Volume 8 Crosscurrents
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American F1-Fisher J Volume 8 Crosscurrents The Museum, though it is a bit waters. Of course this is the way it has ment of the Interior has already been out of the way geographically, always been - that's why the organiza- abolished. A great many museums and is something of a crossroads for tions were formed - but there seems to historical societies will be affected by information. Because we main- be a greater intensity to the alarm these the losses to these programs (The Muse- tain a library of fly fishing related days. um of American Fly Fishing doesn't re- periodicals and club publications, The other direction from which we ceive any money from any federal or and because we gather tackle cat- receive news is the professional museum state programs, but you might check al*, we receive a broad view of what's community. For many reasons, the mu- how all this will affect other museums going on in fishing circles around the seum world is long past alarm, well into you care about). country. Right now it's not hard to be panic. They were, naturally, braced for In comparison, the fly fishing world alarmed about what we see. The Feder- a lot of belt-tightening under the new is in a lot better shape than the museum ation of Fly Fishermen Bulletin tells us administration, but were unprepared for world. We still have lots of good news, that new government budget-trimming the extent of the proposed budget cuts. and fishermen are better able to marshall and changes of direction threaten to re- Important and distinguished programs public support than are many interest verse recent progress made in California such as the National Endowment for the groups. But it's clear that we're going fisheries management. Theodore Gordon Humanities and the National Endow- to have to work harder to keep what Flyfishers is caught up in two immensely ment for the Arts face overall budget we have. important struggles, one to save the reductions of fifty percent or more. Though it is uncharacteristic in an Esopus from a devastating water diver- Entire programs (important to many editorial, we'd like to refer you at this sion project, the other to control treated- museums and other historical agencies), point to someone else's editorial column. sewage effluents along the Beaverkill. The such as The Institute of Museum Ser- Don Zahner's editorial in the April issue Everglades Protection Association re- vices, The National Historical Publica- of Fly fisher ma?^ is an eloquent state- ports that the Secretary of the Interior tions and Records Commission, and the ment of the choices fishermen now face. is attempting a wholesale reversal of re- U.S.D.I. matching grants program, face It's called cent gains made in sportfishing manage- projected budgets of zero dollars; they verswill on ‘the I ment in Florida Bay. Other organizations would be cancelled. The Conservation report similar threats to their home and Recreation Service of the Depart- .wk?W* Ckatlcs Eichel David Ledtic Steven Raymond ~&j$&%w& U. Dick Finlay Bud Lily Rick Robbins WarnCLassford Nick Lyons Willard Roekwell Leon Martuch Hen Schky Cardnu Orant Ahran Macaulcy .Jr. Col. Henry Siege1 Alh@OW John Mmvln Rescott Tolman CL Awtb Henan Dudley MiIls Ben Upson Cad N'avwrc Ralph Wahl Dkk WBitney I>- Zabcr Eb Zefn s, Published by The Museum of American Fly Fishing for the pleasure of the membership. TABLE OF CONTENTS An Angler's Childhood by George Edward Mackenzie Skues Neversink Idyll by Maxine Atlierton Rangeley Reflections Recent Acquisitions Stevens Point, Wisconsin, 1940 by Susie Isaksen Volume 8 Number 2 blollta~laO~Y sseey by George Grant SPRING 1981 Books 011 tlz~cozrer: Edzuarrl llrwitt fzslzi~zg tlzt. Nezl('rsillk about Notes and Conln~ent 1940, from a plzotograplt by John Atherto7z. SL'C,tlze article by,\laxi?le Athertu~z071 page six. kluseum News Editor '1'111~,\>ll.:l<l(:.\N l'1.Y 1'lSlll:l~.the hI:~gi~~inec>f .I 111.. hlK'Sl;Kl>l OF .\hll;Kl(:.\S I.1.Y l:lSlIlN(;, is puh- Paul Schullery lishrd quarterly by the hII'SI.:U>I at >la~~ch~.ster.\'crn~ont 05254. Sul,scription is frer with payment of ~nc~nbcrsl~iprlut.s. .\I1 corrcspondencc. Ietters, manuscripts, photographs anel n~aterialsshould be forwarded Assista~ztEditor carr of tl~cI-.ditur. She hlUSI:.Uhl and .\I:\(;.\%INI: arc not responsible for unsolicited n~anuscripts,draw- David B. Ledlie ings, photographs, n~atrrialsor men~orabilia.She hluseu~ncannot accept responsibility for statements and interprttations which are wholly the author's. Vnsalicitcd manuscripts cnnnot I,r rcturned unless postage is proviclecl. (:ontributinns to 1111: .