Voices from the Past: The Maine Writers' Gathering (1941)

The following blurb came from The Portsmouth Herald dated 10 June 1941. It deals with a wonderful gathering of sportswriters in Maine, where H.G. "Tap" Tapply won the prize of an Edwards fly rod.

Sports Writers Fish In Maine

Forty-two outdoor newspaper and magazine writers from all over the East returned last night from a fishing party at Moosehead lake, Me., with 125 salmon, togue and square-tail trout and stories of having released four times as many fish, over a three-day period. The Portsmouth Herald was represented by Robert O.E. Elliot, "Gunnin' and Fishin'" columnist, who won a prize for catching the largest fish on Friday, a 3 1/2 lb salmon.

Moosehead lake guides and cabin owners sponsored the party and arrangements were in charge of Dick Reed. Twenty-one tackle awards were made by manufacturers for largest fish caught. H. G. Tapply, editor of Hunting & Fishing, Boston, Mass., took an Edwards fly-rod as first prize when he netted a 5-lb salmon.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: The History of the Bomber Bait Company (1947)

I ran across this fascinating article published in the Pampa News dated 04 April 1947, and it gave some interesting early history on one of my favorite lures--the Bomber. It was able to date the origination of the Bomber, a plug invented by Texan Ralph Wham, to the fall of 1944. It also notes that by Spring 1947 they were already making 1000 bombers a day -- a significant output for a lure that had yet to see national advertising! And one also has to love the title of the article--a Texas title if there ever was one!

Texans Responsible for Most Fishing Plugs -- Good and Bad

by Jack Rutledge

Get your fishing box. Pick out your favorite plug, the one you've had the most luck with, and take a good look at it. It probably was made in Texas.

A fast growing Texas industry has followed in the wake of increased interest in fishing--the manufacture of plugs, lures, flies and various types of artificial lures.

A gentleman in San Antonio makes such attractive flies that some women fishermen wear them as ornaments on their dresses. Over in Uvalde, Art Sansom and Hub Eoff have developed an artificial lure they call the "wonder bug," made of cellophane, colored nail polish and odd lengths of wire. In Sherman, a man makes what he calls the "whopper stopper."

But the largest such factory we've seen is the Bomber Bait Company in Gainesville, owned and operated by Ike Walker, John W. Parker, and C.S. Tuberville.

They have applied for a patent for both design and name--"The Bomber"--but in the meantime produce over 1000 bombers a day and are 400 dozen behind in orders.

The original design was whittled out by Ralph Wham three and a half years ago. It has been changed and improved upon (Parker, one of the owners, is a science teacher in high school) but it's still a lot like Wham's old bomber.

It was designed to get depth, and to wiggle under water while being retrieved. Fishermen will realize the value of both.

Parker says the bomber will go down as much as six(teen) feet, "down where the fish are," and while being reeled in, will remain about ten feet under water and "wiggle like hell."

They make it in one basic design, but in three sizes and 17 colors. Each individual lure requires about 24 hand operations before it's ready for sale, and has about eight different bits of wood and metal attached.

New machinery has been invented in Gainesville to speed up the process of manufacture. But it's still mostly hand work, like the eyes, which are of two colors--yellow with a black iris. They're made or painted on with a common nail. A worked dips the head into the yellow ink, applies to the lure, then dips the other end into black ink and dabs it in the center of the yellow.

The body of the bomber is made of cedar. It's a special type and Parker won't tell where he gets it. The paint used has been tested and won't crack. It has triple hooks.

This may sound like an advertising plug, but it's not. It's just a report on a plug that, Parker says, will catch fish when others won't because it goes down deep, it wiggles, and it floats.

He admits the most of the ideas fishermen have about pet plugs are just plain superstition, but that when it comes to the bomber, it delivers.

There must be some truth to his claim, because sales of the unadvertised, unpromoted artificial bait have extended into Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, New Mexico, Arizona, and, of course, all over Texas.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Fred Mather Bashes Edward R. Hewitt's Experiments in Trout Cross-Breeding (1900)

The following article was written by noted angling authority Fred Mather and published in Forest & Stream on 20 October 1900. It deals with what Mather considered a horrible idea -- the dilution of the trout species in America. With the recent stand that Trout Unlimited and other are taking against genetically modified trout, the issue is quite contemporary. It is refreshing to know that even 110 years ago, sportsman were willing to take a stand against trout "mules."

Angling Notes

by Fred Mather

Dr. John D. Quackenbos has kindly sent to me the following letter on the subject of hybrid fishes from the Howietoun Fishery, Stirling, Scotland.

"We beg to acknowledge receipt of your most interesting letter in which you ask specially as to our experiment with hybrids. Most of these had no practical results, and since Dr. Day's death no fresh ones have been made. The only hybrids or crosses now at the fishery are the zebras, which are Made by meeting the ova of Loch Leven or Vario trout with fontinalis char. The progeny are finely marked, hence their name, but are very irregular in size, and subject to deformation.

We have a few ten year old fish up to 4 of 5 pounds in vveight, but they are quite barren. We have also the cross between the S. levenensis and. S. sailor. In the first cross there was a heavy loss in percentage of ova in hatching. The ova of the brood was again melted by S. levenensis, which made three-quarters trout and one-quarter salmon. The ova of this lot was again melted by S. levenensis, which made three-quarters trout and one-quarter salmon. The ova of this lot was again impregnated by S. levenensis, and this is the seven-eighths trout and one-eighth salmon mentioned in our price list.

There is not much perceptible difference between them and levenensis, only they are a little thicker and stronger on the whole, and in individual fish you can still trace some markings of Salmo salar. The late Sir James Maitland, the founder of the fishery, whose death was a great loss both to the fishery and to a much wider circle, took a keen interest in this cross. One can scarcely call them hybrids, as they are perfectly fertile.

There is no doubt that the introduction of fresh blood is often beneficial, but the important point is to make sure that the new blood is from mature parents and from a stock as good as or better than the native stock and of the same family. Dr. Day says: 'By judicious selection of breeders' races may be improved. The reverse is quite as true, that by an injudicious crossing of breeders, races may and will be degenerated."

Zebra trout were bred at Ringwood, N. J.. the estate of Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, and turned into the streams annually with no idea of their reproducing. They were a cross between the fario. brown trout, and fontinalis, our native brook trout. Mr. Edward Hewitt was of the opinion that they were earlier fish than the native trout, or than the brown trout, but I was not impressed with them, for I imagine I abhor a mule as much as nature abhors a vacuum. Ringwood is the only place that I have ever caught them, and perhaps, the only place where they were bred in this country. I say were bred, for they are bred there no longer. There are handsome fish for those who like zebras, and surely they do take the fly and fight above the water more than our native trout; but when they have had all the praise possible for beauty, and grace of movement, they are mutes, and either parent is a better fish.

