American

Journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing

The

Fly Fisher

Foster BamPeter BowdenJane Cooke

Deborah Pratt DawsonE. Bruce DiDonato, MD

Ronald GardAlan Gnann

Gardner Grant Jr.James Heckman, MDArthur Kaemmer, MD

Karen KaplanWoods King III

William P. Leary IIIJames Lepage

Anthony J. MagardinoChristopher P. Mahan

Walter T. MatiaDavid Nichols

Robert A. Oden Jr.

Erik R. OkenAnnie Hollis PerkinsLeigh H. PerkinsFrederick S. PolhemusJohn RedpathRoger RiccardiFranklin D. Schurz Jr.Robert G. ScottNicholas F. SelchWarren SternRonald B. StuckeyTyler S. ThompsonRichard G. TischDavid H. WalshAndrew WardThomas WeberFrankie WolfsonJames C. WoodsNancy W. Zakon

Robert RuleyExecutive Director

Yoshi AkiyamaDeputy Director

Sarah FosterDirector of Development

Kelsey McBridePublic ProgramsCoordinator

Peter NardiniCommunicationsCoordinator

Samantha PitcherMembership and Events

Coordinator

Shane QuintanaGallery Assistant

Patricia RussellBusiness Manager

Reflection

S toss this journalaside, should you instead ventureinto its pages, you’ll find an issue that

reflects not only why people are attractedto the sport of fly fishing, but why theymight also be intrigued by its history. Among our offerings: A mystery more

than a century old. The worth of a bam-boo rod. The healing power of our sport.We show you artful fly wallets from ourcollection. We honor a fly-fishing greatwho has passed on. We host the Iron Fly atthe museum. And we thank you for helpingus keep fly-fishing history a current reality.How does an Eton- and Cambridge-

edu cated grandson of the Earl of Car -narvon end up disowned and living in thestates, only to become the most widelyread “American” sporting writer beforethe Civil War? For years, John Mundt hasbeen fascinated with the story of HenryWilliam Herbert, better known to mostby his nom de plume, Frank Forester. Lastyear, Mundt had hoped that an encounterwith a Herbert family member might leadto more information, but so far the bits ofForester’s life shrouded in mystery remainso. This year marks the th anniversaryof the birth of Henry William Herbert.Immerse yourself in Mundt’s fascinatingtelling of “Finding Frank Forester” byturning to page .Bamboo rod builder and appraiser

Fred Kretchman often gets calls from peo-ple who, one way or another, are in pos-session of an old bamboo rod and want toknow what it’s worth. Kretchman says thatthere’s no single source of accurate infor-mation about the monetary value of vin-tage rods because of the “bouillabaisse ofmixed inputs.” Sentimental value—whichcounts for a lot in his book—may nottranslate into monetary value. In “Bambooin the Closet: Treasure or . . . What?” (page), Kretchman offers up a general primeron the current bamboo rod market, shar-ing a couple of heartwarming stories alongthe way.Casting for Recovery, an organization

that provides free fly-fishing retreats for

women with breast cancer, was foundedin in Manchester, Vermont, by abreast cancer reconstructive surgeon anda professional fly fisher. Margot Page wasamong its founding members. In the newand expanded edition of her book, LittleRivers: Tales of a Woman Angler, Page in -cluded a chapter about this importantorganization, her memories of its earlydays, and the experience of one partici-pant, Carolyn, on retreat. After preparingthese pages for publication, we receivedthe sad news that Carolyn passed away onDecember . To read about this impor-tant organization and how it affects liveslike Carolyn’s, turn to page .Our Gallery piece (page ) highlights

the museum’s collection of fly wallets thatbelonged to Robert LaRhett Livingstonand his son, Robert Forsyth Livingston.Communications Coordinator PeterNardini and Director of Visual Com mu -n i cation Sara Wilcox collaborate in wordsand images to explain why these walletsare so special.In January, the fly-fishing world lost

angling mentor and conservationist BudLilly. Arnold Gingrich famously calledLilly “a trout’s best friend,” and PaulSchullery, at the museum’s HeritageAward dinner honoring Lilly, added that“Bud is also a best friend of the AmericanWest, whose landscapes he has done somuch to protect and whose very culturehe has helped to shape.” Another of Lilly’sbest friends, Bob Jacklin, offers up a re -mem brance on page .The museum held its second Iron Fly

event in February, a fun-filled, fly-tying,standing-room-only affair. Check out cov-erage on page , and join us next time.Thank you, dear members, for sup-

porting us with your membership. Andthanks to you who go the extra mile bydonating money, resources, and time. Alist of our generous donors begins onpage . You reflect how good we can be.

K AE

James HardmanDavid B. Ledlie

Leon L. MartuchPaul Schullery

Karen KaplanPresident

Robert A. Oden Jr.Vice President

Andrew WardVice President

James C. WoodsSecretary

Peter BowdenTreasurer

Martin Zimmerman

Sara WilcoxDirector of Visual Communication

From Genio C. Scott, Fishingin American Waters (NewYork: The American NewsCompany, ), .

the American Museum of Fly FishingJournal of

Parker CorbinBailey HallingbyWoods King IV

Albert NicholsDavid E. Nichols Jr.Jason M. Scott

’

E. M. BakwinMichael Bakwin

Foster Bam and Sallie BaldwinPeter Bowden

Meg BuckDayton Carr

Mark ComoraJane Cooke

Jon and Deborah Pratt DawsonAlex de Latour

Gardner Grant Jr.Arthur and Martha Kaemmer

Karen KaplanGerold Klauer

Robert McGrawDavid and Margaret NicholsThe Orvis CompanyLeigh and Anne PerkinsJennifer ProsekJohn RedpathEric and M. C. RobertsRobert and Karen ScottNicholas and Jean SelchTyler and Francis ThompsonRichard G. TischTed TurnerPaul VolckerAlan and Nancy Zakon

’

Dave Beveridge Tom Davidson

Charles Patrick Durkin Jr.Tom EvansEzra FieldDavid Ford

George and Beth GibsonAlan and Linda Gnann

Skip HermanPaul Tudor Jones

Wendy and Woods King IIIBill and Francesca Leary

Anne Lovett and Steve WoodsumChristopher MahanJanet Mavec and Wayne NordbergWilliam and Lynn McMasterTeresa and Robert Oden Jr.Erik and Jennifer OkenFranklin Schurz Jr.Warren SternRonald and Joan StuckeyPaul Van CuraAndrew and Elizabeth WardTom Weber

Finding Frank Forester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Mundt

Bamboo in the Closet: Treasure or . . . What? . . . . . . . . Fred Kretchman

Casting for Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margot Page

Gallery: The Glory Days of the Fly Wallet . . . . . . . . . . Peter Nardini

In Memoriam: Bud Lilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Jacklin

Museum Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fit to Be Tied Runs into Iron Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

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

:Henry William Herbert, in a daguerrotype produced by thestudio of Matthew Brady. Library of Congress Prints and PhotographsDivision, daguerrotype collection. LC-USZ-.

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

Kathleen AchorEditor

Sara WilcoxDesign & Production

Sarah May ClarksonCopy Editor

Robert and Debbie BruckerSalvatore CampofrancoPeter and Lillian Corbin

Anthony DavinoHugh Frater and Kirsten Feldman

Jon GibsonAlan Guarino

James and Susan HeckmanHarry HillTim Hixon

Joan and Herb Kelleher

Carmine LisellaWalter and Pam MatiaRichard and Lorraine McGinnBradford and Pamela MillsRodman and Christine PattonJoseph R. PerellaJason ScottMatthew and Kerry ScottGeorge Van HookCharles WaltonDavid Whitney

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Kendrick Wilson

space for FSC info

We welcome contributions to the American Fly Fisher. Before making a sub-mission, please review our Contrib utor’s Guidelines on our website(www.amff.org), or write to request a copy. The museum cannot acceptresponsibility for statements and interpretations that are wholly the author’s.

Daniel Ziff

Finding Frank Forester by John Mundt

Fly-fishing may well be considered the most beautiful of all rural sports. For, in addition to the great nicetyrequired to become proficient in the art, it is also absolutely requisite, for its successful attainment, to studymuch and long—how to adapt and blend the various materials used in the construction of a fly; how to con-struct the fly on certain defined rules; and, lastly, how to select your flies, thus carefully and correctly con-structed, in accordance with the state of the sky, the color of the water, and the peculiar habits of the fish indifferent rivers. The two first are tolerably easy to acquire; the last by far the most difficult of all. A lifetimedevoted to it would barely render a man decently knowing, for scarcely do two rivers present the sameappearance, two skies the same shadows, or the fish of two rivers the same tastes, and consequently no par-ticular rules can be laid down or plan devised which shall everywhere be infallible.

—From Frank Forester’s Fish and Fishing (New York: Excelsior Publishing House, ), .

Henry William Herbert, in a daguerrotype produced by the studio ofMatthew Brady. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division,

daguerrotype collection. LC-USZ-.

Frank Forester is an American enigma. Born into theBritish aristocracy as Henry William Herbert in London, he emigrated to America as a social exile for stillinexplicable reasons, wrote profusely on sport under anenduring pseudonym, and finally ended his own life in amost deliberate and dramatic way in Manhattan. Hisstory has fascinated sportsmen for generations, and I hopethat an answer to the mystery surrounding his exile fromBritish society will one day come to light. This research was first published for the Anglers’ Club of

New York Bulletin in . In May , Lady Carnarvon ofthe Herbert family (and now Downton Abbey fame) spokeat the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Connecticut,about her life at Highclere Castle. A high-school classmateof mine works at the Hill-Stead, and she hand-delivered thefollowing letter to Her Ladyship on my behalf.

May

Dear Lady Carnarvon:

Thank you for taking the time to share the legacy ofHighclere Castle and the Herbert family with all of us at theHill-Stead Museum this past week. We hope you enjoyed yourstay in America as much as we enjoyed having you visit with us.As an amateur historian, I was delighted with my recent

reading of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, andwas pleased to secure an autographed copy of Lady Catherineat Wednesday’s event.Your clear passion for the history of Highclere Castle and

the Herbert family legacy inspired me to present you with the

enclosed information about Henry William Herbert. HenryWilliam earned fame in nineteenth-century America as oneour most prolific writers on sport. His pseudonym, “FrankForester,” is still widely known today. The enclosed article Iresearched for the Anglers’ Club of New York summarizesHenry William’s fame and the mystery shrouding his emigra-tion to America. Henry William Herbert and the AmericanPublishing Scene, –, published by Luke White Jr. in ,sheds further light on this brilliant and enigmatic person.Henry William’s emigration to America remains one of

the great unsolved mysteries in American literature, and it ismy sincere hope that your Highclere Castle archivist mightbe able to shed some additional light on this mercurial life.This is a tragic but fascinating story that forever links theHerbert family with America and its sporting culture.

Yours sincerely,John Mundt

The secret remains buried, as no reply or acknowledgmenthas been received to date.This year marks the th anniversary of Henry William

Herbert’s birth, and I am grateful that the AmericanMuseum of Fly Fishing chose to share this Frank Foresterstory and its mysteries with our membership.

—JM

An earlier version of this article first appeared in the Spring issueof the Anglers’ Club Bulletin (vol. , no. ).