\LII.:I<l(:.\N 1:I.Y I.ISIII:.K arc to be considered gratuitous and I,ecome Creative Co~zsulta?zt the ~nupertvof the hluscl~~nunless ~rtIirr\riscrcqucsted by the cuntributor. Puhlication elates are January, C. M. Haller .\pril.July and Octol~cr.1:ntrrccl as Sccond (:lass matter at tile U.S. Post Office, hlaochester. Verlnont 05254. C:opyright 1981. 1'111. >IUSI:CIhI OF .\>lliKI(:.\S I. LY IFISlilN(;, Xlunchrster. Vermont 05254.Original Produ ctio?~and Printing ~nateri;ll apl>caring may not be rrl~rintrclrvithout prior permission. (:olor photugraphs I)y C. hl. Ilaller. Thompson, Inc. Manchester Center, Vermont An Angler's Childhood being the first publication of the bov hood reminiscences of G.E. M. Slt ues by George Edward Mackenzie Skues I was born on the 13th of .August, in a garden wall of plank and stone and with a float and a hook to gut and some 1858 at St. Johns, Newfound- mortar and after running a few yards shot. But before I could manage a rod I land, the eldest child of Willia~n turned back through another hole into was sent off to a boarding school at Mackenzie Skues, then Surgeon the same or another garden. 'Khe little Stokes Bay near Gosport. A holiday at of the Newfoundland Companies, intervening stretch was rich in minnows Ryde introduced me at the age of eleven by hlargaret Ayre his wife, daugh- and I used to watch them and eye their to hand line fishing for small wrasse and ter of Christopher Ayre, Clerk of scarlet bellies with a huge excitement pout, but pocket money was scarce and IParliament and acting Colonial Secretary which I did not understand. I did not attempt to fish from the pier, of the Colony. My Father was eldest son It was raised to a trembling height on but investigated the sand pools at low of George Skues, Lieutenant of the Royal the rare occasions when I saw a trout tide. Soon afterwards I was sent to a Marine Light Infantry by Mary Gibbs there. I recall a trout of 6 or 8 ounces private school at Alverstoke near Stokes Mackenzie daughter of Alexander Mac- lying dead on a plate in the larder and Bay. kenzie of Breda in Aberdeenshire - by being told by my grandfather that it had Stokes Bay is intersected with a num- his wife Maria Rebecca daughter of Col- been tickled by a labourer in the stream ber of brackish moats in which were to onel William IIumberston hlackenzie of at the end of the paddock. be found eels, small perch and shoal bass Cononshay, sister of the last Lord Sea- My grandfather, however, neither did and mullet. At length I acquired a rod forth prior to the 1921 creation. any fishing there nor did he encourage (at the cost of a shilling - a two piece My Father was of Cornish extraction, or even notice my excited interest in hazel affair) and I set out to catch eels. his forbears having for many generations running water and the life therein. 'l'here I ditl not know enough to dig worms. been Receivers of 'Kin Dues at I-lelston was a bridge over a stream - it may have hly observation of roach fishing with for the Duchy of Cornwall. been the Yeo - hard by on one of our paste persuadecl me that paste would At the age of three I was brought most frequent walks and it was hard for prove attractive to eels. 1 was according- over by my parents in a sailing vessel my nurse to drag me from it when we ly bitterly disappointed when eel after to Aberdeen where my Father's parents went that way, so set was I on peering eel showed a painful lack of interest in lived. for the fish in the shallow ford below. my bait. I was going home at length, rod In 1863 my Father went to India on At the age of seven I went to a board- over shoulder with my rejected bait service taking my Mother and leaving ing school near Bristol for a year - and dangling behind me, when I felt a tre- me, with two small sisters, in charge of on my Father's return from India I was mendous tug and found that I had hook- his Father and Mother. They left Aber- taken to Portsmouth and Southsea be- ed a hen belonging to a railway porter deen and settled in Langford in Somer- fore my Mother was settled near Hornsey who kept a crossing on the Stokes Bay setshire, shortly afterwards moving to Rise. Here, in the intervals of attending line. The porter and his sons waged con- Wrington - both places on the Somer- day school, I made my first humble ef- stant war with the boys of my school - setshire Yeo, a little below what is now forts at fishing.