Such crossings are well enough for scientists and experimenters, but the practical fish breeder should steer clear of mules as they are of no use in his business. The State of New York once went extensively into the mule business at one of the fish hatcheries, and when the stock of fish were bred to be ringed. strped and speckled, with marks of the short horn, Devon, Berkshire, Chester, white and Irish terriers, a merciful Providence intervened and destroyed the whole blooming outfit. Now the people get what they have a right to expect, straight goods, without a taint of of cross or any other monkey work. Nature is not in the mule business; it is man who is responsible for hybrids. There is fresh blood enough to be obtained from the same species of fish without going into collateral branches just to see how much the family can be mixed up and live.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: William Heddon & William Stolley Bash Bronson (1928)

Bill Sonnett posted these several years back and I loved them, so with his permission (and credit to the Heddon Museum which owns the originals of these letters) here are two letters of great interest to reel collectors.

The first deals with William Heddon's opinion of Bronson made Heddon reels. Bill wrote: "Seeing Bronson-made Heddon reels reminds me of a letter that I came across at the Heddon Musuem which was written July 8th 1928 by William Heddon in Florida. He was writting to William Stolley, the plant manager, concerning Bronson-made Heddon reels that Stolley had send him to try out. Needless to say the portion I will quote here was not for the public's eyes.

"I am sending herewith one of our Meisselbach made reels (this was corrected by William Stolley in a reply that the reels were in fact made by Bronson, not Meisselbach) which was my choice of the 3 sent to me in Florida. You will note that was unable to turn down the crank screw tight enough with the fingers to keep it from backing off, so at Jack's (Jack Welch) suggestion, I cut a slot in same so I could use a screwdriver. Now the reel operates so poorly, especially is so rough in the gears and noisey, I claim no one but a "clodhopper" as you'd say who had never seen another reel would tolerate it. Preferably, take it out and fish with it and if you can't do that try it from the shore with a bait and have your mind on the reel rather than something you are trying out and advise me if you would pick it up dead in the road. Be sure and unscrew the crank and tighten it with your fingers and you will note that if you put any punch in your work it will loosen. If any of these make of reels are what you call worth the price we are asking when compared with Shakespeare or especially Pflueger at the same price , please send me one. Are you aware that positively the best level winding reel at any price is the Pflueger Supreme..."

Bill wrote in a follow up: "In answer to the above posted letter from William Heddon, William Stolley had this to say in his reply."

"The reel you returned and of which you complained was made by McMahon of Bronson Michigan and not by the Meisselbach people as you stated. This past season while up in Canada fishing, I tried out the McMahon reel, the same breed of which you returned, the one in question, and right off the bat, will say that it is one of the poorest reel contraptions I ever fished with. I told Charlie [Heddon] who was in the same canoe with me, that I would not give three whoops in hell for a cartload of them.

I am perfectly satisfied that this McMahon reel has given James Heddon's Sons not only one but two very pretty black eyes. It is a disgrace for our house to send out such truck considering the price we ask for them. May state that of course we have dropped all consideration of future McMahon reels on our program for the coming year, but have now tied up for a 10,000 contract with the Shakespeare Company.

You know "Shake" has always had a pretty good reputation when it comes to quality in mass production reels. I think that the Shakespeare product will give far better satisfaction than the McMahon stuff, but possibly would not prove quite as satisfactory as a reel of simular value produced by the Enterprise Comapny. We tried the Enterprise company but impossible to interest them in any proposition to build and supply us with a jobbing reel, so we had to take Shakespreare."

I find it fascinating that Pfluger refused Heddon on any terms to make them a reel. Perhaps they were in too much direct conflict, but more likely it would have sent the hundreds of wholesalers for whom Pflueger already made reels into a tizzy.

Awesome stuff! Thanks to Bill and the Heddon Museum for sharing.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: A Briton Looks at American Tackle (1901)

A Briton Looks at American Tackle (1901)

Following the Paris Fisheries Exhibition of 1900, an unnamed attache for the British Government penned up the following description of American fishing tackle. On the whole, he was very impressed with the wares of the American tackle industry, and hoped his British countrymen would take a few tips from their American cousins. This comes from The Reports From Commissioners, Inspectors and Others, 1901--Vol. 23 (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1901).

The United States give an object-lesson of a most impressive kind to their foreign competitors in the magnificence and variety of their exhibits, including stuffed fish and fish-casts of great excellence, a lobster which comes near to the Canadian giant with its 33 lbs., and some splendid specimens of American up-to-date rods and tackle for the capture of everything, from the brook trout of the North to the huge tarpon and "leaping tuna" of Florida and California. From the English point of view some of the rods are too light for their destined work; but the modern American angler is refined and chivalrous, disdainful of all coarseness in appliances and methods, and proud of killing a 4 lb. trout with a 6 oz. rod, or a giant tarpon with a fine salmon line. For all this, Abbey & Imbrie and other good firms supply him with the daintiest appliances, while Milam, of Frankfort, makes a speciality of the old favourite Kentucky reel, and Benn & Daughter, of San Francisco, and Howarth, of Florissant (Colorado), are typical exponents of the fly-tying kit.

But there is surely a national lesson to be learned from the magnificent contributions, in fishery engines and produce, and in all the costly appliances of intelligent pisiculture, of the "United States Fishery Commission" and kindred institutions, which have also a large library of literature on a subject the importance of which is fully realised on the other side of the Atlantic, and a beautiful collection of large photographs illustrative of their work and its surroundings, as well as large models of hatchery stations and apparatus, and of very remarkable railway cars for hatching and transport purposes.

Salmon, shad, and "white-fish" are the fish principally dealt with.
Dr. Tarleton Bean, of New York, in addition to very valuable and interesting publications on fish and fish culture, shows most curious specimens of nets and lines made entirely of whalebone, used by the Eskimos for the capture of salmon and other fish.

The great firm of Tiffany has a most attractive and instructive show-case of marine and freshwater pearls of every size and colour, in connection with which the exhibits of the "river-mussel button industry" are of suggestive interest.

Life-like coloured fish pictures are sent by Mr. Baldwin, of Washington.
There is a complete collection of sponges from Florida, and plenty of nets, harpoons, and other whale fishery implements.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Pflueger Courts the Local Druggist (1906)

Today and tomorrow, we will be relating some small pieces of Pflueger history. Today, we look at how Pflueger worked to court the humblest of tackle merchants -- the small town druggist. In this fascinating article from the March 1906 issue of National Druggist magazine, a very verbose editor for this trade publication extolls the plus side of stocking Pflueger's cheapest line of tackle -- the "O" line.

Fishing Tackle a Profitable Side Line

As quality is the keystone of satisfaction, so is satisfaction the keystone of increased patronage, and the dealer who makes the former his rule finds the latter a constant quantity. Experience has taught the druggist that fishing paraphernalia is not an exception, and that the connoisseur no more than the humblest follower of Isaac Walton knows and appreciates quality and "sticks to" and indulges deep-seated affection for the dealer who shares his enthusiasm and supplies his wants in that particular. The Enterprise Manufacturing Co. of Akron, O. has shown the druggiest how fishing goods can be converted into a handsome revenue, accessory to the drug business, and the quality of their goods has "clinched" the patronage of customers who has used them, from the very start. The immense plant of the Enterprise Manufacturing Co. produces a variety of goods that is nowhere equalled. Their factory has been owned and operated by the Pfluegers for twenty-five years, and enjoys the proud distinction of being the best-equipped and most extensive plant in the country for the manufacture of fishing tackle.

