. I explained to some nice person that I was there topick up the rod, and in a moment some other nice personbrought it out and handed it to me—no charge. Not only wasthere a brand-new tip section, there was also the old broken tipsection, a few inches shorter, with a brand new tip-top guideinstalled (I would later discover that I liked the shorter tip bet-ter; a little faster action). I was impressed and, on a seasonalranger’s salary, more than a little relieved that it was all free.Scientific Anglers was obviously a class act, and whoever wasin charge had to be the nicest of these nice people I’d just met.

It was only a few years later that I moved to Manchester,Vermont, to become the first executive director of what wasthen called the Museum of American Fly Fishing. Not longafter that Leon became the museum’s president, and I finallymet that nice person.

In light of the recent purchase of Scientific Anglers by Orvis,it is both entertaining and illuminating to remember how verydifferent the fly-fishing world was only forty years ago. When Iarrived at the museum in , it was widely thought of as “thatOrvis museum.” This was absurd, of course; even then, themuseum interpreted the entire history of fly fishing and exhib-ited the best work of dozens of tackle manufacturers. In fact, wewere incredibly lucky to have Orvis as our foremost benefactor.

Leon Martuch, a member of our first board of trustees, passed away this summer. Martuch sat on theboard from to , serving as president from to and chairman of the board from to. He was named trustee emeritus in .Martuch, a legend in the sport of fly fishing, was the museum’s Heritage Award recipient in . He

worked alongside his father, Leon P. Martuch, to revolutionize fly-fishing equipment and helped to maketheir company, Scientific Anglers, an industry leader. Martuch used his background as a chemist todevelop, produce, and patent fly-fishing equipment throughout his career, and he was a pivotal part ofstandardizing fly line—an innovation many historians consider one of the top-five most significant con-tributions to the sport. After retirement, Martuch devoted much of his time to serving on the boards ofTrout Unlimited and the American Museum of Fly Fishing to preserve and promote the sport and itsenvironment for future generations.Paul Schullery, the museum’s first executive director, wrote a tribute to Leon Martuch for the Heritage

Award presentation. We’d like to share that with you. —Editor

Leon Martuch. From the collection ofthe American Museum of Fly Fishing.

A nearly every serious angler is thefantasy of quitting a job, relocating to the banks of amarvelous trout stream, and being devoted to nothing

but water and the pursuit of sport. Unfortunately, many harshand awkward realities prevent the realization of this ideal exis-tence: spouses and children, the need to make a living, the tollof isolation (to name but a few). For the vast majority whoponder such a move, the thought dies as quickly as a mayfly.Yet, every once in a great while, someone comes along forwhom this notion seems neither whimsical nor unreasonable,but rather a practical necessity, one that rises almost to thelevel of unavoidable destiny. Such a person was Art Lee.

Making one of the best lives of anyone I’ve ever known, inthe s Art took his new bride Kris (who doubled brilliantlyas his photographer) and left both an established career injournalism and gainful employment in Washington, D.C., topile a few worldly possessions into a rusty Chevy and depart insearch of trout and salmon and rivers and dreams. He wouldfind the majority of them.

The Catskill Mountains, traditional home of American flyfishing, serve as magnetic north to anyone truly touched by thesport, and so it was to a tiny, unheated cottage in Roscoe, NewYork, that Art and Kris first moved. By winter, they burned fire-

wood, often gathered streamside, in a porous, pot-belliedchunk stove. In summer, surrounded by a menagerie of catsand stray dogs, Art penned articles from a rickety table adja-cent to Willowemoc Creek. Their existence during these earlyyears was tenuous, if also exceptionally full. To make endsmeet, Art and Kris frequently resorted to guiding visitinganglers, and I still encounter people who recall enjoying boththe benefit of Art’s expertise astream and the grilled lambchops Kris prepared streamside.

Establishing himself as a freelance sporting writer, Artbegan a nearly four-decade stream of thoughtful, articulate,and exceptionally personal articles that quickly caught thefancy of both magazines and readers alike. For a certain gener-ation of fly fishers—those recalling a period bracketing thesport’s first dedicated magazine to the rise of self-helpvideos—Art was the writer who perhaps best embodied anapproachable, no-nonsense view of the pastime.