Henry William Herbert. Photo by P. Stabler. Undated.From the Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and

Manuscript Library, Henry William Herbert collection,call number YCAL MSS , object number .

M P C isan eerie place. It’s certainly theeeriest I’ve ever visited while

pursuing an angling-related activity. Itwas a mild mid-December afternoon,with trees bare and sun shining, and stillthere were daggerlike shadows cast inevery direction from the branches ofmature sycamore and oak trees, forbid-ding wrought-iron fences, and ornateVictorian-era grave markers. Perchedhigh on a hillside overlooking the PassaicRiver above Newark, New Jersey, it wouldbe the perfect setting for the Ghost ofChristmas Yet to Come to transport amodern-day Ebenezer Scrooge to ponderthe result of his miserly ways. My father and I were working togeth-

er in the area that day, and upon mymentioning why we needed to make thisbrief detour, he gave me that blank starethat all devoted sportsmen have encoun-

tered at one time or another under vary-ing circumstances. As we began to navi-gate our way through the narrow ceme-tery roads searching for Section D, Lot, I could only roll my eyes when Iheard my father replying to someoneduring a cell phone conversation that, “IfI told you where I was right now, you’dthink I was out of my mind.” After beingpressed further, he answered, “My son’sdriving me around some cemetery inNewark looking for a dead fisherman’sgrave.” I quietly kept driving but at thesame time thought that he might just bethe only sane person in the car. My interest in visiting this particular

gravesite was certainly not unique. WhenI placed my initial phone call to the care-taker’s office several months before, hesaid, “Oh yeah, he’s buried here. We’vehad quite a few people ask about him overthe years.” He gave me the precise location

over the telephone, but added that itwouldn’t be easy to find on my own. Isoon discovered that he was right. The caretaker’s office was closed when

we first arrived, and after driving aroundaimlessly, we finally met up with a ceme-tery maintenance worker, Luis Morales,who was holding a broom and dustpanand appeared to be cleaning out a mau-soleum. Why else would a shiny copper cof-fin be out resting on the grass?, I thought.Luis went on to tell us that someone hadbroken into the mausoleum the nightbefore and that he was cleaning up the sitenow that the police had left. When Inaively asked if it had been someonelooking for jewelry to steal, his reply wasthat it was most likely the activity of thosewho practice the arcane religion ofSantería, being that the entire body hadbeen taken. He didn’t appear to be shakenover the event and nonchalantly addedthat this has happened before. Shakingour heads in bewilderment—my father’sshaking slightly more than mine—weasked if he could lead us to Lot , in sec-tion D. Luis said, “Sure, no problem,” andtook out an old yellowing map of thisincreasingly bizarre place.As we walked past many of the ornate

mausoleums and century-old monu-ments into section D, my father and I hadnow adopted a let’s-find-this-guy-and-get-the-hell-out-of-here attitude. After abrief search, I finally located the simpleslab of Belleville freestone that read:

TO

“FRANK FORESTER” BY THE

NEWARK HERBERT ASSOCIATIONMAY , HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT

OF ENGLANDAGED YEARS

INFELICISSIMUS.BORN APRIL , LONDONDIED MAY , NEW YORK

Infelicissimus. The loose translation ofthis epitaph, offered by a fellow anglerwho had majored in Latin and Greek,was “very unhappy.” One Forester biog-rapher, Luke White Jr., defined it asmeaning “the most unhappy one.”

So there we were, standing at the sitewhere Henry William Herbert—the leg-endary Frank Forester—an Eton- andCambridge-educated grandson of theEarl of Carnarvon and, more important-ly to me, the father of American sportingliterature, was laid to rest. I rememberedreading that we would now be just ahundred or so paces from the site whereForester’s famous home and writingplace, the Cedars, had once stood.

Forester’s tombstone in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey.

John Mundt

As I wandered to the edge of the hill-top overlooking the Passaic River, a men-tal picture of what it must have been likea century and a half earlier began todevelop. To my left was Herbert Way, adeep gully road just outside the fencethat originally led from Broadway downto the Cedars. To my right was the sky-line of Newark, and behind me wereacres of tombstones. Herbert’s biogra-phers wrote that he chose this place forhis home because it was quiet and thatthe cemetery would create a bufferagainst encroaching development. Forester biographer William South -

worth Hunt mentioned a legend sur-rounding Aaron Burr’s cavalrymen hang-ing a British spy on that hill during theAmerican Revolution. There was alsoreference to an earlier tale about a witchbeing killed and buried in an unmarkedgrave on the hillside, who supposedlyhaunted the area.

In the s, the cemetery groundswere smaller, and the Cedars was its lone

countryside neighbor. Herbert wouldroutinely pass through a small gate thatled from his property and through thecemetery for the -mile walk to Newark.After nightfall, he would take a circuitousroute back, as he was not fond of grave-yards in the evening. This I understood. As my father and I drove past the care-

taker’s house and through the toweringstone-and-iron gateway back onto urbanasphalt, I felt a sense of relief as we enteredthe world of the living again. The residentcaretaker was never going to have toworry about me coveting his job, and Iwas quite certain that Frank Foresterwould not have been pleased with the waythe old neighborhood had changed.

BANISHED TO NEW YORK

The reader will notice that eighteenyears had elapsed from the date ofForester’s death to when the NewarkHerbert Association stepped forward toerect that simple stone memorial above

what had been his unmarked grave. Theassociation was formed by a group offriends and admirers to raise funds nec-essary to mark the site in accordancewith Forester’s last wishes.The reason why a highly regarded

British noble family had willingly con-doned having one of their own laid torest in an unmarked grave points to amystery predating Forester’s arrivalin New York City. A short walk from the Bowling Green

subway station to number Beaver Streetoff Bowling Green would bring you to theplace where Reverend R. TownsendHuddart’s Classical Institute had oncestood. Here was where a lonely twenty-four-year-old aristocrat, with the possibil-ity of someday inheriting the earldom ofCarnarvon, was promptly offered theposition of Greek and Latin preceptor tothe privileged boys enrolled there. An ini-tial desire to practice law had been thwart-ed by his unwillingness to swear off alle-giance to the British crown as a final

Henry William Herbert and his sister Louisa Catherine Georgina.From a miniature painting in possession of P. C. D. Mundy.

Undated, artist unknown. From the Yale University Beinecke RareBook and Manuscript Library, Henry William Herbert collection,

call number YCAL MSS , object number .

Henry William Herbert. From a small oil portrait at the Cedars.Undated, artist unknown. From the Yale University Beinecke RareBook and Manuscript Library, Henry William Herbert collection,

call number YCAL MSS , object number .

requirement for gaining American citizen-ship. And though he was a lover ofShakespeare and the dramatic arts, friendstactfully persuaded him to forego hisdream of playing Hamlet on a major stage.From Reverend Huddart’s school, the

man who would eventually become FrankForester made acquaintances among theaffluent sporting families of New Yorksociety and embarked on a tumultuouswriting career that would give witness todisappointment and pain, but wouldeventually lead to his unexpected fame asthe most widely read “American” sportingwriter before the Civil War. One of Forester’s most celebrated

angling works, Trouting along the Cata -sauqua, was reissued by the nearbyAnglers’ Club of New York in in aprivate publication of copies byEugene Connett’s Derrydale Press. Theforeword by Harry Worcester Smith pro-vides interesting insight about the com-plex nature of this celebrated author.Using William Mitchell Van Winkles’sbibliography compiled in , HenryWilliam Herbert: A Bibliography of HisWritings, –, as a reference wouldgive the curious reader years of materialfrom which to select.To me, the most interesting biograph-

ical account of Forester’s life was foundin a personal copy of a small -page vol-ume, Frank Forester: A Tragedy in Exile,issued in a limited edition of copiesby the Carteret Book Club of Newark,New Jersey, in . The author, WilliamSouthworth Hunt, undertook an exhaus-tive level of research that included scour-ing public records in both the UnitedStates and Great Britain.An account published while

Herbert was alive stated, “In the spring of, Mr. Herbert met with a severe pecu-niary reverse, which suddenly reducedhim from affluence, and he resolved totry his future in the United States.”

Other accounts cite the treachery of afiduciary trustee. Hunt’s research wasthorough and led him to cut to the coreof the mystery surrounding Forester’sexodus. Hunt uncovered no evidence of atrust being in place until much later,when Herbert’s father helped him securea permanent residence at the Cedars.There was proof clearly demonstratingthat the father had settled all of his son’sdebts, even at the expense of liquidatingsome of his own property. Furthermore,there was no trace of involvement withany bankruptcy proceedings. And Huntpoints out that Forester arrived with let-ters of recommendation to present on abrief visit to Canada, a country thatwould not have welcomed him had hebeen a fugitive from justice. Hunt’s con-clusion was this:

The reason lies deeper, and we sense anoffense against the rigorous social codeof his class, an offense that no paternalsettlement could clear. There is noproof but ample evidence that HenryWilliam Herbert fled debts of honor.Suffice it to say that his life-long abhor-rence of cards and all sorts of gambling,carried to extremes by those who knewhim; his avoidance of Englishmen of hisown station in life; his father’s kindnessshown to him in all necessities, but withthe clear expectation that his son couldnever be other than an exile; the familyavoidance of any recognition of him;and the character of his morose anguishthrough the twenty-eight remainingyears of his life indicate the nature ofthe offense.

Hunt’s distillation of all he hadresearched likely had merit. According toone of Herbert’s students and lifelongfriends, Colonel Thomas Picton, “Al -though originally intended for theChurch, for which establishment he everexpressed the highest regard, the young

scholar appears to have committed someindiscretion preventing his prosecutionof theological studies.” He also said that“For a few years succeeding his arrival[to the United States], he constantlyanticipated a recall to his native land,upon the occurrence of some contin-gency in family affairs he was loath toexplain, for Herbert was ever reticent asto incidents in his past life, and veryrarely, and then ambiguously, alluded tohis prospects of, or intention for, thefuture.”

Whatever the reasons, Henry Williamlurked on the continent in France andBelgium through the winter of , andearly in , with money given him byhis father, he sailed for New York. Hewould not set foot on English soil again. While performing his research, Hunt

had written directly to the Herbert fam-ily inquiring about Henry William, butthe sitting Earl of Carnarvon communi-cated through his secretary that therewas no knowledge of a Henry William

Henry William Herbert by George Gates Ross. Oil on canvas. Undated. From the YaleUniversity Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Henry William Herbert col-

lection, call number YCAL MSS , object number .

Herbert ever being in their family. Sadly,the banishment followed him even indeath. When considering what this promis-

ing Cambridge graduate could havedone to warrant such disdain, I couldonly surmise that his father’s values—reflected in his position as a prominentmember of the Anglican clergy—musthave demanded a stern response to theoffense in question. Conversely, it musthave been a genuine sense of Christiancompassion that inspired the elderHerbert to offer the varying degrees offinancial support that were evidentlyprovided to his estranged son.