Fishing reels of all kinds and qualities are made for fresh and salt water -- of brass, nickel and hard rubber. Fish hooks, that until recent years were purchased largely in Europe, are now made with improved machinery, and acknowledged much superior in quality to the goods heretofore imported from abroad, resulting in an immense export trade along those lines. Spoons, baits and spinners, flies, leaders, and sneers, phantom minnows, lead sinkers, rubber baits and insects, fishing floats, and a multitude of other goods, all bear the imprint of quality and skillful manufacture, and each and every article goes out of the factory a symbol of perfection. Beginning with their cheapest line, No. 0, being all complete with float, hook, sinker, etc., retailing at 5, 10, 15, and 25 cents, respectively. It is possible to get anything in this line the trade may want, including twisted cotton line, braided cotton and braided linen, cable silk, plain and water-proof. These goods are put up in an especially attractive manner and have proven banner sellers with the drugstore trade.

Briefly told, the goods of the Enterprise Manufacturing Co., of which their new catalogue, No. F 24, lists several thousand of items, are an exemplification of perfect mastery of the business, and reflect great credit upon the makers, whose skillfulness and earnestness to excel has attained that degree of excellence in quality that warrants and deserves the name by which they are so favorably known in the trade. The Enterprise Manufacturing Co. will send their large new catalogue, No. F 24, prepaid, to any druggist desiring their name.

Pflueger didn't get to be the biggest by only courting huge merchants. With tens of thousands of druggists across the country, the majority of them stocking fishing tackle (and a good many of them getting tackle from Pflueger), this was a profitable market for Enterprise to get in to.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Submarine Fishing (1920)

An absolutely amazing form of fishing was covered in 1920 by both Popular Mechanics and The American Angler. Written by John Edwin Hogg, the article relates the following method of submarine fishing:

The boats make frequent practise trips between Los Angeles and Santa Catalina Island. The water in this area averages around ninety feet in depth, and is one of the finest fishing-grounds of the Pacific coast. Frequently the boats dive to the bottom, and lie there with their motors shut off while practicing submarine signaling, torpedo-tube routine, and the like.

The upside down fishing is done in a very simple manner. Prior to making a dive the men arrange their lines on the deck rails of the submarine. The hooks are baited, and are strung out on the decks to be carried upward when the boat dives by a float attached near the hook. Since any fish that takes the bait cannot be removed until the boat comes to the surface, the lines are fastened to the deck rail by coil springs. This practically eliminates the chance of losing the fish by its breaking the line or tearing the hook out of its mouth. Thus the baited hooks 'dangle upward' when the submarine is resting on the sea-bottom — then along comes a fish, swallows the bait, and snags himself.


This method of submarine fishing was given a try-out recently by an electrician aboard the submarine H-5. He baited four lines prior to making a dive, and when the boat came to the surface he had three yellowtail, weighing twenty-four, twenty-eight, and thirty-two pounds respectively. A fourth fish had taken the bait, but got away.

Incredible. I would imagine it would be a very effective way of fishing!

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Crappie Fishing (1877)

We tend to concentrate (perhaps a bit too much) on the historical writings on the more popular gamefish, such as muskellunge, salmon, trout, and bass. We often forget that there are legions of anglers dedicated to perch, crappie, sunfish, carp, etc. I was reminded of this in December when I received a copy of Crappie Angler Magazine that republished a Christmas poem I wrote. I was struck by how many dedicated crappie anglers there must be; similar to perch, carp, sunfish, and other fish.

So we're going to start a series of historical writings on various fish, including crappie. Here we have a very early writing on crappie fishing, first published in The Second Biennial Report of the State Fish Commission of Iowa (Being Reports for the Years 1875-6 and 1876-7). It shows there was a keen interest in crappie even back then.

The Crappie

Among the many names which have been applied to the crappie are: Bachelor, new light, Campbellite, sac-a-lait, bridge perch, strawberry perch, chinquapin perch, speckled perch, tin perch, goggle eye, John demon, shad, white crappie and timber crappie.

In the lower Mississippi valley the crappie is one of the commonest fishes. The Illinois, Ohio and Mississippi rivers are particularly noted for an abundance of crappies.

The crappie is a very general favorite for pond culture, can be readily transported and under favorable conditions multiplies prodigiously. Its range has been very much extended by artificial means. The best distinguishing marks between the crappie and the calico bass are the more elongated form of the crappie, the presence of six spines in the dorsal and the nearly uniform whitish color of the anal. In the crappie the greatest depth of the body is usually contained two and one-half times in the total length without the tail, while in the calico bass the depth equals one-half the length. These two species are so closely similar in size and habits that they are rarely distinguished except by ichthyologists.

The crappie grows to the length of about one foot and usually weighs one pound or less, but in a lake near St. Louis an individual weighing three pounds has been recorded.

Crappie fishing usually begins in June and lasts until the coming of cold weather.

Prof. S. A. Forbes has studied the feeding habits of the crappie and finds that the young live chiefly upon entomostraca and small insect larva. The adults subsist upon the same food when obtainable, but in times of scarcity they feed to some extent upon other fishes.

Small minnows and darters have been found in their stomachs. In the autumn Prof. Forbes has found a larger percentage of small fishes, sometimes constituting nearly two-fifths of their food. The helgramite is eaten by the crappie. In cold weather it does not consume one-fourth the amount of food which it takes in the early spring. The crappie prefers still waters, thriving even in warm and muddy water, and has been taken in large numbers in mid-summer at depths of only a few feet; in cold weather it retires to deeper water, becomes rather sluggish and takes little food. The crappie is a very free biter and can be caught readily with minnows or worms. Spoon bait has been successfully used in trolling for this species. It is recorded that two men have taken a thousand crappies in three days' fishing with hook and line. As the fish is gregarious, congregating in large schools, and fearless, it can be taken in the large numbers cited. The best bait for crappie is a small shiner. It rises well also to the artificial fly. As a food fish this is one of the best in our inland waters and its adaptability for life in artificial ponds should make it a favorite with fish culturists.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Charles Frederick Holder (1906)

Charles Frederick Holder (1851-1915) was one of the original pioneers in saltwater fishing (he founded the Catalina Tuna Club in 1898), in addition to being an important ichthyologist. He also wrote a number of stories for popular magazines. This one was published in The Metropolitan Magazine (Vol. 32, No. 67).


AN ADVENTURE WITH A GIANT CATFISH

By C.F. Holder.

A few years ago a party of Americans made their way in a trading-schooner up the Essequibo River, in British Guiana, to where the Mazaruni flows into it. From this point the journey was continued in a canoe rowed by a native crew. At a spot fully sixty miles from the mouth of the river, camp was made on a white, sandy beach.

Among a number of curious fishes these American travelers had noticed in the Essequibo was a catfish called by the natives the lanlan; and as several had been seen by them, preparations were made for their capture. A large line about two hundred feet in length was baited with fish and carried out into the stream by a small boat, a crotched stick being thrust into the sand on the beach, to which the line was attached to serve as a telltale, and around this a number of the party sat waiting for a bite.