Scoffing at elites while joyfully casting shade on the pre-sumptions of science, Art placed a large bet on streamcraft andthe mastery of good technique. Drawing on his nearly dailyexperience fishing at home and abroad, he tutored and inspiredhundreds of thousands of readers, offering an authentic andauthoritative take on the sport. His first and most widely

Riverman: Remembering Art Lee May – July

Still, the Orvis role in the museum did provide some peoplewith a willfully misinformed conviction that somehow Orvisattracted customers to its store by having the museum rentingexhibit space in rooms off one end of the Orvis building.(Actually the opposite was true; if the museum had left theOrvis building and moved across the street, our visitationwould have plummeted; people came to the Orvis store andthen discovered the museum and wandered in for a look.)

Then came Leon. When Leon became president of themuseum, we turned an institutional corner that I don’t thinkany of us could fully discern at the time but that was monu-mentally important. Leon was a leading figure in the tackleindustry, until recently the owner of one of Orvis’s chief com-petitors, and his enthusiastic presidency of the museum madeit clear to all but the least reasonable that this was indeed amuseum for the whole sport and the whole industry.

For me, the entire time working for Leon was a treat and aneducation. It was a great partnership (for me at least), and Ipicked up all sorts of lessons about how things really work inorganizations, as well as in any large group of opinionated peo-ple like fly fishers.

I have no idea how many times during those years I calledup Leon and started to fuss or gripe or whine about this or that

problem the museum was having. Each time, as soon as Ipaused for breath, Leon would always say, with a forceful yetpatient voice, “Paul . . .” (I could actually hear the ellipsis).

And I would respond, “Yes, Leon? . . .” He would then impartsome brief, pungent bit of wisdom, just a few words that alwaysmade me laugh and think at the same time, and that wouldgive me a better idea of what to do next. (My favorite of thesepithy little gems was “What you have to remember is that mostpeople are stupid,” but let’s not go into that.)

Looking back after all these years, though, it isn’t thespecifics of his advice that has stuck. What has stuck has beenthe tone of his words. Whatever he said, it was offered with agood humor—a stand-back-and-look-at-it-this-way cheerful-ness—so contagious that I couldn’t help relaxing and seeingwhatever bigger picture I’d lost track of. Things became funagain. You couldn’t ask for more than that from a boss.

P SB, M

Paul Schullery was executive director of the American Museum ofFly Fishing from until .

acclaimed book, Fishing Dry Flies for Trout on Rivers andStreams (Atheneum, ; a wordy title Art felt was importantto his thesis) remains a lucid, disarmingly direct account of thepractice and has assumed a deserved place as one of fly fishing’sbest primers.

With an assured and occasionally provocative writing style,Art’s essays always proved galvanizing and frequently drew let-ters. In , I sat down and wrote him one. To me, his life andwork echoed the best of a particular sporting tradition—slot-ting in perfectly among such consummate rivermen asGordon, Christian, Flick, Van Put, et al.—and I told him so.Unquestionably, there was a large element of hero worshipinvolved. To my delight and great surprise, he wrote back andinvited me to stop in the next time my father and I fished theBeaverkill, an annual rite during my teens. A correspondencesoon developed, and within a few years, I’d quit my own joband moved to the Catskills, thus beginning a forty-yearodyssey with the Lees. Nothing I saw or experienced during thelongest friendship of my life has served to alter that favorablefirst impression.

Art Lee died this summer at age seventy-six, by his farm-house above Junction Pool on the Willowemoc. A month afterhis passing, I’m left with an admixture of intense memories,

some brilliant, others equally sad. Of those that involve angling,many are exotic: discussing complexities of current and driftwhile enduring punishing rains along Iceland’s Laxa I Adaldal;deciphering the feeding rhythms of such large rainbows as wefound working daily beneath a high bank on the ChimehuinRiver in Argentina; flipping a coin for the first pass through anunnamed, possibly unfished sea trout pool in Tierra Del Fuego.More often, however, my recollections involve simpler, farmore local pleasures. Things like rehearsing and tying the flieswe’d need to cover spring hatches, recounting the idiosyn-crasies of some especially large or unusual trout, or perhapsmy favorite of all: the postfishing analysis while driving homeafter each day’s sport. Such things make up the essence of a lifespent learning from, and living on, rivers. In this capacity, veryfew were his equal.