A RUT-FILLEDROAD TO FAME

The writing career that eventuallygave birth to the pseudonym FrankForester was initially inspired by anambition to become one of the great his-torical and classical romance writers ofthe age. With bills to pay, but sincerely

believing that he had a reputation toprotect, there were frequent anonymoussubmissions to the mainstream periodi-cals, as well as quiet employment trans-lating foreign works for an Americanreadership. To him, the name HenryWilliam Herbert was to be reserved forthose romance and poetry efforts thatwere deemed worthy of such attribution.As time moved on, some works were cel-ebrated while others were overlooked. The volume of writing that emanated

from Forester’s goose-quill pens was pro-lific by any standard. Noted bibliophileJeffrey Norton had amassed one of thefinest private collections of Forester worksever brought to auction. His January auction catalog listed seventy-twovolumes by or involving Frank Forester.In it, Norton quotes the authoritative bib-liographer William Mitchell Van Winkle:

To what author can one turn and findsuch an infinite variety of achieve-ments? He was a good poet, a translatorof French, Latin and Greek works, awriter of romances, histories and

sports. In his sporting works alone hisversatility is amazing, for in addition towriting those masterpieces of shooting,hunting and fishing, “The WarwickWoodlands,” “My Shooting Box,” “TheDeerstalkers,” and “The QuorndonHounds,” he also wrote technical bookson field sports, on game, on fishing andon horses, all of which are outstandingin their line, even to the present day. Inaddition he edited and contributedbooks about dogs, edited magazinesand gift annuals and was an artist of nomean ability, often drawing the illustra-tions for his own works and carving thewood-blocks. I know of no other writerwhose record can compare with that ofHerbert, and we must particularly bearin mind that all of this was accom-plished in the short space of time fromhis landing in the United States in until his unfortunate death . . . in .

Norton added that “it is ironic that hislegacy now, nearly years later, are hissporting novels. In these he defined asporting ethic and was the first to raisethe national consciousness about conser-vation. He argued for stricter game laws

FORESTER FISHING

Frank Forester’s essay, “Trout-Fishing on Long Island,” was a featured contribution to the first American edition of TheComplete Angler as edited by George Washington Bethune (New York and London: Wiley & Putnam, ). His mostwidely known angling title is Frank Forester’s Fish and Fishing (London: Richard Bentley, ). Here is an excerpt fromTrouting along the Catasauqua (New York: Derrydale Press, , –).

At one o’clock they paddled leisurely back to the cabin, lunched frugally on a crust of bread and a glass of sherry, and awaitedthe hour when the hemlock’s shadow would be on the white water. At the moment they were there; and lo! The big trout was feeding fiercely on natural fly. “Be ready, Frank, and when next he rises drop your fly right in the middle of his bell.” “Be easy, I mean it.” His line, as he spoke, was describing an easy circle around his head; the fish rose not. The second revolu-

tion succeeded; the great trout rose, missed his object, disappeared; and, on the instant, right in the centre of the bell, ere theinmost circle had subsided, the snipe feather fell and fluttered. With an arrowy rush, the monster rose, and as his broad tail showedabove the surface, the merry music of the resonant click-reel told that Frank had him. Well struck, he was better played, killedunexceptionably; in thirteen minutes he lay fluttering on the greensward, lacking four ounces of a six-pounder. The snipe featherand mouse body won the day in a canter. So off they started up the stony brook.

From Frank Forester’s Fish and Fishing(New York: Excelsior Publishing House,), facing page .

at a time when the typical Americanassumed there was no end to the bountyof his woods and streams. Herbert’ssporting works are most highly esteemedand valued; however, for a collector it ishis other works that are really hard tofind.” To add further irony, in the begin-ning it was his sporting works thatHerbert vehemently insisted remainanonymous. In , George Porter, edi-tor of the early American sporting jour-nals Spirit of the Times and the AmericanTurf Register and Sporting Magazine, sug-gested the name Frank Forester as ameans of providing a fitting nom deplume to an accomplished man of thefield who did not want his baptismalname associated with the fledgling genreof outdoor writing. As the Forester writ-ings grew in popularity both here and inEngland, he would eventually shed theveil of secrecy and take full advantage of

the acclaim he had always coveted. Astime has testified, the work of FrankForester has endured while the nameHenry William Herbert has faded intoobscurity. As a person, Forester was an enigma.

On the one hand, he was a volatile manengaged in hotly contested quarrels witheditors and publishers. There was deepanimosity directed toward critics, whichincluded Edgar Allan Poe. Then therewere publicized incidents of brawling,duels, drunkenness, and his supposedlyfiring a shot at one journalist’s headbefore being subdued by the patrons ofWashington Hall Ballroom. Money wasreadily earned but quickly thrown aboutin the maintenance of a patrician lifestyle. Conversely, he was admired and loved

until the day of his death by the studentswho had been under his tutelage atHuddart’s school. As Hunt wrote, “There

he was a success, for among his few for-tunate gifts was the ability to makeyoung men like him and to commandthe trust and affection of children. Thereis never anything essentially bad in suchmen.” There were other references tohim being a generous host to all who vis-ited the Cedars regardless of their stationin life. Another biographer, C. G. Hine,

spoke with men who had knownHerbert. “Those who so remember himrather resent the fact that his brawls havebeen made so much of and his virtuesneglected by such as write of him, forthey recall him as an attractive man andpleasant companion with many kindlyqualities. . . . He was apt to be brusquewith those he did not like, and when‘beyond his depth’ through too greatconviviality inclined to be ugly whenopposed.”

“Henry Wm. Herbert, The Cedars.” FromDavid W. Judd, ed., Life and Writings ofFrank Forester, vol. I (New York: OrangeJudd Company, ), frontispiece.

From David W. Judd, ed., Life and Writings of Frank Forester, vol. II(New York: Orange Judd Company, ), frontispiece.

The hand fate had dealt him was mostcertainly a difficult one, and frustrationappeared to lurk around every corner. Hisfirst wife, a timid daughter of the mayorof Bangor, Maine, died shortly after givingbirth to their daughter, Louisa, who inturn died several months later. Their firstchild, a son named William, was then sentoff to live with the Herbert family inEngland, from which he never returned. Itwas horrific circumstances such as thesethat finally inspired an act of mercy fromhis clergyman father: Frank Forester wasinstructed to secure a permanent dwellingof his own to be kept in trust with theHerbert family.The Cedars was purchased with a fif-

teen-hundred-dollar allowance. His fatherwas reported to have said that, “Had a safeman like Henry Clay been president ofthe United States [rather than James K.Polk] he would have felt like investingmore.”

Forester must have been elated, as canbe sensed through the following verse hepenned shortly thereafter:

A home, a home! Yes, Yes! Though stilland small,

I have a home where the soft shadows fall From the dim pine-trees, and theriver’s sigh

Like voices of the dead wails ever nigh.

In addition to finally having a hometo call his own, another small consola-tion was that Frank Forester’s writingswere being widely read and applauded byAmerican and British audiences duringhis lifetime. He was earning a favorableincome, and solace could always befound with his select group of friends inthe quiet fields where fish and gameabounded, most of these being within miles of New York City. Such retreatsmust surely have awakened fond memo-ries of his younger days in the Yorkshirecountryside where his sporting ethic wasnurtured. “Frank Forester” was a celebrity role

he relished. His walking to and from theCedars in hunting attire, always with adog by his side, became a regular sightfor those living in the area.

BACK TO BOWLING GREEN

The Frank Forester story had its quietbeginning within a few blocks of BowlingGreen at Beaver Street. Its sad endingwould take place in the same vicinity atthe Stevens House on Bowling Green aquarter of a century later. Frank Forester’s second marriage was

to Adela Budlong on February .His bride was a former actress who had

recently been divorced. Her motives formarrying and shortly thereafter aban-doning Forester are based on conjecture.Was she an opportunist enamored by hisnoble pedigree, only to discover thatthere was nothing left of it to benefitthem when she arrived at the Cedars? Orwas he guilty of extreme cruelty, as herdivorce filing claimed? It’s difficult toguess either way. Contemporaries of Forester said that

he deeply grieved the loss of his firstwife, often staring at a painting of her forhours at a time. Had he finally discov-ered real love again after all of thetragedies he had endured? On the otherhand, he was also known to have sufferedsevere mood swings and displays of“melancholy” when hosting guests at theCedars. The fact is that Adela left the Cedars

one day by the cemetery gate under thepretense of visiting some friends in NewYork. She said that she missed the cityand would like to move back. Foresterconsented, stayed behind to settle somelocal affairs, and followed a few days later. Upon his arrival in New York, he took

a room at the Stevens House and awaitedword from his wife. Reality set in weekslater when divorce papers arrived fromOhio. Herbert was despondent.

The Cedars. Lithograph. Undated. From the Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library,Henry William Herbert collection, call number YCAL MSS , object number .

“Years ago the dwelling burned to the ground, and scarce a vestige remains of a place hallowed in thememory of all American sportsmen. The ruins have been mostly removed to enlarge the cemetery bound-aries, and the clinging vines upon the crumbling ruins, and a few cedars, only remain to mark the spotwhere once lived one of the most versatile, talented, and eccentric authors on the American continent.”

—Fred Pond (“Will Wildwood”), quoted inThe Hitchcock Edition of Frank Forester,vol. IV: The Deerstalkers (New York: Derrydale Press, ), .

On the evening of May , hedrafted numerous letters to friends invit-ing them to a banquet at his room thefollowing evening. His friend, formerstudent, and fellow Englishman PhilipAnthon was the only person to acceptthe invitation. They dined and converseduntil : a.m., when Herbert excusedhimself, walked to his bedroom, andthen fired a single shot into his heartwith a pistol. His last words to Anthonwere, “I told you I would do it.” Thesuicide was committed exactly threemonths after his wedding day. Several suicide notes carried specific

statements and requests. Forester wantedsomeone to care for his dog, to be buriedin a friend’s reserved burial plot atMount Pleasant Cemetery, instructionsto be followed concerning his tombstoneand epitaph, and the same clergyman

who had married him to preside over hisfuneral. This last request was denied onthe grounds of suicide; another memberof the clergy, willing to set aside churchlaw, had to be found. A note to a friend, Anson Livingston,

said in part, “The time has come . . . threemonths since the happiest days of my life. . . home, hope, sunshine, she . . . . all islost forever.” And “My life, long, sad, soli-tary and weary, without an objectbeyond labor to earn a living for a day. . .of my private history few men know any-thing . . . no one knows the whole.”

Herbert’s long letter to the press con-cluded: “If I have sinned and sorrowedmuch, I have also loved much, more per-haps than I have either sinned or sor-rowed. It is the last drop that overflowsthe golden bowl, the last tension thatbreaks the silver chord; my last hope is

gone, my last love and my life go togeth-er, and so good night to . May, .” His final tragic act extin-guished the turbulent life of an Amer -ican author of British birth. The contents of the Cedars were

allegedly confiscated by a notoriousmoneylender and were never seen again.The property was then liquidated by theHerbert family, and the house burned tothe ground not many years later. The landis now part of Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

THE FORESTER LEGACY

The paradox, for lack of a better word,is that Frank Forester, despite his woes,gave his and future generations some ofthe most beautiful writing on sport thathas ever been printed. Although it can bedifficult to follow a style from yearsago, those of us who feel contentmentwhile holding a rod or gun in places ofserenity can enjoy and relate to Forester’swritings today as much as those whopreceded us. We could certainly feel pity for such a

tormented man while being grateful thathe left us with a clear window into theforgotten world of pre–Civil War sports-men. Should his unsettled spirit havetaken up residence near Bowling Green,we can only assume that he has driftedover to the Anglers’ Club of New York onoccasion to witness the camaraderie andconviviality of those who have helpedkeep his memory alive.

