old Fly Fisherman magazines & debates

[rrt]

(Disclaimer: I don't think this belongs in the media forum.)

This past weekend, I had finished a novel and could not get to a bookstore or the local library to get another. For some reason, I decided to take a look at my oldest Fly Fisherman magazines. (I had been planning to give them away or to trade them, as I had my copies from the 1970s and '80s, but I don't think I will now.) I chose to look at my magazines from 1990.

In these, I found articles by Charles Meck, one a destination piece about PA's tailwater streams and the other touting twitching a White Fly during a hatch to make it more effective. Writers of other articles included Neale Streaks, Dave Hughes, Nick Lyons, and Jay Vincent.

I also encountered a couple debates. One was a letter to the editor that chastised Lefty Kreh for writing a piece about the now well-known Clouser Minnow. The harsh letter explained that the minnow was really nothing more than a jig. This letter appeared to be the last letter about a debate on this topic.

The big debate that raged regarded two forum articles strongly explaining that strike indicators were inappropriate for fly-fishing. One of the writers, John H. Sullivan, strongly noted that indicator fishing was not fly-fishing at all. These articles were strongly rebutted in letters to the editor and by another forum article that defended the use of indicators.

I suppose today with the common acceptance of the Clouser Minnow and indicators that modern fly-fishermen might think these debates silly and wonder why these things seemed so important to fly-fishermen of 25 years ago. Perhaps it is because fly-fishing, while becoming increasingly popular after "the movie," was still often considered "an arcane activity practiced by a handful of harmless eccentrics." (I think this is a Lyons quote, but I'm not sure.) Many fly-fishermen of the time reveled in this, believing that fly-fishing was truly a special form of fishing. Perhaps one of John Gierach's characters of the time summed it up the best. This character, Koke Winter, had a broken leg but was holed up at a ski lodge. When someone asked him if he'd broken the leg while skiing, he grumped, "I don't go in for them sissy sports; I'm a fly-fisherman." Someone who appreciated something that was special to him.

Anyhow, the next time I am between novels, I might glance at the 1991 magazines. Who knows what I might find?

 

[dryflyguy]

I remember reading both pieces by Charlie Meck.
The white fly article was written mainly about that hatch on the little juniata, if I remember correctly
Then the mysterious spill of 1995 wiped out all of the hatches there.
And - at least as far as I know - the white fly hasn't returned yet.
But I really haven't been looking for it lately either

 

[LetortAngler]

Good post. I wish I had more older magazines to go through. When I do go back through the few that I have, I am always fascinated with previous findings, patterns and techniques. As for the white-fly, I have not fished it yet in the little J, but according to TCOs hatch chart (and a few others) they do have them currently listed.

 

[poopdeck]

"Many fly-fishermen of the time reveled in this, believing that fly-fishing was truly a special form of fishing"

I guess some things never change.

 

[Chaz]

I had some old copies of FF that I finally chucked having seen and read many articles that just repeated old blather. I ended my subscription and just don't read the mags anymore.
As for the debate about indicators, I don't think it's fly fishing when you add a bobber to the line, though I'll admit it's very effective.

 

[troutbert]

Regarding flyfishing being something "special" done by a small group. That may have been the case in the late 60s and early 70s, because by that time spinfishing had become very popular.

But further back, before spin fishing came in, flyfishing tackle was what all trout fishermen used. Before spin gear, your options were using heavy baitcasting outfits, which required a lot of weight to cast, and which were prone to horrendous backlashes. Or fly rod and reel.

For trout fishing, nearly everyone used fly rod and reel. Many people used both bait and flies, using bait when the water was high and cold, and switching to flies when the trout starting "jumping" as the old timers said. So flyfishing was mainstream then.

I've been looking through old Pennsylvania Anglers, 1947-1956. The magazine had a LOT of flyfishing articles back then. This was in the period of transition when spin fishing was coming in, growing in popularity, but for trout fishing fly rod and reel were still very widely used, whether their terminal tackle was bait or flies. There were also many fly tying articles in PA Angler.

There were many articles about trout fishing, but you never saw any mention of wild brown trout. People apparently didn't know that such a thing existed.

There were quite a few articles about flyfishing for bass, mostly for smallmouth, but also some for largemouth.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

I like reading the older articles too.

Debates still rage on but the multi million dollar fly fishing industry still has to create some new method or gadget to sell (most are all BS) and the magazines and internet are the way they promote the stuff.