G MA, V

Galen Mercer is a painter and sporting writer. He lives and workswithin a double-haul of Vermont’s Batten Kill.

Art Lee along a salmon river.

Art Lee being congratulated by his wife, Kris, after she’s netted his salmon.

Kris Lee

Kris Lee

Art Lee plays a good salmon on Iceland’s Laxa I Adaldal while Galen Mercer waits with the net.

Kris Lee

O outreach program ofclinics was a resounding success. We metwith kids and their parents on four

Thursdays in July to introduce them to fly fishing.Here’s what happened.

Summer Kids Clinics

July 5: Today we learned how to cast and build our owncasting rods. It was hot and humid outside, so we split upinto two groups. One group visited the museum inside whilethe other learned to cast outside with Yoshi and Sara. Then

we switched. Casting for the first time was a lot of fun.

July 12: Today we learned about what fish like to eat. Yoshitaught us the life cycle of insects that fish eat, like caddis fliesand mayflies. He also taught us the difference between a wetfly and a dry fly. We loved it when Yoshi took out the insectsthat were in resin so we could see what they looked it in reallife. Yoshi then took us to the stream for a bug hunt. He liftedup the rocks to find a small stonefly nymph. Then everybodygrabbed a piece of insect crigami paper, and we got to makean origami grasshopper.

Photos by Sara W

ilcox

July 19: Today we had fly-tying lessons with Kelly Bedfordand Paul Sinicki. They taught us how to tie a woolly worm.The first time tying a fly can be tricky. Kelly and Paul had agreat time teaching and helping us out. They would laugh andmake jokes about tying and made everyone feel comfortable.

July 26: Today we did gyotaku, a Japanese method of print-ing fish. We didn’t have a fish, so we used leaves from nativetrees instead. We put paint on the back side, where the veinsof the leaves stick out more. We pressed watercolor paper ontothe painted leaf, and the results were really cool! The leavesleft a really nice impression, especially when we used two dif-ferent colors. It was fun using paint and making a mess.

Summer CelebrationOn August we welcomed more than seventy-five guests to atriple-header celebratory reception: our fiftieth anniversary;the launch of our new traveling exhibit, On Fly in the Salt:American Saltwater Fly Fishing from the Surf to the Flats; andthe opening of the Selch-Bakwin Fly Room. Stemming fromknowledge acquired during his many years as fishing editor atOutdoor Life magazine, Jerry Gibbs provided insightfulremarks on the history of saltwater fly fishing. As project advi-sor to the exhibition, Jerry was an invaluable resource, and itwas a delight to hear from him firsthand. We were grateful tohave AMFF Trustee Jim Heckman as our emcee, who present-ed Deputy Director Yoshi Akiyama with a framed photo andcommemorative statement of thanks for all his hard work onthe exhibit. Also in attendance were several of our ambas-sadors, all leading professionals in the fly-fishing industry:Rachel Finn, Harry Desmond, Mike Rice, Drew Chicone, MattSmythe, and Rich Strolis. While enjoying Bucktail Bubblers (asignature cocktail inspired by AMFF Trustee Roger Riccardi),our guests were immersed in the spirit of fly fishing, from theinteractive exhibit offering interview clips of saltwater pio-neers to the custom tying bench (stocked and open to the pub-lic) in the Selch-Bakwin Fly Room. Thank you to all who madethis reception a celebration to remember!

Upcoming Events

Events take place on the museum grounds inManchester, Vermont, unless otherwise noted.

October Annual Members Meeting

November Izaak Walton Award Honoring Rachel FinnBoston College Club

November Members-Only EventAMFF Confidential: Behind the Scenes at the Museum: p.m.–: p.m.

December Hooked on the Holidays: p.m.–: p.m.

February (TBD)Tie One On & Iron Fly Contest : p.m.–: p.m.

March and Frequent Fly Tier: Fly-Tying Instruction : a.m.–noon

July (Thursdays)Kids Clinics: a.m.–: a.m.