In a little while there was a sudden jerk, and the line began running out in the hands of one of the Caribs. Twenty or thirty feet of " leeway" were given to tne rushing fish, and then several of the men grasped the rapidly stiffening line. As it came taut they braced themselves and jerked the hook into the fish. For a second there was no demonstration; then a violent plunge tore the line from their hands, hurling them upon the sands, and an enormous fish rose bodily out of the water, falling with a thundering crash and darting off at lightning speed. Knowing that when the slack-in was exhausteil the line probably would not stand the strain, it was quickly unfastened from the stick and attached to a small canoe, into which several of the fishermen sprang. This was not done a moment too soon, for with a rush the line straightened out. The boat seemed endeavoring to dive to the bottom, and then away it dashed, hurling the spray high in air behind the invisible steed.

For an eighth of a mile the great fish towed the canoe with undiminished speed, darting here and there among the sand-banks, now turning suddenly to one side, hurling the occupants off their feet and threatening them with constant danger of an upset. The strength of the gamy creature, however, was rapidly failing, and as soon as the speed slackened the men took the line in hand and endeavored to reduce the distance between them; but this resulted only in another furious burst of speed. Finally the line was torn from the bowman's hand and it slipped over the gunwale, and in a moment the water was pouring into the canoe. The crew rushed to the other side, climbing up, and finally succeeded in shifting the line and averting a catastrophe.


The line was again manned and the canoe slowly brought nearer the victim. After a long struggle the black form was seen darting back and forth under the bow. The man at the bow guarded the line closely, keeping it in the notch, while another native stepped forward, and raising a long, three-tined spear, drove it with all his force into the monster. The result was entirely unexpected. Enraged or frightened by this new attack, the fish seemed to pause for a moment, then rose into the air in a terrific leap, and fell upon the stern of the boat, carrying it down under water. As the monster fell, the crew, with the exception of one man, sprang overboard and swam for the shore; but the man in the end of the canoe climbed on the roof of the cabin-like part. As one end of the boat sank, he was lifted high in the air. The fish then, in its terrific struggles, rolled off, and the boat settled, with the terrified native still clinging to his high perch.

The fish was now striking the water with its powerful tail, rolling over and over, winding the line about its body, and giving every evidence of its wonderful strength, and might ultimately have escaped had not the party been followed by another canoe of natives, who, having picket! up the swimmers, made for the struggling lanlan. In a few moments several spears and arrows had been sent into it, and it was speedily despatched.

When the sunken canoe was righted it was found to be crushed in on one side. The harpoon lines were made fast to the fish, and it was slowly towed to camp and safely landed on the beach.

As the fish slowly rose and fell on the water behind the line of haulers, it certainly presented a remarkable appearance to our travelers. Nearly thirteen feet in length, it seemed much larger from its extraordinary bulk. The upper surface was a rich greenish-black tint with a silvery white below, the mouth and fins being a rich yellow. Its head, which was large and flat, was protected by a strong bony plate that extended back to the first dorsal fin. But perhaps the most unusual and curious feature was the long, slender barbels, or whiskers, nearly four feet in length, that depended from each side of the mouth, giving the fish an extremely grotesque and forbidding appearance.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: F.B. Doveton (1881)

This charming little poem was originally published in 1881 in The English Fishing Gazette. F.B. Doveton was a cousin of the famed writer Rider Haggard, and a poet of some note in his native Britain. He spent most of his career in the army, and was a noted angler, which is why fishing was a popular theme of his verse.

Frederick Bazett Doveton was a very respected Devonshire poet born in 1841 in Exexter to the late Captain F.B. Doveton of the Royal Madras Fusileers; his father was involved in the Sepoy Rebellion and wrote of his exploits, and his son later spent time in the same brigade.

The author of a number of works of prose and verse, Doveton collected his angling and outdoor poems under the title A Fisherman's Fancies in 1895.



THE ANGLER'S DREAM

by F. B Doveton


I.
The night was cold—a "nipping air!"
I looked into the blaze. 

And saw some long lost faces there.
My friends of other days! 

They seemed to stand beside a stream,
Whilst yet the year was young;

And sweetly in the Land of Dream
A tender throstle sung.

II.
The flowers of spring were blooming nigh,
The beck was white with foam, 

And deftly did I cast my fly
Into the troutlets' home! 

They madly dashed at the deceit,
For they were blythe and bold;

But soon they glistened at my feet,
Arrayed in red and gold!

III.
The welkin rung with softest song,
While cloudlets swam above;
As I moved dreamily along.
The earth seemed full of love! 

I saw the marigold's fierce fire,
And felt the scented gale,
And still the throstle did not tire
Within that haunted vale!

IV.
Anon a pool lurked dark and deep.
Where lights and shades did play,

And then my fly, with airy sweep,
Was sped upon its way!

A sudden plunge, that tried my art,
A lusty trout—no doubt!

Then did I waken with a start
To find the fire—out!

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: George Greenfield (1935)

George Greenfield was one of my favorite semi-forgotten outdoor writers from the 1920s and 1930s, penning the "Wood, Field & Stream" for the New York Times for much of that time. Here he opines on a bit of history of the Catskill region in an article dated January 25, 1935.

"There are rivers whose names are inseparably linked with the art of angling for trout with a fly," writes Richard C. Hunt in the Anglers Club Bulletin. "Among them the Test and Itchen, the Beaverkill, the Neversink and the Brodhead are so surrounded by tradition and have been so beloved by the men who have fished them, that they are in truth classic streams,

"From the earliest days of which we have record, the Delaware and Its tributaries have been famous fishing waters. Before the white man came, the Indians fished there, often traveling long distances to do so.

"At a later day, trout were so plentiful that apprentice Indentures often contained the proviso that fish would not be served to apprentices more than a specified number of times a week.

Antedated Fishing for Sport

"These provisos antedated the time when fishing had become a pastime. They were of a time now difficult for the imagination to reconstruct; no towns and but a few small settlements; a few farms and scattered settlers whose main source of Income was lumbering and the making of barrel hoops and staves; Indians plentiful and dangerous, and fish so abundant that they were a principal item of diet."

At that time, Mr. Hunt tells us, the Brodhead was called the Analomink, or the Analoming Creek. So it was named in 1737 when Daniel Brodhead moved from Marbletown, N. Y., and settled on the Pennsylvania stream now bearing his name. Continuing, Mr. Hunt states:

"In all the early records I find nothing about fishing for sport in the Brodhead, but there Is reason to believe that by 1845 at least one good fly fisherman bad been on its banks, for Dr. George Washington Bethune, who edited the first American edition of 'The Compleat Angler,' published In 1847, gives a list of flies suitable for use in inland waters and furnished to him by an 4 excellent brother of our gentle art.

Famous Anglers Recalled

"This may have been the Dr. Ricketts of Philadelphia whom Bethune mentions elsewhere as "the best fly-fisher I ever met at streamside."

Mr. Hunt writes with tender reminiscence of The Henryvllle House, built in 1842, and Its old register which contains the names of many famous fishermen, Including Thaddeus Norris, Dr. Albert Eugene Rouselle, C. G. Levison, Henry A. Ingraham, Dr. Henry van Dyke, John La Farge, Alden Weir, Harold de Raasloff, Edward R. Hewitt and George M. La Branche.