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. Luke White Jr., Henry William Herbertand the American Publishing Scene, –(Newark, N.J.: Carteret Book Club, ), .

. William Southworth Hunt, FrankForester: A Tragedy in Exile (Newark, N.J.:Carteret Book Club, ), .

. Hunt, Frank Forester, –.. According to David Wright Judd’s Life

and Writings of Frank Forester, vol. I (NewYork: Orange Judd Company, ), “HenryWilliam Herbert was buried in MountPleasant Cemetery, a few hundred paces dis-tant from where originally stood ‘TheCedars,’ the grounds formerly occupied byhis house having been incorporated intothose devoted to burial purposes afterdestruction by fire of that edifice. For eigh-teen years his grave remained unmarked bytablet or stone, his relatives in England refus-ing to devote any portion of the proceedsarising from the sale of ‘The Cedars’ towardssuitable perpetuation of his memory” ().

. Trouting along the Catasauqua firstappeared in a periodical and is classified as oneof Forester’s “fugitive sporting sketches.” It waspublished in book form first in Will Wildwood[F. E. Pond], ed., Frank Forester’s FugitiveSporting Sketches; Being the Miscellaneous

From Frank Forester’s Fish and Fishing (New York:Excelsior Publishing House, ), facing page .

Articles upon Sport and Sporting, OriginallyPublished in the Early American Magazines andPeriodicals (Westfield, Wisc.: Will Wildwood,) and later included in Judd’s Life andWritings of Frank Forester, vol. I (–).

. The Men of the Time or Sketches ofLiving Notables (Clinton Hall, N.Y.: Redfield,), . The novelist William MakepeaceThackery, a contemporary of Forester’s,apparently also found life as a student inthose days unnecessarily wild. “In February, Thackeray entered Trinity College,Cambridge. Although he strived to be anhonors student, he also enjoyed socializingwith his literary-minded classmates, hostingand attending popular ‘wine parties,’ andgambling frequently. Dissatisfied by his lowmarks, he left Cambridge after the Easterterm of . He later wrote, “I should like toknow . . . how much ruin is caused by thataccursed system, which is called in England‘the education of a gentleman.’ Go, my son, toa public school, that ‘world in miniature’;learn to ‘fight for yourself ’ against the timewhen your real struggles shall begin.” (“TheAdventures of Thackeray in His Way throughthe World: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, HisFriends and His Family. Chapter : In Which aYoung Thackeray Receives His Education, InMore Ways than One.” http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/exhibits/thackeray/chapter.cfm. Accessed November .)

. Hunt, Frank Forester, .. Hunt, Frank Forester, –.. Judd, Life and Writings of Frank

Forester, vol. I, .. Ibid., –.. William Mitchell Van Winkle, quoted

in Jeffrey Norton, The Angling Library of JeffreyNorton (auction catalogue, sale ) (SanFrancisco: PBA Galleries, January ), .

. Norton, The Angling Library of JeffreyNorton, .

. Hunt, Frank Forester, .. C. G. Hine, Woodside, The North End

of Newark, N.J.: Its History, Legends and GhostStories, Gathered from the Records and theOlder Inhabitants Now Living (n.p.: HinesAnnual, ), .

. Hunt, Frank Forester, .. First published anonymously in The

Literary World, vol. (New York: Osgood & Co.,), . Republished with attribution toHenry William Herbert in a letter dated May by “HELA”—interestingly, the day afterHerbert’s death—to The Historical Mag azine,vol. (New York: C. Benjamin Richardson,), . https://books.google.com/books? id=-SSFDDwBBfwC&pg=PA &lpg=PA&dq=%A+home,+a+home,+Yes,+Yes!+Though+still+and+small%&source=bl&ots=tVogHyoIx&sig=qxZvNefxhnyhjAruEDkWkSso&hl=en&sa=X&ved=ahUKEwjOLXqLQAhUGYMKHRUBOQAEIGzAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed November .

. Hunt, Frank Forester, . . Hunt, Frank Forester, , . . The Newark Herbert Association, The

Newark Herbert Association to “Frank Forester,”In Memoriam, May , (Newark, N.J.:Ward & Tichnor, ), .

Woodcut drawings by Henry William Herbert for hisbook Frank Forester’s Fish and Fishing (New York:Excelsior Publishing House, ), , , .

T began with afamiliar theme: “Hello, Fred. Myname is John. I was referred to you

by Bill at North Country Anglers. Hesaid you could help me out. I have mydad’s old bamboo fly rod, and I’m won-dering what it’s worth and how I mightgo about selling it. Can you help me?” I hear this type of question frequently,

often at shows or presentations where Italk about crafting bamboo rods. Itseems as though almost everyone knowssomeone with an old rod (or a bunch ofthem) in the closet, but few have any clueas to what they have. The value of vin-tage bamboo rods can be measured in

different ways, financially and sentimen-tally, so my first questions relate to thehistory of the rod: Has it been in thefamily? If so, how long? Is there a maker’sname on the rod? What do you intend todo with it: fish it, display it, or stow itaway in the closet?On the phone, John explained that his

father lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut,and knew a man named Gillum whomade this fly rod for him in . My earsperked up with that information, sinceHarold “Pinky” Gillum had a reputationfor making high-quality bamboo rods.John said his father rarely fished this rod,so he considered the condition to beexcellent. Toward the end of our conver-sation, I recommended that John bringthe Gillum to my shop on his way toYork, Maine. I advised him that he not

take any offers on the rod, even if some-one offered him $,, because this rodwas worth a lot more money than that. A few weeks later, John and his wife

stopped by my shop, -foot Gillum rod inhand. It was just as he described: barelyany soiling on the cork handle, the origi-nal bag and tube with the original paperlabel intact. What a find! They both pep-pered me with questions about Mr.Gillum, as well as what I thought of therod itself. At one point, his wife asked mewhat it was worth. “Well, I could pick upthe phone and make one call right nowand sell it for $,.” You should haveseen the surprised look on her face . . . itwas far more than she figured it wouldbring. I gave her a few moments to catchher breath, then I said: “But I won’t dothat to you. This rod is worth twice that

Bamboo in the Closet:Treasure or . . . What?

by Fred Kretchman

This article first appeared in the Fall issue ofGordon’s Quill (vol. , no. ), a publication ofTheodore Gordon Flyfishers Inc.

An -foot Gillum bamboo fly rod brought to the author for his appraisal.

Fred Kretchman

amount.” You could have knocked herover with a feather. She was speechless.Because neither of them fly fished, theyhad no clue as to the monetary value ofsomething that had been hidden in theircloset for fifty-plus years. Fewer thanforty-eight hours later, I had secured afull-price buyer for their Gillum rod—at$,. There is no single source of accurate

information about the monetary valueof vintage fly rods these days: no book,dealer price list, not even eBay can tellyou what your vintage rod is worth.That’s because the “market” value is abouillabaisse of mixed inputs. For exam-ple: How scarce is the rod? Was it a high-er-quality rod, compared with the com-petition when it was made? Does it havethe original bag, tag, and tube with label?How long is the rod, and what lineweight does it cast? Who made it? Was itmade by a famous person or shop orsomeone rather obscure? Are there sto-ries or myths surrounding the makerthat would affect how his workmanshipis perceived by the public? Has therebeen a history of astronomically highprices paid in the past for similar rods?How desirable is the rod for fishing?How many other potential buyers arethere, and how will it be marketed? Whatis the condition, and how much of therod is original? Anyone who has watched episodes of

Antiques Road Show on PBS knows howimportant history and knowledge are indetermining the monetary value of anantique. The same applies to vintagebamboo, so here are some generalitiesthat may help you understand whetheryou have a treasure or something less inyour possession.

• Generally speaking, the shorter the rod, the more desirable it is for fishing and the higher its value. Fly rods feet or shorter usually com-mand the highest dollar.

• If it was a high-quality rod when it was made, it will have the same appeal to today’s fly fishers and rod collectors.

• Condition is so important! A high-grade rod in poor condition is worthonly a fraction of the value com-pared with one in excellent shape.

• Don’t buy into the myth that just because a rod was made by a well-known shop or individual, it is a better-quality rod and worth more. For example, Leonard rods varied widely in quality, depending on who owned and managed thecompany after the fire that gutted the H. L. Leonard Rod Company inthe mid-s. The exception to

this rule is Payne rods made by either Jim Payne or his father, Ed Payne. They held to the highest-quality standards of any rod maker for more than sixty years.

• Look for quality features on the rod: genuine agate stripping guides (a costly upgrade); perfectly executedsilk wraps over the guides; aestheti-cally pleasing cosmetics; flawless varnish finish; richly blued compo-nents; high-quality cork in the han-dle; straight bamboo sections, all ofexactly the same length; and fer-rules that fit with velvety smooth-ness all the way. Engraving (not stamping) of any kind usually indi-cates exceptional quality.

• Originality is so important! Any work that is performed on a rod tends to devalue it unless that workis so close to the original that it is indistinguishable. A totally refur-bished rod, especially one refur-bished to nonprofessional stan-dards, is worth less than half the value of a similar rod in originalcondition.

• When it comes to good looks, just because a rod is jazzed up cosmeti-cally is no guarantee that the rod is a great caster. We all cast differently,so when someone pronounces that a particular rod casts exceptionally well, it may not perform the same way in your hands. The best rod makers produced actions that fit the customer with little need to adjust his or her casting stroke.

By now it should be obvious that inorder to give someone an accurateappraisal of the monetary value of his orher bamboo rods, it is important toexamine the rod in hand. However, I’velisted below some general value cate-gories of rods, assuming they are ingood-to-excellent original condition.

• High-end rods: Paynes (made by Jim before his death in ), Gillums, Garrisons, Dickersons, “Sam” Carlsons, Paul Youngs.

• Midlevel rods: F. E. Thomases, H. L.Leonards (shorter than feet), E. C.Powells (hollow built), R. L. Winstons(shorter, San Francisco made).

• Lower-level rods: Heddons, Grangers, Phillipsons, Montagues, South Bends, Shakespeares . . . and many more.