August th Annual Fly-Fishing Festival: a.m.–: p.m.

Always check our website (www.amff.org) for additions,updates, and more information or contact () - oramff@amff.org. The museum’s e-mail newsletter offers up-to-date news and event information. To subscribe, look forthe link on our website or contact the museum.

Sara

Wilc

ox

Yoshi Akiyama accepts a thank-you gift fromJim Heckman as Jerry Gibbs looks on.

Museum News

AMFF Is Coming to Boston

For more information, visit our website at amff.org/events.

Join us as we celebrate 2018 Izaak WaltonAward recipient Rachel Finn at the BostonCollege Club on Thursday, November 1.

New Staff

The museum welcomed Alex Ford as our digital marketingcoordinator earlier this year. Alex is a writer and angler at heartand a marketer by trade. He got his start in outdoor media asa cofounder of Fly Lords. He went on to work as director of

marketing at Amberjack Outfitters and editor of the AmberjackFishing Journal. As a writer, his work has been published sever-al times in the FlyFish Journal, as well as a number of otherpublications. He is a passionate sportsman who has traveledthe world in pursuit of fish and birds. He holds a bachelor’sdegree in international relations from Bucknell University.

Recent Donations to the CollectionJoan Wulff of Livingston Manor, New York, donated thirty-fourflies designed and tied by Lee Wulff. Nick Lyons of Woodstock,New York, sent us a collection of nine books. For a detailed list-ing of either of these donations, contact the museum.

Jim Heckman of Manchester, Vermont, gave us a copy ofStanley E. Read’s Tommy Brayshaw: The Ardent Angler-Artist(University of British Columbia Press, ), five flies tied byPoul Jorgensen, and three flies tied by Dave Whitlock.

Andrew Herd of Brancepeth, England, and HermannDietrich-Troeltsch of Eberhardzell, Germany, sent us theirthree-volume Blacker trilogy, Blacker: Phantom of the Past,which includes Volume I: Blacker, Ephemera & Bell’s Life; VolumeII: A Descriptive Bibliography; and Volume III: The Flies (MedlarPress Limited, ). Michael Graybrook of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, donated a copy of his book Cutthroat: A Journeythrough the American West (Scott & Nix, Inc., ). AndElizabeth Tobey of Greenbelt, Maryland, gave us a copy ofBackcasts: A Global History of Fly Fishing and Conservation,which she edited with Samuel Snyder and Bryon Borgelt(University of Chicago Press, ).

Alex Ford

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John J. Capowski is admitted to practice law in New York and Maryland and is aprofessor of law emeritus at Widener University Commonwealth Law School inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania. He began his academic career at the Cornell Law School,where he served as director of the school’s clinical program, and also has taught atMaryland, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Denver.

While he has focused his scholarship on evidence law, he has published a num-ber of fly-fishing articles, most recently “Trout Under the Tuscan Sun” in Fly Fishing& Fly Tying. Primarily a freshwater trout fly fisher, he has taken bonefish, salmon,and a -pound Pacific sail on flies. In addition to being a fly fisher, he is landscapepainter and has been juried into a number of plein air painting festivals.

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Robert E. Kohrman is a retired dean and professor of organic chemistry atCentral Michigan University who lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Heenjoys fishing streams in Michigan and on the north shore of Lake Superiorand is an avid collector of nineteenth-century sporting periodicals. He isinterested in the history of the Arctic grayling in Michigan and has caughtgrayling while fly fishing Zimmerman Lake in Colorado, a location wherethey have since been removed. His most recent contribution to the AmericanFly Fisher was “In Search of the Michigan Grayling,” in two parts: “Daniel H.Fitzhugh Jr., The Father of Grayling Fishing” (Fall , vol. , no. ) and“Thaddeus Norris and the Au Sable River Boat” (Winter , vol. , no. ).

M ( ) incorporate forwardthinking in their vision; the American Museum of FlyFishing is no different. We understand that it takes

ambitious goals, bold moves, and innovative projects to makeup a dynamic and successful institution.