"There Is good reason for the Brodhead's appeal to the angler," Mr. Hunt adds. Rising in the Poconos above Canadensis, it winds its way down the friendliest of valleys, through Stroudsburg to the Delaware. It has been described as 'the biggest of little rivers,' and so it is. Its fish average well for our Eastern streams, and in a mile or less the fisherman can find every sort of water.

Effective Early In Season.

"There are riffs and rapids, deep, heavy pools, runs and long, still flats. I know of no other stream with such variety of water. And from the early Spring when the shadbush flowers and the buds on the trees turn red and pink, yellow and green, it is beautiful, and for me its beauty culminates when the rhododendrons bloom.

"The season open on the 15th of April, but It is not until the 25th or thereabouts that the dry fly man will find a real hatch on the Brodhead. Then the water will be cold, and snow may be in the air, but there is a batch of small, dark blue-gray duns and the trout rise freely. I know of no other near-by streams where the dry fly is effective so early."

Mr. Hunt recalls the tradition that the Brodhead is "dead" in May, and admits that to a great extent this is true, and that its trout do not rise to the fly so freely as in May as do those In the Beaverkill and other Catskill streams.

"But May on the Brodhead should not be dismissed as unproductive," he cautions us, "for every so often one has a rare, unforgetable day, and when the Brodhead is good it's beyond compare.

4-rounder Taken on Dry Fly.

"The first week in June the Brodhead comes into its very own. About May 5 occurs the May fly rise and the trout go mad. It is only then that the angler realizes the number of trout the river holds."

After mentioning a few of the record fish taken from the stream, including a four-pounder caught on a dry fly, Mr. Hunt concludes:

"Some day such a fish may come my way, but it does not seem very important. The lovely stream flows through Its friendly valley, and pleasant days await me there. I can feel at one with those who have fished and loved it. I can foregather again with men whose companionship means much to me. I can tell tall tales of the big ones which got away In the biggest of little rivers."

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Larry Koller (1938)

We've spent a lot of time covering the early years of Larry Koller of late, but I'd be remiss not to reprint this early article on the subject of bass bugging with a fly rod. Much of what Koller wrote back then is still applicable today. It was published, like much of his early work in the Middletown Times-Herald, this particular one from June of 1938.

To read the original posts Click Here and for the update Click Here; for the first Voices from the Past article Click Here.

FLY TACKLE FOR BASS

by Larry Koller

The fly rod for bass fishing has developed during the past few years into a tool designed for a specific purpose. Early bug fishermen used the regulation type of trout rod of about nine feet in length with medium action. Since the development of bass bug fishing as an accepted and highly successful method of taking both species of bass, the rod makers have been putting forth more effort to produce rods just for this style of fly casting and at a price within the reach of the fishing public.

The rod ideally suited to handling a bass bug must have a greater casting power and more length than trout rods. The big flies and bugs offer a great deal of air resistance and can only be handled with a heavy line. This line of course necessitates a rod of ample power to make a well balanced outfit. Then, too, the large hooks require a heavy strike to set them in the tough mouth of a large bass. Length is needed to give easy pickup and quick striking ability, for most bass bugging is done from a boat with the caster in a sitting position, placing the rod in a lower position relative to the water surface.

Bass fishing causes severe strain on the rod to which the ordinary trout rod is not subjected. Serrated ferrules are almost a necessity, in order to eliminate any possibility of breakage at the ferrule which is a common occurrence with the shouldered type. A good rod for bass under general lake fishing conditions should be about nine and one half feet long, weighing about 6 1/2 ounces. Such a tool, equipped with tungsten guides and tops together with a screw type locking reel seat and serrated ferrules is the last word in bug rods.

Next in order of importance is the line. A rod of the type just described will handle well with a size C level line, preferably with an oil-waterproof finish. There is sufficient weight in a line of this size to handle any of the larger lures even against a breeze. The more particular angler will prefer a Big-Head or Torppedo Head tapered line in size GBG for his bug casting as it will give greater distance with less effort than any level line. Such a line is constructed with the heavy portion in the forward end in order to unpart maximum earning power.

Either type of line wifl give good results after an application of line dressing for the line MUST float in order to set the hook and to give clean pickup for the cast.

The reel can be single action, large enough to comfortably carry the line and balance the rod. The automatic is preferred bv many bass fishermen for its quality of giving complete control of slack line. The choice in a reel is largely a matter of personal preference for it serves no purpose other than to hold the remaining line which is not used in actual casting. However, no matter which type is used single action or automatic, a reel large enough to carry the line without crowding should be selected. Jamming a large line on a small reel will soon strip off the finish, ruining the line beyond repair.

Leaders should be either 4 1/2 or six feet long, and of six to ten pound test. For the beginner, the shorter leader will handle the easiest, but under some conditions, the long leader will produce more strikes. Only genuine silkworm gut should be chosen for bug fishing as it retains its full strength after soaking and gives a certain amount of spring to the cast which helps to lay a straight line. The artificial or knotless type of gut possesses neither of these qualities and in addition, can not be depended upon to give good satisfaction after it has been used once. Natural gut, on the other hand, will retain its strength and elasticity for a whole season if it is kept always moist.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: World's Smallest Fly Rod? (1890)

Well, here at the Fishing for History Blog we are fascinated by extremes. Here we have what was touted at the time as the smallest fly rod in the world, a three feet model made in Japan -- and which came with a barbless fly. The article was run in The New York Sun in July, 1890. While not as small as the novelty fly rod we wrote about last year, it is still a small fly rod and reminds me of the bantam rod made by modern maker Chris Lantzy. I believe the shop referenced was Thomas J. Conroy's. Here's the blurb in full:

In the window of a fishing tackle store in Fulton street is displayed a fly rod three feet long, and tapering from the thickness of a lady's pencil at the butt to the size of a pin at the tip. It is made of Japanese bamboo with a tip of whalebone. There are three joints in the rod. The line of the length of the rod is of fine gut. At the end of it dangles a tiny yellow fly, concealing a barbless hook. The rod was made in Japan, and is a specimen of those in use there in the capture of minnows, which are regarded as a delicacy by the natives.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Albert M. Rung (1947)

If you haven't been following the epic Samuel Phillippe thread over on the Classic Fly Rod Forum, you've missed some real gems. Here's an article I found and posted from The Huntingdon Daily News dated 12 July 1947, on the erection of the Sam Phillippe historical marker.

NOTES ALONG THE WAY

By Albert M. Rung

820 NORTH 16TH STREET, HARRISBURG, PA. The subject of historical markers has frequently been discussed in our column and as the program of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to mark important sites constantly progresses, the subject has likewise created growing interest among Pennsylvanians.

To Mark Inventor's Home
A project of interest to sportsmen was recently inaugurated for the purpose of marking the old home in Easton of Samuel Phillippe, a gunsmith and inventor of the fishing split bamboo fishing rod. Among those named to the committee for the Phillippe marker are Mahlon G. Robb of Hartslog Valley and also the writer of these lines.

Mr. Robb is an enthusiastic fisherman and therefore an excellent member due to his thorough knowledge of angling. In reference to myself, it has been many years since I made any attempts in following the pastime but am heartily in accord in honoring the memory of Phillippe by erection of a suitable marker.