Sentimental value is of course lesstangible than monetary value and istotally dependent on the personal signif-icance of an older rod. How would youvalue an old rod that belonged to your

father or grandfather? It’s his DNA that’scombined with fish slime and dirt on thecork grip. He may have repaired a miss-ing guide with his wife’s sewing thread oroverwrapped a fractured portion of thebamboo. Often, one tip is short becauseit broke—one hopes on a large fish, butsometimes for a less noble reason, suchas tugging on a snagged tree branch.These are the types of rods that shouldbe kept in the family and appreciated forwhat they are: a glimpse into the pastfishing exploits of a family member. These sentimental rods are the ones

that I find most exciting—they have sto-ries to tell. For example, residual Mucilinunder the guides indicates the rod wasused with pure silk fly lines. Heavydownward “sets” in the rod sections indi-cate heavy pressure from large fish orperhaps from trolling with streamers orlive bait. Nicks in the varnish of the buttsection may be the result of rubbing onthe gunwales of a canoe while trollingstreamers. I recall one time in the late s when

I was giving a presentation at the Amer -ican Museum of Fly Fishing. A localwoman brought in several rods that hadbelonged to her late father. She wanted tofish them and asked me to “make themfishable.” Back in my shop, as I pulled oneF. E. Thomas rod from its tube, I noticeda piece of paper rolled up inside the tube.I carefully extracted an old mimeo-graphed copy of a map of a lake in Mainewith penciled notes about underwaterfeatures such as drop-offs, boulders, andspots to anchor and fish. When Ireturned the rods to her, I said, “I foundsomething of interest in one of thetubes.” Then I produced the map, andher eyes got, well, a little wet. Sherevealed the fact that she grew up spend-ing summers on that lake, and thosewere her dad’s notes on the map. She hadno idea this treasure was safely storedinside the Thomas rod tube. It was a pre-cious moment for us both—and I knewshe would especially enjoy fishing thatrod for years to come. Twenty years from now, it’s doubtful

that our children or grandkids will besaying, “Wow, I have my dad’s graphitefly rod.” However, the same cannot besaid about those bamboo rods in ourclosets. It’s up to us to pass along the his-tory and tradition established by masterbamboo rod makers of the past. Let’spass these sentimental rods along to thenext generations.

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Note: The American Museum of Fly Fishingdoes not, as a matter of policy, offer mone-tary evaluations on any objects.

S plastic tether runningfrom her nostrils to the oxygen tankthat fueled expeditions from bed-

stead to the brightly painted woodenbench on her porch, and occasionally—if she crawled on her hands and knees—down to her beloved rocky garden that,during New Mexico’s three growing sea-sons, was brilliant with the splashed col-ors of flowers. It might take her an hour,but she would eventually reach her desti-nation, where she would rest in the gooddirt, hot, dusty, and victorious. One rockat a time, she always said. Carolyn is a sinewy, fair wraith of

pounds on a good day. Every month ofher last thirty years had been a hard-fought battle, first against one very badcancer, then another very bad cancer,and finally breast cancer. She said thebreast cancer was easy compared to theother two, and once detected, she under-went a double mastectomy as a preven-tive measure. She survived by virtue ofher meteoric spirit and steely NewEngland determination, but a few yearsago, her body became tired, frail, andcould no longer keep up with her coura-geous heart and vibrant mind. And so, inorder to protect her fragile immune sys-tem, she was pretty much confined to herhome with only occasional forays to themedical center for three-month scans or,a few times a year, out to a restaurant fora change of scene. Thankfully, her hus-band was an angel on earth and he caredfor her completely, devotedly. But along came a blip on her radar

screen. Because she had literally won alottery, she was making a journey, a jour-ney outside of her limited world, alonger journey than just to her garden—an expedition outside of her pain andexhaustion. She was going to get in thecar and drive to a point more than ahundred miles to the east in the moun-tains of northern New Mexico. All byherself. She was going to leave her puebloranch house and her loving husband tohave an adventure—her first in the sev-

eral years since her world had shrunkdown to the geography of her property.Carolyn had packed for weeks to pre-

pare herself for the trip. Because she is acreature of imagination and whimsy, herpacking pile included a pair of bluefaerie wings, a few fancy hats, a motorcy-cle helmet that she liked to wear to makepeople laugh, her ukulele, enough outfitsto clothe her for two months, and specialbaked treats for the new friends shewould meet at the retreat.

She already knew a lot about thewomen who would be gathering there, allselected from the same pool of applicantsby a national lottery, even though she hadnot met them yet, because all thirteenothers were breast cancer survivors likeherself. She knew what matters to womenwho have traveled that wrenching path.Carolyn had firsthand experience atthat—one could say she was a pro, sur-viving the three grueling cancer episodesover more than three decades.

Casting for Recoveryby Margot Page

This is a chapter excerpted from the new andexpanded edition of Margot Page’s Little Rivers:Tales of a Woman Angler (Pawlet, Vt.: ThreeWinds Media, ).

Carolyn (right) with her CfR fishing guide. The third day of the retreatis fishing day, when the participants have a chance to use their new-

found knowledge on the water. Photo courtesy of the author.

In addition to the giddiness and excite-ment preceding her impending depar-ture, Carolyn was also anxious: a littlefearful about leaving the safety of herhome and husband, nervous about meet-ing strangers, nervous about the retreatitself. They said she was going to stay at abeautiful place in the New Mexico moun-tains, that her every need would be antici -pated and accommodated, that therewould be healthy, delicious meals, thatthe retreat volunteers were trained andcompassionate, and that she would belearning the basics of a completely newactivity: fly fishing! What the heck is thatabout? And this entire experience wasfree, at no cost to her and her strainedfinances. She just had to get herself thereand back. It sounded too good to be true, but

she was reassured by the friendly pro-gram leader that this retreat, held by anational nonprofit organization calledCasting for Recovery, was entirely real.And so she made a brave leap of faith:she would go.

It had been a long time since she haddriven more than miles, so during thenearly three-hour trip to the mountains,she had to pull over several times to rest,in constant cell phone contact with hersupportive, but naturally worried hus-band. Her car was so stuffed with med-ical supplies—including her portableoxygen tank, clothing for all matter ofweather, and necessary accessories liketiaras—that she could barely see out theback window. But as she wound slowlyup the mountain road, she began to feelthin layers of her anxiety, restriction, andpain peel off, lifted by the fresh air, thesurrounding natural beauty of themountainscape, and a thrilling, new-found peek at freedom. When she finally pulled into the drive-

way of the remote lodge located at an ele-vation of , feet in the Sangre deCristo Mountains of northern NewMexico, Carolyn was spent. Before shecould take more than a step or two out ofthe car, she was surrounded by thewomen volunteers of Casting for Recov -

ery, who welcomed her with warm hugsand cries of hello, carried her luggage toher room, assessed her condition, andencouraged her to rest and snack.Introductions were hardly necessary asCarolyn immediately felt part of a newtribe, and she let herself float on the gen-erosity and caring that was being pouredinto her.During the participant check-in, it

became clear that every woman’s imme-diate common experience was that theyall had shared the same anxieties beforecoming to the Casting for Recoveryretreat: leaving their home for the firsttime on an unknown adventure, doubtsabout their ability to interact sociallyafter isolation or to keep up their limitedstrength during the weekend, reluctanceto be parted from family and friendseven though it was often an energy drainto protect loved ones at home from can-cer’s reality. Now, once they had finally arrived,

they could begin to relax. The icebreakeroccurred that first afternoon when thefishing gear was handed out to the partic-ipants: the fat waders with suspenders, theclunky boots, the fancy fly rods and reels.It was then that the women who had beenthrough hell and back began to laugh. By the next morning’s tasty breakfast,

all the participants had rested and wereenthusiastically chatting about the week-end’s busy schedule, which includedseminars on fly-fishing equipment, knot-tying, casting demonstrations and prac-tice, medical information, an evening cir-cle facilitated by a trained psychosocialworker to discuss the emotional impactof cancer, delicious meals throughout,and then on Sunday morning after thespiritual gathering, fishing on the waterwith their very own guide, followed by aboisterous graduation ceremony com-plete with a fancy certificate. Carolyn partook eagerly of each and

every offering, though her tiny body wasso taxed that during the casting lesson shehad to participate sitting on the ground,flicking out beautiful casts with poise andgrace after just a few practice tries. Shenodded off during one seminar, but aftera refreshing mini-snooze, awoke with thesame level of excitement as before. On Sunday morning, the Casting for

Recovery participants got to put on theirstyling waders and vests, and use theskills they had learned over the weekend.Excitement and laughter abounded aseveryone clumped around in the chunkywading boots and participant and volun-teer guide were matched up for the firsttime. Any shyness quickly disappeared aseach pair, survivor and guide, teamed upwith a mutual goal: to have fun and NOTthink about cancer for a couple of hours.

After arrival and check-in, participants are fitted with waders, boots,and rods. Here, Carolyn gets help with her boots and waders from a

CfR volunteer. Photo courtesy of the author.

Carolyn mustered enough energy tomake it under her own steam down tothe water’s edge, trailing the oxygen can-ister tethered to her by its plastic tubingand leading a merry parade of thirteenother victorious women who had defiedpersonal odds, faced the unimaginableterrors and discomfort of a cancer diag-nosis, and who were now gathered as asmall tribe under the brilliant NewMexico sun, surrounded by wild moun-tains and caring volunteers who proudlyescorted the women to the river, broadsmiles on all faces. After the weekend,Carolyn had the sense that the womenwho surrounded her had always beenbeloved, dear friends that she just hadn’thad the opportunity to meet before. She said, This is a dream that I don’t

want to fade away. The healing and nour-ishment of this weekend is still unfolding.

The summer of , I was called byangler Gwenn Perkins who, with Dr.Benita Walton, a reconstructive surgeon,needed help to develop the model for abrilliant idea. Gwenn had already piquedthe interest of a national news networkwho wanted to film the brilliant idea.Trouble was, it didn’t really exist yet, soshe invited a few advisors in to helpmake the brilliant idea a reality.Over the next few years, it was my life

privilege to be a member of a small

group of cofounders and advisors, allwomen, all volunteers, who gathered onVermont living room couches and atkitchen tables to birth a unique retreatprogram that used fly fishing as physicaland psychological therapy to helpwomen recovering from breast cancer.We named it Casting for Recovery. Casting for Recovery was founded on

the principles that the natural world is ahealing force and that cancer survivorsdeserve one weekend—free of chargeand free of the stresses from medicaltreatment, home, or workplace—to ex -per ience something new and challengingwhile enjoying beautiful surroundings inan intimate, safe, and nurturing struc-ture. The magnificence of the idea lay inthe marriage between our gentle sport’stherapeutic casting motion, the quality-of-life education and support Casting forRecovery provides, and the overallrespite from the rigorous cancer journey,however brief.For the next four years, the Mothers of

Invention, as I like to call our originalgroup of women, refined the Casting forRecovery model. After realizing the tre -mendous fund-raising burden we wouldbe shouldering, we debated whether ornot it should be provided at no cost to theparticipants. Eventually we circled back to our orig-

inal concept born of love: we wanted allthe participants to be free of stress and

worry, including financial, for this oneweekend. We wanted this to be our gift tothem. (I believe that Casting for Recoveryis still one of the few survivorship pro-grams that does not charge its partici-pants or profit from a cancer diagnosis.) We decided to limit the number of

participants to twelve (later expanded tofourteen) so as to ensure an optimum,intimate environment for the partici-pants. The Orvis Company became afounding sponsor, providing multiplesets of waders, boots, and tackle. Wesought advice from psychologists, coun-selors, and oncology experts, and decid-ed to accept women at any age and anystage of cancer, even at the fragile stagefour—no matter how distant the cancerdiagnosis. For the ½-day retreat, wedeveloped short tutorials on the basics offly fishing and incorporated psychosocialcomponents such as an evening gather-ing, professionally facilitated, wherewomen could share their experiencesand resources. We delighted as weplanned to provide delicious, healthymeals with flowers on the table and com-fortable lodging for the participants atno cost to them so they could feel caredfor and a bit spoiled. We wanted to beTHERE for them. On the last morning of the retreat,

they got the chance to put on the funnyfly-fishing gear, walk to a beautiful bodyof water with their own private volunteer

Casting for Recovery was founded on the principles that thenatural world is a healing force and that breast cancer survivorsdeserve one weekend—free of charge and free from the stresses ofmedical treatment, home, or workplace—to experience somethingnew and challenging in a beautiful, safe environment. CfR’s firsttest retreat, pictured here, was held in Michigan on a blusteryOctober weekend in . On the second day, the women weregiven casting lessons and a fly-tying demonstration. After dinner,they gathered around the fireplace to share their stories, receivesupport, and exchange information. Photos courtesy of the author.