AMFF is often considered the Mecca of fly-fishing history.Visitors to our Manchester, Vermont, location are immersed instories, surrounded by artifacts, and awed by the presentationof carefully designed exhibitions. Because so many people areexperiencing AMFF in other, remote ways, we are proud tohave the following outlets:

Our respected ambassadors are positioned around the•world to represent AMFF and share the importance ofhaving an historical resource for the sport we love.Our traveling exhibitions offer collaboration and access•to communities and enthusiasts in unique settings andlocales.As our generations continue to evolve, we answer to•digital needs with stories and content through our web-site, blog, and social channels. With the addition of AlexFord as digital marketing coordinator (see page ), ourpresence will continue to grow and feed digital cravings.

Standing behind our positive, futuristic thinking, we keeppushing forward. As we develop our collections-managementprogram, we are excited to continue taking steps toward pro-viding public access to a fully cataloged and searchable database

of AMFF’s permanent collection. Are you eager to learn moreabout a modest box of flies tied by someone associated with thefilm A River Runs Through It ? Our database will offer answersto this question and others through photos, videos, andremarks associated with the hidden treasures of our collection.

I’ve had several experiences over the summer months sewntogether with this common thread of forward thinking. HarryDesmond, owner of Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing and AMFFambassador, invited me for a day of fishing. Up against a tem-peratures-in-the-high-s forecast, we hit the river early—after all, we were hoping for tight lines. After adjusting my cast,my position, and then adjusting my cast again, the magic hap-pened. I hooked a fish and instantly felt the rush of himpulling my line. As I landed a beautiful brown trout, Harrysaid, “We need a picture of this!” And though I had alreadylearned so much in our few short hours on the river, the mostimportant thing I learned was how to care for the fish. “Wetyour hands before holding it!” “Keep him in the water until thelast second!” This message, though it rings loud for many peo-ple, still needs to be delivered. It is our responsibility to protectthe fish, and it’s this type of progressive thinking that will pre-serve the fish and the sport—and our museum—for genera-tions to come.

Whether it’s furthering the conservation message or pre-serving the history of fly fishing, it’s forward thinking that willdrive us into the future.

S FE D

Fast Forward

Harry Desmond

Executive Director Sarah Foster cradlesa beautiful brown trout caught on a fly.

Main Street • PO Box Manchester,Vermont

Tel: () - • Fax: () --: amff@amff.org: www.amff.org

M T isthe steward of the history, traditions, andpractices of the sport of fly fishing and pro-motes the conservation of its waters. Themuseum collects, preserves, exhibits, studies,and interprets the artifacts, art, and literatureof the sport and, through a variety of out-reach platforms, uses these resources toengage, educate, and benefit all.

The museum provides public programs tofulfill its educational mission, including exhi-bitions, publications, gallery programs, andspecial events. Research services are availablefor members, visiting scholars, students, edu-cational organizations, and writers. Contactamff@amff.org to schedule a visit.

VThroughout the year, the museum needs volun-teers to help with programs, special projects,events, and administrative tasks. You do nothave to be an angler to enjoy working with us!Contact Samantha Pitcher at spitcher@amff.orgto tell us how we would benefit from your skillsand talents.

SThe American Museum of Fly Fishing relies onthe generosity of public-spirited individuals forsubstantial support. If you wish to contributefunding to a specific program, donate an itemfor fund-raising purposes, or place an advertise-ment in this journal, contact Sarah Foster atsfoster@amff.org. We encourage you to give themuseum con sideration when planning for gifts,be quests, and memorials.

JMembership Dues (per annum)

Patron ,Sustainer Contributor Benefactor Associate

The museum is an active, member-orientednonprofit institution. Membership duesinclude four issues of the American Fly Fisher;unlimited visits for your entire family tomuseum exhibitions, gallery programs, andspecial events; access to our ,-volumeangling reference library; and a discount onall items sold by the museum on its websiteand inside the museum store, the BrooksideAngler. To join, please contact SamanthaPitcher at spitcher@amff.org.

Catch and Release the Spirit of Fly Fishing!

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We welcome contributions to the AmericanFly Fisher. Before making a submission,please review our Contrib utor’s Guidelineson our website (www.amff.org), or write torequest a copy. The museum cannot acceptresponsibility for statements and interpre-tations that are wholly the author’s.