Makes Split-Bamboo Rods
Samuel Phillippe was born in 1801, and at the age of 11 began learning the trade of gunsmith with Peter Young, in Easton, whose forebears are claimed to have made guns for the Continental Army. In his "Book of the Black Bass" Dr. J. A. Henshall tells much about Phillippe's life and states he had made his first rods as early as 1845. The inventor's early rods were for his own use as well as for a few friends, but in 1848 and '49 he was making complete rods of four and six strips of split bamboo.

In addition to being an inventor and expert gunsmith, Phillippe also made violins and was a natural musician of some ability; he was honored with a silver medal by Franklin Institute for one of his violins. As a trout fisherman he was often seen in company with distinguished men of his time while fishing in streams in the Poconos; Judge James Porter, a native of Huntingdon and son of Governor David R. Porter, was among them.

Cited At World's Fair
Phillippe's portrait and two of his rods were exhibited in the Fisheries Building at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. One who had seen the portrait described it as that of "an old man with bald head, Horace Greeley whiskers, and spectacles on his forehead." The picture was labeled "Samuel Phillippe, of Easton, Pa., Born 1801, died 1877. Inventor of split-bamboo rod."

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Larry Koller (1934)

We've written a lot lately about noted outdoor writer Larry Koller (to read the original posts Click Here and for the update Click Here. I promised some early fly fishing writings from Koller, and here is a splendid example. It's from this column "With Rod and Gun" in the Middletown Times Herald and is dated May 25, 1934. Keep in mind he was only 22 when he wrote this! But despite his youth, this article reflects the clear and concise advice he was so famous for later in his career. It's solid advice even today.

WITH ROD and GUN

By LARRY KOLLER

ON DRY FLIES

The beginning fly fisherman usually encounter a great deal of difficulty in their initial selection of flies. The tendency nearly always is in the direction of the English type double split wing floater, but these flies are for the use of the expert only. The novice must have a fly which will float easily and in a correct position on the surface. The double split wing fly must be cast very delicately in order to float at all and must land with the wings cocked in an upright position to be at all effective.

We would recommend highly the bivisible type of dry fly to the beginner as meeting all conditions of easy floating and casting as well as good visibility. This floater, being tied of hackle only, without wing, is a very high floater requiring only a minimum of false casting to dry it. Also, as it has no wings, It looks correct from the trout's viewpoint in no matter what position it may land. At the head of the fly is wound a white hackle, which gives the bivisible its name and makes it very easy to follow with the eye, on the water. Probably the best patterns are the Brown Badger, Pink Lady, Cahill, and Grey Bivisible, named in the order of our first personal choice.

They most certainly have a place in every anglers kit no matter whether he be novice or expert. We can especially recommend them on fast-water streams and for late evening fly fishing when the bigger fish are apt to start feeding.

THE POPULAR CAHILL

Almost every dry fly man has at one time or another used the Cahill. This excellent all-season fly is perhaps the one most popular dry pattern the country over. It is a good fly to use when there are no fish raising, even though they may be in a feeding mood. It resembles a great many natural insects and in the light pattern it matches closely the majority of fly hatches which predominate on the Beaverkill and Willowemoc.

In our experience, the buzzwing fly of the Cahill type is infinitely superior on our streams to any of the standard double split wing type. This type of wing is delicately like those of the natural insects, appearing semi transparent from beneath the surface of the water. The double split wing being made from a section of feather taken from a quill vane is more or less opaque, and does not let the light through as it should to imitate closely the wing of a natural insect. Of course many trout will always be taken on this type of fly, but on wary fish it is best to use every possible advantage. A list of the best patterns of buzz wing type flies in the order of their excellence would be the Cahill-Light and Dark, Hendrikson-Light and Dark, Quill Gordon, Mallard Quill, Cahill Quill.

The Fanwings have many admirers and there is no doubt but that these big floaters will raise fish when all others fail, especially if the trout are inclined toward bottom feeding. The large outcurving wings drop the fly lightly on the water and make it clearly visible even in very poor light. The majority of anglers who have used this fly without results and give it up, do so because of their inability to make it float correctly. The general complaint is that the fly lands either upside down, lying on one side, or standing up. The reason for this almost without exception is the anglers using the overhead cast. The only way to make these flies light correctly is by the use of the side arm cast with the rod held nearly parallel to the water’s surface.

COACHMAN’S FAVORITE

As to patterns, the Royal Coachman is the general favorite—it's the easiest to see and raises plenty of good fish even though it resembles nothing in nature. For late evening fishing on long deep runt and pools, under low water conditions when the weather is hot, it is without equal. Other good Fanwing patterns are the Pale Evening Dun, the Dark Cahill, and the Pink Lady. The Fanwings are most productive when fly hatches are scarce and fish are on the lookout for surface food even though there may be none present. The large size of the Fanwings will attract attention to the surface and bring investigating rises from trout when no other fly will.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Omer F. Immell (1917)

The following blurb was sent in to me by Gary Miller. It is a nifty history of Omer F. Immell, the legendary lure designer responsible for one of the most iconic baits in history: the Chippewa. Immel was a fascinating guy and this is a neat history of him.

Omer F. Immell, hustling agent for the New York Life Insurance company, was born on a farm three miles east of Blair, April 22, 1872,  son of Francis M. and Anna (Storley) Immell. Francis M. Immell was born in Ohio, came to Wisconsin in 1851, lived at Black River Falls four years, came to Trempealeau County in 1856, located three miles east of Blair, and lived there until he moved to the village, where he died in 1913, his good wife having passed away the previous year. Omer F. Immell started out for himself while a boy in his early teens. As a youth he did farm work. For several years he was a clerk in the Farmers' Trading Association store at Blair.  For one year he traveled for the Ramer Candy Company, of Winona, and for six years the Winona Candy Company, of that city.  Later he traveled for seven years for the Kratchwil Candy Company, of La Crosse.  In 1913, he established at Blair, the Immell Bait Company for the manufacture of the "Chippewa Bait." 

Jan. 25, 1915, he accepted his present agency. In this capacity he has several times led the State organization in number of applications obtained, and in February and March, 1915, he led the district comprising Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and part of Canada.  The enclosed extract, taken from a journalistic source, is a well-merited tribute to his ability in the line of industry he follows:  "O. F. Immell, agent for the New York Life Insurance Company, has the honor of being one of seven to win a vice-presidency in what is termed by the company the $100,000 class. To be in this class an agent must sell over $100,000 worth of insurance.  Mr. Immell came close to doubling this figure, selling a total of $183,000 work of insurance for the year (1917).  By so doing he automatically elected himself a delegate from this district to the convention of that company at Atlantic City, which is held Thursday and Friday of this week.  Mr. Immell has worked hard for this honor and only a close attention to this business, coupled with the fact that he is well posted on insurance matters and represents one of the best companies, enabled him to win.  The company has this to say of him:  'He has the honor of having a larger volume, $183,000, than any other official in the club.  He is so close to the $200,000 club that we shall expect to see him there without fail one year from now.'