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guide, and try to catch fish for a fewhours. Afterward, there was a celebratoryluncheon with awards, cheers, and tears,and the participants left for home thatafternoon with new friends and newhope. Their families witnessed their smil-ing return with surprise and grateful hap-piness, effectively doubling or tripling theimpact of Casting for Recovery’s efforts.We called this the Ripple Effect.It was tremendously moving during

our early test retreats to witness how localbreast cancer survivors received our lovefor them as we saw the program modelworking for the first time. One of ourearly challenges was finding enough sur-vivors on whom to test it; I remembergoing around to local physician’s offices todistribute our homemade brochures. Wewere so brand new that people looked atus skeptically; the novel concept seemedsomewhat crazy. What is fly fishing? Wedidn’t care and pushed on. We roundedup eight or so survivors, talked them intoparticipating (stressing the “free food!”),and held test retreats in Michigan andNew York State. NBC News came to filmthe one in New York, and as the film crewand producers followed us around, inter-viewing the participants and shooting ourevery move, we knew we were on tosomething big. There was a thrill in theair. Everyone felt it, even the networkfolks. The participants nearly levitatedthat weekend, and so did we.We found a graphic artist who created

an elegant logo for us; I remember ourgasps when we first viewed it, and then,when the first large retreat bannerarrived, our silent awe as it was unfurledon the long table. We were real! Gwennled the long, difficult charge to eventually

establish us as a (c) nonprofit orga-nization. A board of directors was estab-lished—Gwenn became president, and I,vice-president—and we all spent way toomuch time parsing a two-sentence mis-sion statement, which included the boldvision to eventually launch a self-sus-taining Casting for Recovery program,run by volunteers, in every state. We talked about Casting for Recovery

at every op portunity, presented slide -shows, and handed out brochures, seek-ing to explain our unique idea, spread theword, and convince organizations like theSusan G. Komen Foundation to help us.At a Komen conference in Dallas wherewe were invited to present, I rode amechanical bull and line-danced withKomen founder Nancy Brinker while wewore cowgirl hats.With just us volunteers and no paid

staff, the first five years were tough—birth is never easy—but powered by apassionate inner dictum and the deter-mination of a circle of strong-willed,dedicated mothers (and, eventually,fathers), we never gave up. Slowly, yearafter year we added retreat after retreat

in state after state, somehow scraping upthe funds to support them, training ourgrowing corps of new volunteers usingour carefully honed, professional retreatmodel, and then finally hiring our firstexecutive director in .It fills my heart now to write that the

basic program model we invented somany years ago is still in place today inCasting for Recovery’s greatly expandedand successful programs in more thanforty-one states all across the U.S., amodel so brilliant that over time it wasadopted by other, newer survivorshipprograms that also treat illness and trau-ma with the healing power of nature. Atthis writing, a little more than twodecades after conception, Casting forRecovery has served many, many thou-sands of women across the United States,an impact that is tripled or more if youfactor in the Ripple Effect.Casting for Recovery was deep, pow-

erful magic from the very beginning, andthat magic and its life-altering gifts haveonly increased in scope and power overthe years. It remains the pure, thrillingconcept it was at the very beginningwhen a handful of women sat down in aliving room, looked at each other, andsaid, Now what?That’s what love can do.

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Casting for Recovery—which celebrated itstwentieth anniversary in —enhancesthe quality of life of women with breastcancer through a unique program thatcombines breast cancer education and peersupport with the therapeutic sport of flyfishing. For more information, visit theirwebsite at www.castingforrecovery.org.

The first Casting for Recovery logo. Courtesy of Casting for Recovery.

The second test retreat was held at OrvisSandanona in Millbrook, New York, in. It was filmed by NBC and featuredon the Today show, bringing sudden butwelcome national attention to Casting forRecovery. The author is fourth from left,top row. Photo courtesy of the author.

M ... This collection of fly wallets belonged to RobertLaRhett Livingston (–) and his son, Robert Forsyth Livingston (–). RobertForsyth Livingston was a resident of Long Island for most of his life, and his enduring love

of water led to a career in the marine insurance industry. He also built sailboats, cabinets, and weath-er vanes, and was a fisherman right up until his death at the age of . As Long Island residents, theLivingstons bought most of their tackle at Abbey & Imbrie. In addition to the fly wallets, their col-lection includes items from local tackle makers such as Empire City (an A & I trademark), VomHofe, Leonard, and Kiffe.

The Glory Days of the Fly Wallet

When paper was in short supply, theLivingstons sketched on the interior

leather of their fly wallet.

Photos by Sara Wilcox except where noted.

The importance of this collection liesnot only in the artistry and creativity ofthe Livingstons, but also in the fact thatthey were both discerning lifelong anglerswho clearly put much thought into pur-chasing quality, yet affordable, fishinggear. Although they were not by anymeans famous people, the Livingston col-lection is one of the most important arti-fact groups in the American Museum ofFly Fishing. The items that the two menaccumulated over almost seventy yearspresent the student of fly-fishing historywith an invaluable look at the kind oftackle and equipment owned by theaverage angler in the late-nineteenth andearly-twentieth centuries.

Not solely about the art, theLivingston wallets showcasedsome handsome flies as well.

An unfortunate angler hangs his flyin a tree in this humorous piece.

What makes the fly wallets so signifi-cant is that the Livingstons chose toinscribe them with memories from theirfishing trips. Everything from the bigcatch to the inevitable fight with an elmtree was captured with incrediblydetailed sketches ranging from the ultra-realistic to cartoon-style figures, allbetween beautiful vintage flies. TheLivingstons even went to such lengths tomake paper cutouts of their catches,such as the one shown at right.

—P NC C

The Livingston sketches rangefrom cartoonish characters tostunning natural landscapes.

Peter Nardini

W Fs “B” L, the prominent fly fisherand conservation advocate from Bozeman, Montana,known in the fly-fishing world as “a trout’s best

friend,” died in January at age ninety-one. Bud was one of the early advocates of catch and release. Like

Lee Wulff, he was convinced that a wild trout was too valuableto be caught only once. He pioneered and led many conserva-tion groups in the Yellowstone area, including Montana TroutUnlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers, and the MontanaTrout Foundation. He coined the phrase “the total experience”in his promotion of western fly fishing. This total experiencebecame a way of life for Bud and his family, and it served as abusiness motto for Bud Lilly’s Trout Shop. No longer was thesize or the quality of the day’s catch the most importantthing—it was enjoyment of the total experience of theYellowstone region: rivers, streams, and lake after lake, all nes-tled under snow-capped mountains, with lots of fresh air andthe captivating feeling of being out in it. That was Bud Lilly’swarm approach to our western fly-fishing heritage.Bud Lilly was born in Manhattan, Montana, in . As a

young man, he honed his fishing skills during the GreatDepression and delivered his daily catch to hungry townsfolk.He also had a great passion for baseball and was offered achance to play for the Cincinnati Reds. But before his baseballcareer could begin, Bud was notified that he was to report tothe Montana School of Mines in Butte to begin officer trainingin the Navy V- program. He served his country honorablyduring World War II as a lieutenant junior grade on the USSGeneral R. M. Blatchford in the Pacific and Atlantic theaters.After the war, Bud married Patricia Bennett of Three Forks,

Montana, and raised his first three children: Greg, Michael,and Annette. In , Bud purchased the original Trout Shop inWest Yellowstone, owned by Charles Borberg. He renamed itBud Lilly’s Trout Shop and was off to a great start.I first met Bud in the summer of . I was just out of the

army after serving for three years. A lifelong enthusiastic flyfisherman and fly tier, I had saved and planned for this west-ern fly-fishing trip during my military service. Right away, Iwas very much taken by Bud and his family. Bud had a warmway about him and was always in the shop to help and greetthe many anglers who came in for his advice. He rememberedthe name of every person he met. It was a gift.Bud ran the Trout Shop for thirty years. He put together a

small but very nice tackle catalog and handbook of westerntrout fishing. In , he offered me a great job working in theshop and as a fly-fishing guide and fly-casting instructor. Istayed for three years, moved on to teach for Fenwick’s fly-fish-ing schools, and eventually opened my own fly shop. Bud ranthe Trout Shop until ; his wife Pat passed on in . Budsold his shop, later married Esther Neufeld, and started to raisetwo more children, Chris and Alisa.

After selling the Trout Shop, Bud wrote three books withPaul Schullery: Bud Lilly’s Guide to Western Fly Fishing (),A Trout’s Best Friend: The Angling Autobiography of Bud Lilly(), and Bud Lilly’s Guide to Fly Fishing the New West ().He became even more involved in Montana state conservationissues, as well as with local conservation concerns. He was anactive leader in water issues while promoting fly fishing andcatch and release. Bud also found time to help start several vet-erans programs, one being the Warriors and Quiet WatersFoundation, which introduces disabled veterans to the art offly fishing for trout. As I finish writing this memory of my friend Bud Lilly, I

think about what a gift it is to have known him and become hisclose friend. This July marks fifty years since I first venturedwest to fly fish, met Bud, and was introduced to the total expe-rience. The day before he passed away, I visited and talked toBud, and I read aloud a letter I’d written to him: “Dear Bud:Just a short note to let you know that I am thinking about youand wanted you to know how much I think of you and want-ed to thank you again for giving me the chance to be a fly-fish-ing guide and in the fly-fishing business in Montana. Most ofall I appreciate your friendship and guidance over the manyyears. Thank you!”

B JJ’ F S

W Y, M

Bud Lilly( August – January )

Bud Lilly. Photograph by Larry Armstrong. Courtesy ofMontana State University Special Collections.