 

[Fishidiot]

Been an on again off again subscriber to most of the well known outdoor magazines for over thirty years. I enjoyed 'em then, and still do. The old back issues are great to read and ponder and bring an interesting perspective on our sport. To me, the most striking difference between the magazines then and now is the size. Today's issues have flawless printing with virtually every block in color and very nice finish. . .but the older magazines have more, longer, and I think, generally better written articles.
(Of course, this is true in much of media today vs then and is a result of the internet and issues way above and beyond FFing. Few magazines are thriving today)

With respect to controversies, some things like the Clouser Minnow, become FF mainstream. . . but a lively debate still exists over what actually constitutes FFing - as can be seen in many threads on this forum. We're an opinionated bunch. Also, generally speaking, FF magazines had more literary content then, whereas today the focus is more on gear and technique. Back then, articles about places invariably involved glamour fishing trips to exotic places (these articles are not my cup of tea) whereas today - you still see too much Alaska or Patagonia - but there does seem to be more focus on local issues and conservation, an improvement in my view.

No doubt, old magazines are fun and interesting to read.

 

[OldLefty]

It's amazing how some of us feel that applying a particular technique/fly rig isn't fly fishing.

I remember many years ago in Maine some of us were chastised for fishing nymphs for landlocked salmon and brookies; yet, those same "fly fishers" were fishing streamers, many of which were supposedly suggesting baitfish. To them, dredging the bottom with nymphs isn't fly fishing. Casting and retrieving baitfish imitations is fly fishing. Hmmmmmmm.

 

[JackM]

I think fly fishing implies a bait capable of flying sooner rather than later. All else should be deemed swim fishing.

 

[troutbert]

I don't think there was that much controversy over the Clouser minnow. A few grumblers, but most people thought then, as now, that it's a great fly.

People had been using weight in flyfishing for a long time, in the form of split shot and weighting flies with lead wire. So, the weight on a Clouser was nothing new.

It took a big split shot to get a Muddler Minnow to sink!

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Hahahaha! Good stuff! Fly fishing IS a special form of fishing. It is certainly the most "artistic" form of fishing. But it's also a form that is worth sharing with as many people as possible.

I do often tease my streamer buddies that they're essentially spin fishing, and my nymphing buddies that they're bobber fishing.

But "tease" is the key word. Shakey is such a purist that he calls dry fly fishing "cheating'!

 

[JackM]

The [ab]originals did not use dry flies because they had not advanced sufficiently to figure out how to float them. That's my story and you know the rest of it.

 

[JackM]

-- George Harvey, Good Day!

 

[greenghost]

Love those old magazines. They're special to me. Because they literally taught me how to fish. When I was a kid, nobody in my family fished, but one day I picked up a Field 'n Stream magazine in a drug store, read an article by A.J. McClane and was hooked.

Early on it was spin fishing and magazines like Field & Stream and Outdoor Life with editors like A.J. and Homer Circle. Later, when I started to fly fish, Fly Fisherman magazine became my bible-- Charles Meck, Lefty Kreh, Joe Humphrey, Charlie Fox and George Harvey the disciples.

Of all those old magazine contributing editors though, I've got to say McClane is my favorite. Like so many major-league authors in this sport, he was from this region of the country. I think he was from the central/eastern PA. He came onto the scene after WWII, after serving at the front lines in Europe. He was hired to work at Field n Stream magazine, and soon became one of the very first fishing "superstars."

By today's standards, his writing style may seem a bit dated, but still holds up. He is a reporter foremost, artistic writer secondarily. You WILL learn by reading his work, even today, and no matter how much on-stream experience you have. He does personalize his stories and he does draw you into the wonderful places from around the globe he has fished.

PS
I did send him a letter once thanking him for his collection of work that helped put me on the stream. I felt that I owed him. After several months without a response, I one day received a letter from his wife. She thanked me for writing and said it meant a lot to him -- gave him a boost when he needed it most. She said he wanted to respond, but passed away before he was able.

Funny thing is, I didn't even know he was ill when I wrote. I have taken more time on my backcast since that letter.

 

[OldLefty]

Getting down to the core of it, we all toss bait: we're attempting to bait the fish to take our offering.

 

[JackM]

And bait has a variety of forms. The baits that define fly fishing are flies. That is, things that fly.

 

[FiveWeight]

Very good post. Totally out subject matter but, along the same lines. I have and was recently give boxes of older 25 to 40 year old amateur radio magazines and I am seeing the same type of scenario play out in that hobby also. Human nature perhaps with new innovations and new perspectives on how to do things in the hobby. Same but different. I too am enjoying reading the history that I have been part of for 26 years of being licensed. And involved in two way comms for 45+. The tried and true ways always seem to stay current and in the fundamentals of any hobby. Yes there are new things that work and new ways that get the job done. History is an awesome thing. If you don't know it your are surely bound to fail. Good post!

 

[pete41]

I go back far enough that spin fishing was supposed to be for mom and the kids ,while the dads went around the bend to fly fish----
The Ray Bergman style of writing was a lot more relaxing than the hard nosed style that followed.
I agree that Fly Fisherman lost its charm...

 

[PennKev]

pete41 wrote:
I agree that Fly Fisherman lost its charm...

Lost most of it's content too. The older issues are THICK!