14 minute read
Roscoe: The home of the dry fly
Early Royal Coachman dry fly tied by Theodore Gordon.
PHOTO BY ED VAN PUT
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BY ED VAN PUT
In the world of fly-fishing there has always been interest in the conception of the dry fly; many believe that this method of fly-fishing began with Theodore Gordon (1854-1915), the legendary angling journalist, fly-fisherman and fly-tier. While Gordon definitely popularized the use of the dry fly and tied some of the earliest patterns, the actual tactic of fishing with a floating
fly occurred before Theodore Gordon was born.
Fly-fishing is essentially an English creation, and its inception is discussed thoroughly by the English angling historian John Waller Hills, author of ‘A History of Fly Fishing for Trout’ (1921). Hills writes that the first mention of the “superiority” of a fly that floats on the surface over one that sinks occurred in print as early
as 1800. And though he adds that while a dry fly may have been used at this early date, the invention of the dry fly was not complete until there was “intentional drying of the fly” or false casting. In England, as in this country, the first flies used to catch trout were wet flies, imitations designed to fish below the stream’s surface. Typically, two flies were used; one tied on the end of the leader known then as the ‘stretcher’ and the other placed a foot or two above on about an eight-inch length of leader known as the dropper. The object of using two flies was diverse; a naturallooking fly was tied on to imitate an insect that was found in the stream, and a bright or fancy pattern was used to get the trout’s attention. If the trout had a preference between the two types of flies, the angler switched to two of the same, hoping to improve his chances. In addition, using two flies often resulted in the bonus of catching two trout at once; there was also the theory that one fly may get the trout’s attention and as the second fly approached, the fish would be eager to take that fly before it too passed by. W hen wet flies are first cast upon the water the y tend to float until they have absorbed enough moisture to sink, or are pulled under the surface by the fisherman. Undoubtedly there were instances when a trout would rise to the surface and take the wet fly before it sank or was pulled under. However, as Hills states, the invention of the dry fly was not complete until there was “intentional drying o f the fly.” Hills relates that the first mention of intentionally drying the fly did not occur in English angling literature until 1851, when it appeared in George Pulman’s Vade-Mecum of Fly Fishin g for Trout; and from that date forward the dry fly had a continuous history. In America, angling historians and writers, including Theodore Gordon, have long cited Thaddeus Norris’s The American Angler’s Book (1864) as having docuThe “superiority” of a fly that floats on the surface (the dry fly) over one that sinks occurred in print as early as 1800.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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Bright or fancy brook trout wet flies, tied by Ed Van Put.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
mented the earliest reference of the use of the dry fly.
Norris was a knowledgeable and skillful flyfisherman who has been deemed “One of the founding fathers of American fly-fishing” and “The American Walton.” At the time his The American Angler’s Book was published, it was considered the definitive book on angling.
Norris tied his own flies, constructed his own rods, and while he fished for both salt and fresh water species, his preference was along “a trout
PHOTO BY ED VAN PUT
stream in the mountains,” and he regularl y enjoyed fishing the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek. He did so often, staying at the Darbee House, a historic fishing resort that was constructed in 1822 and was located on a knoll overlooking the junction of the two celebrated trout rivers. Many of this country’s earliest and most talented fly fishers spent time each season at the Darbee House, which was known for its trout fishing, ample meals, spacious rooms, and seven immense stone fireplaces.
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trout fisherman, one who would share his expertise of fishing area ponds and streams with both novice and veteran alike. Many of his patrons were regulars who stayed weeks at a time and developed a friendship with Darbee; a guest book recorded trout fishermen coming from as far away as Lexington, Kentucky.
Thaddeus Norris was part of a small group of fly fishers, mostly in their thirties and early forties, primarily from Philadelphia and New York, who stayed annually at the Darbee House in the early 1850s. Some met for the first time on the Beaverkill and shared similar interests regarding their trout fishing; not only did they enjoy each other’s companionship but they held similar opinions about the sport of fly-fishing and were “drawn towards one another by a love of the gentle art.”
In January of 1854 they decided to form themselves into an association under the modest name of “Houseless Anglers;” the name was adopted in contradiction to the old “Fish-House clubs” in Pennsylvania, associations known for their dinners and social gatherings rather than their love of angling.
William Morris Davis, of Philadelphia, was elected president; and he and Norris were appointed to quickly draft a set of rules settin g forth the objectives of the little club, which never exceeded ten members and was made up o f CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 shop Liberty Historic, enchanting & open for business!
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eminent artists, merchants and rod-makers. In his opening comments Davis stated that the club was formulated by a love of angling and the camaraderie of anglers who followed the teachings of Izaak Walton in The Compleat Angler (1653).
Davis also suggested that the group’s goal was to help one another, share their knowledge while following the teachings of Walton, who claimed that “the true” angler does not keep more fish than he needs but takes in moderation, remembering the future for himself and his brother anglers, and that it was wise “to freedom those fishes not wanted.” Members had conservation on their minds when they vowed not to fill their creel, and to encourage others not to do so. This was at a time when there were virtually no laws protecting native brook trout other than a law that prohibited fishing when they were spawning. It was not unusual for trout fishermen to catch and keep all the trout they caught, at times in the hundreds in a single day. The members also promised to not publicly display their fishing success or boast in public print.
When writing The American Angler’s Book, Norris recounted the tactics and experiences he learned through the years, as well as those he observed from his fishing friends in the little club. He began writing in 1857 and shortly afterward contacted some of the members of the Houseless Anglers that he considered to have more experience than he, and requested that they contribute their fishing knowledge to his book. Some club members believed the artist, Henry Kirke Brown, was “one of the best flyfishermen in the country;” and they, including Norris who he had shared information and tactics with, were eager to learn from Brown.
In the American Angler’s Boo k Norris recalled being on a pool below a dam with no water goin g over the structure. The dam was on the lower Willowemoc just downstream of the mouth o f Stewart Brook in Westfield Flats, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
CONTRIBUTED BY ED VAN PUT Thaddeus Norris
10-5
11
today known as Roscoe. The trout were shy because of the low water conditions and refused every fly that Norris offered; however a friend tied a “Grannom” on the end of his leader and a small “Jenny Spinner” for the dropper. Norris wrote that his friend had “tied these flies and made his leader especially” for the evening fishing on this pool.
His leader was very fine and his flies fresh, and by “cracking” (false casting) the moisture from the wet flies between each cast he would lay them very lightly on the glassy surface, and a pair of trout would take them on almost every cast before they sank.
Since Norris was not catching anything, he assisted in landing the trout, which amounted to several dozen for his friend. “Here” exclaimed Norris “was an exemplification of the advantage of keeping one’s flies dry.” The tactics depicted by Norris meets Hill’s criteria for dry-fly fishing; the flies were false cast purposely for the “intentional drying of the fly.”
Thaddeus Norris dedicated The American Angler’s Book to “The Little Club of HOUSELESS ANGLERS,” and he relates that in 1852 a few
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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Wild or native brook trout caught with fly.
PHOTO BY ED VAN PUT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
“brethren of the rod” had become friends. He had fished the Beaverkill before this date as had some of the others, but the small group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable fly-fishers became close and formed a special bond.
With his dedication, Norris united forever the special relationship these fly fishermen enjoyed
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with one another. Members took satisfaction in the thought that they “in some degree strengthened” Norris “in his purpose to write an American work on fish and fishing.” It is his narrative in this early book that established the advent o f American dry fly fishing on the lower Willowemoc in Westfield Flats, known today as Roscoe, the home of the dry fly.
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