President’s Council($, and more)Michael BakwinPete Bakwin

Foster Bam and Sallie BaldwinPeter and Mary Talley Bowden

Dayton CarrMark Comora

Deborah and Jon DawsonGary and Sulu Grant

Art and Martha KaemmerKaren Kaplan

Woods and Wendy KingGerold Klauer

Leigh and Annie PerkinsRobert L. W. McGraw and Black Rock

FoundationDavid and Meg Nichols

Jennifer ProsekRobert and Karen ScottRichard and Marye Tisch

Tyler and Frances ThompsonNancy and Alan Zakon

Museum Council($,–$,)

William E. AndersenDave BeveridgeAlex de LaTour

Charles Patrick DurkinTom and Tanya Evans

Ezra FieldMike Finley

Anne Lovett and Steve WoodsumChristopher MahanBrad and Pamela Mills

The Moore Charitable TrustE. Wayne Nordberg

Robert and Teresa OdenErik and Jennifer OkenThe Orvis Company

John and Katya RedpathFranklin Schurz Jr.Nick and Jean Selch

Warren and Susan SternRonald and Joan Stuckey

Paul Van CuraAndrew and Elizabeth WardTom and Corinne WeberKendrick Wilson IIIFrankie Wolfson

Director’s Council($,‒,)

Salvatore CampofrancoAnthony Davino

Hugh FraterAlan and Linda Gnann

Alan GuarinoTim HixonJoan Kelleher

Bill and Francesca LearyRich and Lorraine McGinnRod and Christine Patton

Joseph PerellaMatthew and Kerry Scott

Andrew TuckerTed Turner

Paul and Anke VolckerDavid WhitneyDaniel Ziff

Platinum($,–$,)Dotty BallantyneThomas Belk Jr.Anthony BowesTom Brokaw

Austin and Meg BuckMichael BunyanerMarc CabotA. S. Cargill

Yvon ChouinardFitz CokerJane Cooke

Parker CorbinH. Corbin DayNathaniel DayJoe Falencki

Ronald and Jane GardGeorge and Beth Gibson

Bailey HallingbyJames and Susan Heckman

Leon Holt Jr.Summerfield Johnston

Alexander and Mandy KinseyRobert and Nell Kleinschmidt

Kenneth Kosakoff and Mariann CovelloKen Laverriere

Jim and Debbie LepageWilliam and Lynn McMaster

Bruce McNaeJohn Moon

Michael and Martha NesbittBarbara Reed

Bobby and Mary RussellJason Scott

Hewitt Shaw Jr.Waqas WajahatCharles WaltonJason WhiteRobert Wilson

James WolfensohnJames Woods

The museum gratefully acknowledges the outstanding support of our contributors who helped tofurther the museum’s mission through their support. Please accept our apology if any name has been

misspelled, placed under the incorrect contribution heading, or inadvertently excluded.

Museum Contributors

From Louis Rhead, American Trout-Stream Insects(New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, ), facing page .

Gold($–$)Berkshire BankFrederick BlandDavid Buck

Howard Peter ColhounMike CoopermanRobert CornellLyman DelanoKirsten FeldmanFinn & StoneDavid FordPhilip Franz

Kerry HeffernanHarry Hill

John C. LarkinCarmine and Judith LisellaBliss and Marcia McCrum

Richard MorseMount Laurel Foundation

Greg MyersStephen PeetMichael RichAndrew Richterrk Miles, Inc.Eric Roberts

Courtney TuttleUrban Angler

Silver($–$)

Michael AgueroPeter and Anne AngevineRon and Sally Briggs

John BryanCameron H. Burns

Joseph and Beth ClarkMargo DanaTom Davidson

Christopher DavisPaul Davis

Thomas Doolittle, DDS

Jon EgglestonCharlie GarnettNewell Grant Jr.Thomas HakesDavid HandyFred HinkleyRick JacksonAlex JinishianDiana KalmanAaron KennonTom KukkJosh McBeainNick Nelson

W. Kemp Norman Jr.A. Wright Palmer

Jane PflugFrederick Polhemus

Chuck PostTed RogowskiBarbara Skor

George StoeckertCarol SwiftLee TawneyTD Bank

William TroyThe Vermont Country StoreVermont Kitchen SupplyDickson Whitney III

Joan WulffPeter Zendt

Bronze (Up to $)

Dorothy and William AchorRichard AlsopClark AmadonAlan Amendt

William P. AndersonC. Douglas AngevineKen Anthony Jr.

The Aspen at ManchesterEdgar Auchincloss IV

Paul BalserRichard BambergerChristopher Barrow

Cathy BeckDick Bell

Edward BergmannJohn Blake

David BlinkenGeorge Boder

Dickson and Emily BoenningSteve and Sandra Bogdan

Jim BoothPhilip Brett III

Harold and Mona BrewerWilliam BroadbentHoward BrooksJim BrownRob Brown

Daniel BullockLarry Byers

Travis CampbellJoseph CarabelloJames CarlinoBen CarmichaelHoagy Carmichael

Dan CasasPeter A. CastagnettiPhilip CastlemanJim Cerutti

David CharamutAustin Chinn

C. D. and Tracey ClarkeTony CocchiaraMichael CoeEdward CollinsWilliam ConradLindsey Corbin

Peter and Lillian CorbinWilliam CosgroveBill CrossmanJerry CurtisEugene Cyr

Tom Davidson Jr.David DeFazio

Michael DeJarnetteDarrell and Julia DeMoss

Robert DeMottDonald DillportAlan DiodoreJoseph DiToroPaul Dixon

Curtis DuffieldPatricia DupreeBruce EcksteinRon ElenbaasJeffrey EthertonRobert FergusonPaul Fischer

Moirajeanne FitzgeraldLori Flagg

James J. Ford Jr.Paul FordPaul ForteJohn FranzenMarc GenereuxRaphael GheuensChris GibsonAndrew GoodeDale Greenley

Charles Griffith III

From Genio C. Scott, Fishing in American Waters(New York: The American News Company, ), .

Noble GulledgeRobert Gwozdziewicz

Jo HamesCharles HardenJeff HarkavyKevin Hawes

Robert HeintgesMarc HembroughNicholas HetzerGordon Hill

Gus and Nancy HillenbrandJames and Hollie HoltThomas and Carol Houf

Harold HowardThe Inn at Manchester

Yuji IshikawaPaul JenningsRupert JenningsMatthew JohnsonWilliam Jordan

Fred and Oli KambeitzMichael and Jean Kashgarian

Steven and Norma Jean KearsleyTom Kelly

Norton KennedyBarron KiddTim Kipp

George KleinWilliam KnoblochDavid Kolstad

Chuck KoosmannStephen KozakMichael KrupaSamuel KwokPirate LanfordJohn Larkin, MDSteven LatnerDwight Lee

Albert LeemhuisLisa Kwasnoski Lucas

Jeffrey LyonSusan MarinelloLawrence MarsielloLee Mather Jr.

Barry and Michele Matlack

Edward MatuizekDiane McCabe

Michael McCafferyCharles McCaughtryChristopher McClancyBruce McCollumDuncan McDonaldRichard McKayBarry MeinerthJohn Merritt

John and Nancy MerrittDuff MeyercordRobert Miller

William Mitchell IIIRobert Molzahn

Henry and Nancy MooreDick MoreheadLester Morse Jr.

Bob and Joanne MoserCurt Mueller

Paul and Claire MurphyFrank Murray Jr.Rose NapolitanoJanet NelsonJed Nelson

Dick NeumanJohn Boyd Neumann

Eric NewmanDavid Ody

Lars and Liz OlssonMartin O’MearaJohn OrlockArthur PapeJoseph PaselaCasey Peltier

David and Virginia PennockRhey PlumleyTom PutnamSally RanneyKatie RaynorMichael ReagorL. Keith ReedRobert Rich

Mark K. J. RobinsonJ. Wright Rumbough

Jesse SammisScott SchneiderAlan ScrigginsJames SecorBob Selb

Wendy SerrellHoward and Wendy Serreu

David SgorbatiJoel and Jennalie Shepherd

Carl ShrakeAdelaide SkoglundNancy Sloan

Carl Soderland, MDJoseph SofhauserColby SorrellsJolyn SpecterJames SpendiffKenneth SrokaPatrick StevensJames StewartEdwin Stroh IIIThayer Talcott Jr.Nicholas TaroJoan Tayler

Kenneth TedfordLon Teter

Charles and Ann ThacherJohn TroianoBill TweardyJames UtaskiDon VaconDeVer WarnerRick WarwickJill Watkins

Christopher WattKathryn WeberSandra Weiksner

Richard and Edie WeissDickson Whitney Jr.Ron and Cheryl Wilcox

Daniel WillisJim WohlgemuthSteve WoitTom Wolf

Charles WoodsGary WoodwardBob Worley

Steve and Sara Zoric

In-Kind3-Tand

Above All VermontPete BakwinPeter BastaJames Becker

Berkshire Rivers Fly FishingBighorn Angler Fly Shop and Lodge

George ButtsCape Neddick Country ClubChristos’ Pizza and PastaClark Art InstituteCollector’s CoveyMark Comora

Cortland Line CompanyBert Darrow

Tom N. DavidsonNick DawesJim DietzPaul DixonEl Pescador

From The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, vol. III(London: Longmans, Green, and Co., ), .

Rachel FinnAdam Franceschini

George and Beth GibsonJerry Girard

Alan and Linda GnannGreen Mountain Troutfitters

Gringo Jack’sHealing Waters LodgeJim and Susan Heckman

Hollenbeck ClubVictor Johnson Jr.Karen KaplanJim Klug

Pirate LanfordJim and Debbie Lepage

Carmine and Judith LisellaAnne Lovett and Steve Woodsum

Anthony MagardinoWalter and Pam MatiaMeadowmere Resort

Cory MerrillCarolyn Monier

Mrs. Murphy’s DonutsMud Dog Saltwater FliesMulligans of Manchester

Joe MustariE. Wayne Nordberg and

Janet MavecNorth Platte LodgeNorthshire Bookstore

Ogunquit Museum of American ArtLeigh OlivaWendy O’Neil

The Orvis CompanyFrederick and Cassie Polhemus

James ProsekREC ComponentsRoger RiccardiMike Rice

RIO ProductsJesse Sammis

Scientific AnglersSimms Fishing Products

Paul SinickiThe Taconic

Taf Schaefer DesignTall Cat Coffee

Thomas & Thomas Three Forks RanchRichard G. TischJacques TorresTed TurnerUrban AnglerStan Van EttenGeorge Van HookPaul VolckerRyan WhitneyFrankie Wolfson

Journal AuthorsHarry J. BriscoeCynthia BrowningHoagy B. CarmichaelMichael S. CoopermanPeter Castagnetti

John FalkG. William FowlerKeith HarwoodDavid Hatwell

Richard C. Hoffmann

Peter KiddWoods King IIID. W. McGaryRobert G. Scott

VolunteersSamantha Aronson Kelly BedfordGreg BrownGeorge ButtsBrian CadoretMichael CarranoBill Chandler

Andrew CostagliolaHenry Hall

Erika KornbluthBarry Mayer

Rose NapolitanoWilliam NewcombeAnnabel PitcherOlivia PitcherRhey PlumleyKevin RamirezMike Rice

Chris SampsonPaul SinickiBill Sylvester

George Van HookRyan WhitneyRon Wilcox

Exhibition LendersStu Apte

Dan BlantonJon B. Cave

Chalk Stream WinesJudith CharltonBill CurtisPatrick Ford

Freestone VineyardG. Loomis, Inc.Gerald Gibbs

Hells Canyon Winery

Hinzerling VineyardsJim L. Holland

Howard Park WinesJohn Juriga Lefty Kreh

Lange WineryLeon L. Martuch

Microwave Telemetry, Inc.Andy MillPikes WinesBob PopovicsRiverside Wines

Salmon Run WineryScientific Angler

Robert and Karen ScottStone Fly VineyardsTibor Reel Co.

Trout Gulch VineyardsU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Wildlife ComputersJoan Wulff

Donors to the CollectionMartin Barco

Stephen and Sandra BogdanCreek CompanyChico FernandezWilliam Flick

G. William FowlerJerry GirardPhyllis Herrick Jim Hunt

John JenningsThe John D. Voelker Foundation

Victor Johnson Jr.Leon MartuchMark Olson

Frederick and Cassie PolhemusJoseph RadleyNathaniel ReedTed SypherJames WoodsEarl Worsham

“Fly-Fishing,” embellishment engraving for American TurfRegister and Sporting Magazine (April ), facing table of contents.