Mr. Immell was married Jan. 1, 1895, to Margaret McKivergin, a native of Trempealeau County, daughter of James McKivergin.  This union has resulted in two children:  Orrie and Florence.

(Transcribed from the "History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin, 1917", pages 628 - 629).

Thanks, Gary! This is a neat piece of Immel Chippewa history.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Edmund Ware Smith, Part II (1937)

Here is the second part of the article by Edmund Ware Smith on the state of current fly rods. Note how he gushes over the tubular steel fly rod by True Temper!

Enormous in his value to the fishing world, and in his influence in educating fishermen not only to the proper selection but the proper use of good fly tackle, is the maker of Weber Fly Tackle, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The fact that I have not owned a Weber fly rod is pure chance. I have used one in practice, and seen their arch-demonstrator, Bill Cook, use one in a way to make your mouth water--and Weber's catalog rates tops in instruction-interest along with South Bend's and Pflueger's. Weber's is fly-fishing exclusively, remember. They're specialists. Pflueger, on the other hand, sells pretty nearly everything a fisherman would need in a lifetime of fishing, and their catalog is guaranteed to give you a rare evening's entertainment, whether you be fly fisherman, baitcaster, or a salty angler of the deep blue sea.

Right down the center alley in value for cash on the line is any rod in mid-price range by Heddon and South Bend. A good mid-price-range is when you put a parenthesis around ($10-$20), like that. Horrocks-lbbotson and Montague make quantities of inexpensive rods--fly rods, surf rods, casting rods--rods of all descriptions. First fly rod I ever owned cost me $3.75 in a hardware store in Gorham, New Hampshire. Baldy bought one of the same, and we went to Maine and with them caught our first landlocked salmon, H.S.D. showing us how to cast a fly. Twenty years ago--tsk-tsk-tsk! Those two rods were made either by Montague or Horrocks-Ibbotson, I am reasonably certain.

A Special and a Favorite
A certain small specialist in fly tackle--and may he grow larger and wax prosperous for having designed and executed his "Imperial" fly rod--is Lyon & Coulson, 77 Swan St., Buffalo. Price: $18.75, unless there's a change for 1937 I haven't heard about. I fitted out mine with an HDH Ashaway Tob-Big line on a Bristol No. 65 fly reel, and got a marvellous balance and ease in casting. It's designed as a dry-fly rod, but I liked mine so much I fished it both ways. I think the boys from Buffalo have whittled themselves a peach of a value.

Always I think of Horton Mfg. Co. as makers of steel rods for still-fishing, trolling, and mighty near every other purpose. Practically every small boy buys his first fishin' rod out of Bristol, Connecticut--and many a man grown up to be, on some occasions at least, "an angler," has a Bristol telescopic rod, a stamped-out reel, and fifty yards or so of Kingfisher line. He may at times use this rod for still-fishing, for catching bait with which to catch larger fish, for horn-pouting, or for early season fishing-with-a-worm. For general-utility steel rods-of every shape and description--Horton has a big name. When we get in- to bait-casting talk, month or so hence, we'll have a lot to say about Meek and Bluegrass bait-casting reels, same company.

Tubular Dry-Fly Rod
Having led off last month with a note about the new True Temper dry-fly rod, the first shall this month be last in this discussion. I told you I thought the rod would be a peach, and it is better than that. It is truly a honey, and I am not one bit surprised. True Temper has been going to town, and where there is smoke there's fire--and there's fire in this 8-ft., 4 3/4 oz., beautifully finished and velvet-eased weepon.

Trial: Of course as I write this, open water is scarce, and it's cold as sin. But I fastened a reel equipped with an HCH line to the True Temper's screw-locking reel seat-and I amused the neighbors by giving them a free half-hour's demonstration of plain and fancy lawn-casting.

The maker suggested the HCH line, or if level, a D, as being good. Well, at forty feet with the HCH, this rod was doing its stuff easily on a par with anything I ever owned or operated in that weight class. I've had a heck of a time trying to find a word that will describe, or convey, this new rod's action. Brisk, quick, light, easy--it's all those. The rod has "life" and "fire" and "purpose." Its cork grip is nicely designed, and easy on the mitt. The rod's color is light gun-metal, and it's wound with black edged with white, like one of those white-tailed hornets - ah -that's the word I was after! The new True Temper dry-fly rod behaves with hornet action--quick, business-like, and very, very much to the point. And, alas, to round out the hornet metaphor, your bitter and hard-shelled correspondent is this moment stung with the realization that the steel rod and the split bamboo defy any further comparison. If there is any difference, maybe Izaak Walton could detect it. But I can't, and Izaak is dead these many years. Thus and henceforth, and using the new True Temper as a criterion, you must decide for yourself whether you want steel or bamboo. If I said anything to influence you either way, I'd be cheating.

Permanence of Steel
Just by way of caution: Don't abuse a good fly rod liust because it's steel and because you therefore think it's indestructible. A steel rod is probably slightly more indestructible, if it is possible to use that phrase, than a bamboo rod. They will both break or damage if you wrap them around a tree, run their tips into a bank, sit on them, or drop the window sash on their middle joints. Any breakage resulting from faulty construction will be replaced by a bamboo and (or) steel rod maker.

The judgment in such cases is--and should be--theirs. Never yet heard of an instance where they failed to make good. But if one scatters the joints of a bamboo or steel fly rod in amongst the old jacks and wrenches under the rear seat of his car, there to be rattled, joggled, bruised, and defaced, he should be forced by the National Guard to buy six new rods and distribute them among the deserving poor!

The Rigors of Wind
In the old days at the Cape Cod Trout Club, I used to hear Harry Tair talk about his "wind rod" and we all had "wind rods," heavy for use in gales; and we had dry-fly rods; and wet-fly rods. The modern dry-fly rod is stiff in action, eight or eight and a half feet. That's about all the term "dry-fly rod" means. And I am constrained to believe it's not essential to own a different rod for wet-and dry-fly fishing, and for high winds. A so-called "dry-fly rod" will fish a wet fly as niftily, to my mind, as the slightly longer, slightly more limber "wet-fly rod."

Opposite Extreme
Just before Cy and I left on the trout expedition above mentioned, I got a card from Ken Reid, saying: "Dear Ed: I am educating the trout of the Madison and Big-hole rivers to some of Joe Messinger's fanwings. It's hard to beat these Western (Montana) rivers." Well, I wasn't there, but I am certain Ken was using his 3 1/2-oz. Leonard dry-fly rod, long, tapered leaders tied by himself, and a Cahill, Pink Lady, or Royal Coachman fanwing, size 10 or 12. As for Ken's using a worm, I blush at the thought. In fact I do not think he ever used a shovel in his life, except to transplant some white birches I sent him once. To him, I expect a bare hook is defined as something to hang clothes on. A fly is something which buzzes in varying quantities in the neighborhood of the little board structure out back. But a dry fly is something beautiful, sublime, and floatable--and designed expressly for taking rainbow trout in fast water. So, again--Amen!

