1996-Vol22-No3web.Pdf
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Role Cast ARLY IN MAY, I treated myself to a a brief stop in Huntingdon on a recent busi- weekend of fly-fishing school. I began ness trip to meet our dear "Salmo" face to Efly fishing seven or eight years ago, but face in the town that introduced me to my sporadically - my time on the water tended first fly-fishing friends (a town not far from to happen during those few vacations away Spruce Creek and the Little J~~niata). from the citv. With the move to Vermont The Summer 1996 issue of The American and a looming editorship of a quarterly fly- Fly Fisher highlights salmon fishing on the fishing journal, I decided the time was right historic Penobscot River in Maine. Author for some formal instruction. John Mundt discusses the first salmon to be That Margot Page was one of several in- taken with a fly on that river and the several structors leading the school could not have men who have laid claim to that honor. He felt more appropriate. Since I joined the staff offers a history of the Penobscot Salmon of The American Fly Fisher last September as Club and tells the story of the Presidential managing editor, Margot has generously Salmon, a 43-year tradition of sending one shared both editorial and piscatorial exper- of the season's first salmon to the White tise with me. On the water, she gave me House. some great casting tips. Rarely does an edi- From our library we offer you a collection tor pass the torch so gracefully, putting the of opinions published between 1814 and 1926 pieces in place herself for a smooth transi- about fishing and the weather. In the spirit tion. We at the Museum are sad that we'll be of angling, it contains its share of conflicting seeing less of Margot, but I'm happy to re- advice. In Notes & Comment, R. Patrick port that she has agreed to be available when Simes argues that in the 177os, William Bar- needed as our consulting editor. tram penned one of the first written ac- As editor, I felt it was high time I met this counts describing fly fishing in the New journal's excellent copy editor in person. In World. Finally, be sure to check out the pho- a small-world twist, Sarah May Clarkson to essay from the Museum's annual Festival moved to Huntingdon, ~enns~lvania,in July Weekend held June 7 to 9. 1995 when her husband took the job as dean I'm excited to be taking on the editorship of students at my undergraduate alma of this journal. Feel free to contact me with mater, Juniata College. We just missed meet- letters, suggestions, and submissions. ing each other here last summer and have been working together via phone, fax, FedEx, and the U.S. mail. I was able to make Preserving the Heritage of Fly Fishing TRUSTEES Journal of dthe American Museum of Fly Fishing E. M. Bakwin Martin D. Kline Michael Bakwin Me1 Kreiger SUMMER 1996 VOLUME 22 NUMBER '? William M. Barrett Nick Lyons Donn H. Byrne, Sr. Walter Matia James H. Carey Janet Mavec Roy D. Chapin, Jr. James L. Melcher The Historic Penobscot: America's Atlantic Michael D. Copeland 0. Miles Pollard Salmon Fishing Legacy ..................... 2 Peter Corbin Susan A. Popkin Thomas N. Davidson Pamela B. Richards John Mundt Charles R. Eichel Tom Rosenbauer Charles Ferree Robert G. Scott Off the Shelf: Audun Fredriksen James Spendiff Arthur T. Frey Arthur Stern Weather Lore and the Opinions of Anglers. ....... lo Reed Freyermuth John Swan Gardner L. Grant James Taylor Notes & Comment: Curtis Hill Richard G. Tisch James Hunter David H. Walsh Dapping in the New World. .................16 Dr. Arthur Kaemmer Richard J. Warren R. Patrick Simes Woods King 111 James C. Woods Earl S. Worsham Gallery: TRUSTEES EMERITI The Myron Gregory Collection ............... 19 G. Dick Finlay Leon Martuch W. Michael Fitzgerald Keith C. Russell Museum Exhibits. ........................ 20 Robert N. Johnson Paul Schullery David B. Ledlie Stephen Sloan Letters ................................21 OFFICERS 1996 Festival Weekend Photo Essay ..............22 President Richard G. Tisch Vice Presidents Arthur Stern Museum News. .......................... 26 Pamela B. Richards Treasurer James H. Carey Contributors. ...........................28 Secretary Charles R. Eichel STAFF ON THE COVER: Opening day of the 1946 salmon season at the Penob- Executive Director Craig Gilborn scot Salmon Club in Brewer, Maine. Courtesy Penobscot Salmon Club. Executive Assistant Virginia Hulett Curator Jon C. Mathewson Membership Lillian Chace The American Fly Fisher 1s published Research/Publicity Joe A. Pisarro four times a pear by the Museum at PO. Box 42, Manchester, Vermont 05254. Publication dates are winter, spring, summer, and fall. Membership dues include the cost of the THEAMERICAN FLY FISHER journal ($zj) and are tax deductible as provided for by law Membership rates are l~stedin the back of each issue. Editor Kathleen Achor All letters, manuscripts, photographs, and materials intended for publication in the journal should be sent to Design & Production Randall Rives Perkins the Museum. The Museum and journal are not responsible far unsolicited manuscripts, drawings, photographic Copy Editor Sarah May Clarkson material, or memorabilia. The Museum cannot accept responsibility for statements and interpretations that are Consulting Editor Margot Page ivholly the author's. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returned unless postage is provided. Contributions to Tile American Fly Fisher are to he considered gratuitous and the property of the Museum unless otherwise requested Contributing Editor Paul Schullery by the contnbutor. Articles appearing in this journal are abstracted and indexed in Htstnncai Abstlucti and Amenca: History and Life. Copyright O 1996, the American Museum of Fly Fishing, Manchester, Vermont ojz54. Origlnal material appearing may not be reprinted without prior permission. Second Class Permit postage paid at Manchester Vermont 05254 and additional offices (USPS oj7410). The ant err car^ Fly Fisher (ISSN 0884-jj62) P~STMASTER:Send address changes to The American Fly Firhcr, P.O. Box 42, Manchester, Vermont 05254. SUMMER 1996 The Historic Penobscot: America's Atlantic Salmon Fishing Legacy by John Mundt HEN ST u D ENT s of angling history turn their was formed where the Penobscot and Kenduskeagu rivers thoughts to Atlantic salmon fishing, they can lose meet, which is now part of current-day Bangor. During this themselves in the numerous volumes that recount meeting, Champlain smoked with the Indians and received wthe tales of those who have angled for Salmo salar in the wa- gifts of venison and waterfowl from "these people of Norum- ters of Canada, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. There bega." He in turn gave gifts of rosaries, hatchets, knives, caps, is the occasional reference to isolated exploits in New Eng- and other knickknacks. Champlain wrote, "I landed to see land waters, but a surprising absence of information about the country; and going hunting, found the part I visited most the rich angling history and traditions that were established pleasant and agreeable."3 With respect to the fishery, he on the banks of Maine's Penobscot River. stated, "The fishing for diverse sorts of fish is very good, as is A fair quantity of material regarding salmon fishing on also the hunting for waterfowl."4 the Penobscot can be found in the early issues of the Bangor In 1614, Captain John Smith (of Pocahantas fame) noted Daily Whig and Courier, later known as the Bangor Daily that he went to the region "to take whales and make trials of Commercial and now the Bangor Daily News. In 1953, Bangor a mine of gold and cGpern and "if these failed, fish and furs Public Library Reference Librarian Olive M. Smythe com- were then our refuge." He goes on to say, "let not the word piled much of the information contained in those newspaper fishe distaste you, for it can afford as good a gold as mines of articles for a story she had published in the Bangor Daily Guiana with less hazard and more certainty and felicity." He News on April 1 of that year. Her efforts, when coupled with then asked, "Is it not a pretty sport to pull up two pence, six those of later Bangor Daily News writers, such as the late Bud pence and twelve pence as fast as you can hand and throw a Leavitt and current columnist and artist Tom Hennessey, line?"5 Smith would eventually turn a profit of £1,400 sterling provided the foundation for further research to piece togeth- on his voyage, with the proceeds from fish and pelts. er a brief history of the golden age of salmon fishing on the Increased exploration and the subsequent desire to exploit Penobscot. Maine's vast timber resources during the next century even- tuallv led to armed conflict between France and England" for control of these lands. In 1759, England won possession after the fall of Ouebec in the French and Indian Wars. Ten vears The Penobscot Valley was originally inhabited by mem- later, the site of present-day Bangor was settled by Jacob bers of the Abenaki or "Dawnlanders" tribe, with western ex- Buswell. This settlement was recounted during the centennial ploration commencing shortly after the voyage of Columbus. celebration of that date by Bangor historian and judge, the In 1604, at the age of thirty-seven, the famous explorer Honorable John E. Godfrey: Samuel de Champlain navigated the Penobscot's waters in a region he referred to as Norumbega.' During the period from The settlement upon the river was very gradual and did not September 6 to 20, Champlain made several entries about his reach Bangor until 1769. The first of these was Jacob Buswell, or Bussell as his descendants prefer to pronounce the name.