Sara Wilcox

Sara Wilcox

Peter Nardini

Peter Nardini

Paul Sinicki and Kelly Bedford teach ayoung lady how to tie her first fly.

A gaggle of men gather as Bill Newcombeshows them the art of the dry fly.

Nell Bryant ties a fly with tape “mittens” as Piper Price (center)and Genavieve Quetti (left) admire her work.

After finishing his fly, Bill Sylvester looks on as Matt Hart (left)and Michael Page (right) attempt to tie a San Juan Worm

blindfolded during the Iron Fly.

T AMFF first fly-tying events of the seasonon February . The day began at : p.m. with Fit to BeTied, an annual event at which volunteers offer fly-tying

demonstrations and lessons to beginners, intermediates, andadvanced tiers. Children tied their first fly with Kelly Bedfordand Paul Sinicki. Bill Newcombe showcased classic dry flies.Arlington native Bill Sylvester spun deer-hair divers and pop-pers. And the Vermont Fly Guys gave a tutorial in tying mas-sive flies for pike and muskie. At : p.m., the event moved upstairs to the Gardner L.

Grant Library, where pizza from Christos’ Pizza & Pasta andOtter Creek Free Flow IPA were served. That set the stage forthe museum’s second Iron Fly Tournament, a standing-room-only event that featured exciting twists and turns: the use of

blindfolds while attempting to tie a San Juan Worm, tying withtape “mittens,” and incorporating a piece of a Solo cup into afly. The event paired novice tiers with experienced ones in alight and laughter-filled evening that is sure to bring a few newanglers to the sport.The night was dedicated to the late Bill Chandler, a phenom-

enal fly tier and an even better man. Bill volunteered his time tomany AMFF events, including our first Iron Fly last year.Thanks to Otter Creek Brewing Company, Vermont Fly

Guys, Julbo USA, Scientific Anglers, the Orvis Company, MudDog Flies, Rock River Rods, Costa Del Mar, Stream and BrookFly Fishing, Christos’ Pizza & Pasta, Berkshire Bank, and theTaconic Hotel for their generous contributions.

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Fit to Be Tied Runs into Iron Fly

New York City ReceptionAMFF council members and other museum enthusiasts

gathered at the home of board member Erik Oken in New YorkCity on January . It was a great opportunity for supporters tomeet Executive Director Bob Ruley, and Bob enjoyed learningfirsthand what makes this museum so special. Receptions likethis give our supporters a chance to meet each other and are aperfect way to recognize those who contribute to the museum’songoing efforts to spread passion for fly fishing. Thank you toErik and Jennifer Oken for your gracious hospitality; it was aterrific evening! Stay tuned—we plan to visit several other citiesin .

Recent Donations to the CollectionPhyllis Herrick of Manchester, Vermont, donated a collection

of Bill Herrick’s photographs, correspondence, and greetingcards. John Jennings of Frenchtown, Montana, sent us a binderscrapbook of articles related to the Bunyan Bug fly and FranzPott. The John D. Voelker Foundation of Lansing, Michigan,gave us a limited-edition reprint of John D. Voelker’s TroutMadness (Altwerger and Mandel Publishing Co., ). And JimHeckman of Manchester, Vermont, brought us a copy of the April Field and Stream (Special Trout Number) issue and a limit-ed-edition William J. Schaldach etching titled Sunny Run.

Martin Barco of Van Nuys, California, sent us a PfluegerMedalist No. DA fly reel, a South Bend Oren-O-Maticautomatic fly reel, and a collection of twenty-two fishing lures.Richard Tisch of Rye, New York, donated an Orvis large-arborBattenkill VI reel, a Hardy Marquis Salmon No. fly reel withan extra spool, a Hardy St. Aidan fly reel with an extra spool,and a set of American Fly Fisher journals (for a detailed list-ing, contact the museum).

Jim Hunt of Williamstown, Massachusetts, donated a hand-tied White Wulff fly tied by Lee Wulff. And Earl Worsham ofGatlinburg, Tennessee, gave us collection of thirty-ninesalmon flies tied by a Russian fly tier (name unknown) and a“– Anglers Exchange” patch by Trout Unlimited.

Museum News

Paul Sinicki and Kelly Bedford came by the museum to teachfly-tying classes on March . The event focused on novice dry-fly and streamer patterns that are effective on East Coast fish.

Kelsey McBride

Upcoming Events

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

June TBAGallery ProgramCanvas & Cocktails

July Gallery ProgramCanvas & Cocktails: p.m.–: p.m.

July Gallery ProgramCelebrate National Ice Cream Day! Fly-fishing activities and free ice cream: p.m.–: p.m.

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

September Members-Only EventRare Flies : p.m.–: p.m.

September Gallery ProgramCanvas & Cocktails: p.m.–: p.m.

December Gallery ProgramHooked on the Holidays: p.m.–: p.m.

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

Fred Kretchman has been handcrafting split-bamboo fly rods since . His flyrods are created one at a time in the classic tradition, resembling those made bymaster craftsmen of generations past. Each rod represents nearly fifty hours oflabor, but it is a labor of love that is fulfilled each time a new owner receives a rodand takes it fishing on a favorite stream. In , Kretchman represented the state of New Hampshire at the Smithsonian

Institution’s Folk Life Festival in Washington, D.C. For two weeks he displayed hisrod-building talents before an estimated .million visitors. He has demonstrated hisskills at various museums, including the American Museum of Fly Fishing and theFuller Museum of Art in Brockton, Massachusetts. In April , Kretchman receiveda lifetime achievement award from New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Kretchman has developed a strong appreciation for the history of bamboo rod

making, and his knowledge in the field led him to be chosen in as the officialrod appraiser for Lang’s Antique Tackle Auctions (the nation’s largest tackle auctionhouse). He enjoys educating the public about the history of bamboo rods and howthey are made, and his presentations are popular with museums, local TroutUnlimited chapters, fishing clubs, and other organizations. He is now crafting hisclassic bamboo rods as a full-time professional in his Kittery Point, Maine, workshop,where he also holds workshops for students who want to build rods themselves.

Bonnie Kretchman

Margot Page’s three books include the groundbreaking memoir Little Rivers: Tales of aWoman Angler (, ), Just Horses: Living with Horses in America (), and The Artof Fly Fishing () with Paul Ferson. In , she became the first woman contributor tothe New York Times Outdoors column. Since then, her personal essays have appeared innumerous periodicals and anthologies.Page, the granddaughter of legendary angling writer and editor Sparse Grey Hackle,

worked with renowned outdoors publisher Nick Lyons Books in its early years and as edi-tor of the American Museum of Fly Fishing’s quarterly journal, the American Fly Fisher.She is a founding member of Casting for Recovery, a national nonprofit organization thatprovides free retreats around the country focusing on improving quality of life for womenwith breast cancer through the therapeutic sport of fly fishing. Working now as an inde-pendent communications and marketing specialist, she continues to write both nonfictionand fiction from her home in Vermont. Her recently expanded book of essays, Little Rivers,chronicles her evolution from reluctant student to passionate angler to married youngmother to divorced desk-bound angler.

Photo courtesy of Margot Page

John Mundt is a former trustee of the American Museum of Fly Fishing and has beena regular contributor to the American Fly Fisher since . He was a recipient of themuseum’s Austin Hogan Award in for his research on Atlantic salmon fishing inMaine’s Penobscot River. A keen interest in the history of the sport and its traditions hasled him to some great destinations and into the company of many remarkable people.He is a past president of the Anglers’ Club of New York and has served for many yearson that club’s library committee. John and his family reside in Simsbury, Connecticut,and you can often find him waist deep in the Farmington River during a mayfly hatch.

Patty Swanson

I , I was asked the definition of flyfishing. Wanting to provide a simple and clear answer, Ireplied, “The difference is really nothing more than a

weighted line propelling a near-weightless lure, rather than aweighted lure pulling a near-weightless line.”Although technically accurate, my response has been haunt-

ing the corners of my mind for the last few weeks. How on earth can this simple variation in tackle be the

impetus behind a significant body of art and literature and—more to the point—a niche museum about to celebrate itsfiftieth year of operation and currently suffering from a seri-ous shortage of space for its ever-growing collection?A walk through our museum or library, a day on the Batten

Kill, or a talk with one of our staff or board members will pro-vide insight into this question as the topic moves quicklybeyond weighted or unweighted lines into the minutiae of thesport and the many subtle nuances that elevate the experienceof fly fishing. As an angler with a fondness for vintage tackle, I was origi-

nally drawn to the museum’s large collection of reels and rods,which is admittedly first rate. However, I have recently foundmyself drawn more and more to the paintings, books, andother accoutrements in our collection that so compellingly tellthe other, less obvious chapters of our angling story. Two of my current favorites in the museum are Lefty Kreh’s

customized Pflueger Medalist reel and a painting by the artistCharles DeFeo with a William Cushner shadowbox in the frame. The reel resonates with me because Lefty’s outstanding

book, Advanced Fly-Fishing Techniques, includes a photographof that very reel* and describes how to customize it to increasedrag pressure. As a young saltwater angler, I devoured thisbook and found myself referring back to it frequently when Iwondered about leader construction, knots, or flies. I recallpropping the book open on the grass in my backyard while Itried to imitate Mark Susinno’s great illustrations of Lefty’s

signature casting style. I also managed to destroy my ownPflueger Medalist with a Dremel tool trying to copy Lefty’sclever upgrades.The Charles DeFeo painting is simply a wonderful work of

both pastoral and sporting art. It has forty-five beautifully tiedsmall, sparse trout flies placed around the canvas whose deli-cate shadows dance behind them, truly evoking the nameshadowbox and contributing another intriguing facet to analready excellent painting. The piece achieves that admirablegoal of being greater than the sum of its parts. It is not simplya painting about an angler; it is about a stream, a fly tier, a dayon the water, and maybe—just maybe—about a large troutlurking somewhere in that stream. Whenever I look at thispainting, it sucks me in to the point that I may as well bestanding knee deep in that river, casting one of those fliesdancing around the edge of the frame to that trout who mayor may not be there. What the DeFeo painting does for me mirrors what we try

to do at the museum: offer exhibits that recapture the feelingsof being on the water, working with tackle, and relishing timewith family and friends. Those greater experiences bring usbeyond whether the line moves the hook or vice versa.This is my first back-cover piece for the journal. I’d like to

take the opportunity to encourage all of our stakeholders notonly to visit us in person, on our website, and on ourInstagram and Facebook pages, but also to reach out to mepersonally with your ideas, comments, or suggestions for themuseum. Drop me a line, weighted or otherwise.

B RE D

bruley@amff.org

*Note that the photo of Lefty’s reel only appears in the first editionof his book.

Weighty Matters

Lefty Kreh’s modified Pflueger Medalist reel.

Sara Wilcox

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. ContactYoshi Akiyama at yakiyama@amff.org toschedule a visit.

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.

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 Kelsey McBride at kmcbride@amff.orgto tell us how we would benefit from your skillsand talents.

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!