Voices from the Past: Edmund Ware Smith (1937)

The following article, broken up into two parts (this week and next here on the blog) details an analysis of ca. 1937 fly rods by a very underrated writer named Edmund Ware Smith. For a time, Smith was the angling editor the The National Sportsman, where this article appeared in March, 1937. I find it fascinating as he not only fished almost every available fly rod of the day, but knew many of the men who built them. Here is his analysis, taken up as responds to a letter from a California friend asking for advice about choosing an all-purpose fly rod:

Fishing and Fishermen
by Edmund Ware Smith

Memory and Anticipation
The rod I sent my California friend was a Heddon No. 35 New Peerless, 9 1/2 ft., weight approximately 6 1/2 ounces. Cost, $35. I wanted him to have a good rod, and he got it. And by reason of his letter, I am minded to tell of other good rods, as I have known them by actual casting contact.

The Heddon No. 35 is too heavy to be ideal for average trout-fly fishing for average men. But it approaches that mythical mark of "all-purpose." I simply mean that it behaves well on average water for trout, is at its best on heavy fish in heavy water and against hard winds, or in casting fly-rod lures for bass--bugs, small spinners, etc.--and may, at the heaviest extreme, be used for grilse and salmon.

But best weights and dimensions for your early fly fishing are 8 1/2 feet length, and about 4 3/4 ounces weight--and, of course, as inexpensive as you can buy with a reasonable guarantee of good service, good action, good balance. To my mind, and with a careful eye to all of these considerations, including price, the Heddon Blue Waters No. 10 is a good buy at $12. You have a good range in weights and lengths; actions run from sub-medium to stiff. I favor stiff action. Use a heavier line, which will cast much better in wind--and in general, having what is known as "direction," it will give you better accuracy than you can get with the lighter line.

Prices and Qualities
Up to a certain point, prices follow quality in an upward trend. That "point" is reached when refinements in action, bamboo selection, balance, and workmanship cease--and just plain "dolling up" begins. What earthly use to a fly rod is a hand-checkered Circassian walnut grip? None! If someone tried to pin me down to the price-point at which casting and lasting qualities cease, and luxury begins, I'd be perfectly willing to say "between twenty-five and thirty dollars," and start arguing if necessary.

I can't tell you exactly, but I have owned approximately thirty-five different fly rods of twelve different makers: Cross (for several years now owned by South Bend), South Bend, Heddon, TrueTemper, Edwards (owned for three years by Horton), Horton, Leonard, Montague, Horrocks-lbbotson, Thomas, Payne, and Lyon & Coulson.

It is not only difficult, but dangerous, to compare the products of all these makers. Yet it is not wholly pointless. I mean, a cautious analysis may serve to aid you in buying, for you may say to yourself: "I want a rod in this or that price and quality class." But be it remembered, your correspondent is just one individual, and any individual has his eccentricities. Definition: An eccentricity is a preference without sound reason. Or, degustibus non est disputandum, which is to say there is (sometimes) no accounting for taste.

Thus, having established an "out," even while burning my bridges behind me, I may say that the quality, price, balance, and all-around perfection of the Leonard, Thomas, Cross, Payne, and Edwards rods are high. Their prices in best grades are equaled only by their strutting value. In fact, when I was very young and very foolish, my whole bearing and vocabulary was wont to change the moment I began casting with a rod by any of the above makers, especially Leonard and Thomas. But mark you! And mark you carefully! If while using any of the above rods in top grades, some envious soul says: "Hah! You're paying for a name!" your prompt and witheringly valid comeback is this: "You're damn right I am--and it's a name worth paying for!"

NEXT WEEK: Part 2: A break-down of various makers.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: The Day the Tackle Ads Stopped (1893)

Voices from the Past: The Day the Tackle Ads Stopped (1893)

As statisticians tell us we have exited a major recession in the last financial quarter, I thought it would be interesting to run a little piece in Voices from the Past to show how the tackle industry was impacted by a similar economic downturn in 1893, referred to as the Depression of 1893 or the Panic of 1893.

Brought about by a collapse in the railroad industry--America's largest business--and worsened by a run on gold and silver, the Depression of 1893 saw unemployment spiral from 3% in 1892 to a high of 18.4% in 1894. It would not drop below 11.7% again until 1898, meaning this economic downturn lasted five years. At one point, 15,000 American businesses failed every month.


The financial panic was chronicled in this 1896 Broadway melodrama.
How did it effect the tackle industry? Many stalwart companies such as Thomas J. Conroy were forced into bankruptcy. By 1899, such titans of the Victorian tackle trade as U.S. Net & Twine and Merwin, Hulbert & Co. had vanished.

But even companies that survived were hurt. Here's an ad from May 11th, 1893 Forest & Stream showing how much the fortunes of even Abbey & Imbrie had been hit.


The firm had begun advertising with the magazine almost exactly 20 years before, and had not missed a single issue. To halt all advertising--even for a short period, as they returned not long afterward--is a remarkable example of how the economic panic had hit all quarters.

So let's pause and remember today the economic distress of the 1890s, and how, for a brief period, it even stopped the advertising for the best known New York trade house.

-- Dr. Todd

Voices from the Past: Isaac McLellan (1886)

Isaac McLelllan was the resident poet of the early American Angler, contributing dozens of pieces from the early 1880s to the 1890s. They were eventually collected into a charming little book called Poems of the Rod and Gun where Will Wildwood (the noted F.E. Pond) wrote an appreciation of him. McLellan was a friend and correspondent of Henry W. Longfellow and wrote the poems for Genio Scott's famed Fishing in American Waters. Here is one of my favorite of his poems.


WHEN THIS OLD ROD WAS NEW

WHEN this old rod was new,
'Twas in the vanish'd time,
When step was light and eye was bright,
And youth was in its prime. 

Oh! bright were then the skies
In the glory of the dawn, 

When the dews that gemm'd the grass 

Shone in the rosy morn.

Then oped the garden gate,
And down the bowery lane,
Hedg'd in with elm and chestnut,
My hasty path was ta'en;
And to the brawling brooks
That thro' the meadows twine
I hurried fast, with heart elate,
With the new rod and line.

When this old rod was new,
Full oft by the mill-dam edge,
Where the water-lilies grew
And the cat-tails and the sedge,
I stood on the bank, and threw
My line for the perch and bream,
In the cool, transparent stream,
When this old rod was new.

And up where the mountain brook
Pour'd swift over stone and sand,
Over yellow sand and crystal stone
I've stood with this rod in hand.
Then, where the dark eddies whirl'd,
In the shadow of pine and yew,
I cast my silken tackle
When this old rod was new.

I knew that under the bank,
Where deep was the pool scoop'd out,
Where the black tree-roots were hidden,
There lurk'd the spotted trout.
Then cautious and muffled my step,
And skilful the cast that I threw,
And glorious the captive prizes
When this old rod was new.

And oft on the ocean border,
Where the salt sea-surges beat,
On weedy and slippery boulder,
Have I stood my daring feet;
And there from profound abysses
The bass from their caves I drew,
Rejoicing in my triumphs
When this old rod was new.

And now that the silver circlet 

Of Time on my head is laid,
And years with their wintry blossoms 

My furrow'd brow invade,
I still by the brook and the seaside,
Those early sports renew,
And find the pastime as pleasant
As when this old rod was new.

-- Dr. Todd