The American Fly Fisher Journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing WINTER 2013 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 1 Angling to Meet DITORS WORK WITH writers they will who, near the end of his life, fished with never meet, and vice versa. Most of Fitzhugh and wrote about their adventures. Ethe work we do together—at least on Norris’s description of Fitzhugh’s Au Sable shorter jobs like journal articles—can hap- river boats helps to make the argument that pen without ever speaking to one another. Fitzhugh was the inventor of this water- Here at the American Fly Fisher, for exam- craft. Fitzhugh’s model of the boat, built for ple, manuscripts are submitted, accepted, the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhi - edited, and turned into pages. Queries and bition, belongs to the Smithsonian Insti - CATCH AND RELEASE comments go back and forth between editor tution and was examined by the author. THE SPIRIT OF FLY FISHING and author at each stage, either through the “Thaddeus Norris and the Au Sable River U.S. Postal Service or, now more likely, via e- Boat” can be found on page 2. Our Mission: mail. Occasionally we may need to speak For years, Stan Bogdan refused to look at The American Museum of Fly Fishing is over the phone, but that’s rarely necessary. other fly reels for fear of design bias. Try as the steward of the history, traditions, and I feel lucky when I have an opportunity he might, Graydon Hilyard could not talk practices of the sport of fly fishing and to meet someone who has written for this Bogdan into opening up a particular promotes the conservation of its waters. journal. Most likely, we meet when the Philbrook & Paine and having a look. But The museum collects, preserves, exhibits, author visits the museum. I am more likely suddenly, at age ninety-two, Bogdan “finally studies, and interprets the artifacts, art, to meet writers from the eastern United allowed as maybe he ‘was a bit past the pro- and literature of the sport and uses these States, but occasionally a westerner will totype stage,’ so could safely break his code resources to engage, educate, and benefit all. drop by or even an author visiting from of silence and look at an Atwood.” Together, another country. during that last year of Bogdan’s life, Hilyard FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM So I was thrilled when two authors I’d and Bogdan dismantled two models called Peter Bakwin yet to meet invited me to attend the first the Atwood Patent Variable Tension Reel— Thomas Belk Jr. Flyfishers’ Club of London dinner held in one housed at the American Museum of Fly A. S. Cargill the United States, which took place at the Fishing and the other at the Rangeley Tim Hixon Brown Palace Hotel in Denver in Septem - Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc, James Houghton ber. G. William Fowler and Gordon M. Maine—and deciphered their inner work- Peter Kellogg Wickstrom, members and hosts of the ings. Hilyard provides us with notes on this Charles Lee Jr. event, have written multiple articles for the adventure and a history of the overachiev- Stephen Myers American Fly Fisher over the years and have ing inventor Leonard Atwood in “Tracking Joseph R. Perella kept in touch even when they weren’t writ- Atwood,” which begins on page 12. ing for me; still, I hadn’t met either one in More than twelve years ago, Frederick STAFF person. It felt like an opportunity I couldn’t Buller offered readers “Sidelights and Catherine E. Comar pass up, so I bought plane tickets and Reflections on William Samuel’s The Arte Executive Director headed west. of Angling (1577),” in which he included I don’t have space to, nor should I nec- notes of his late friend and angling author, Yoshi Akiyama essarily, report on this event, but I will say Richard Stuart Walker (1918–1985), on that Deputy Director that it lived up to Wickstrom’s promise of text. Going through his own notes recently, Sarah Foster “an historic event in a mythic American Buller found a copy of a poem written in Development Assistant setting . feasting at the Brown, ponder- longhand by Walker; Walker’s widow, ing the loved sport, and toasting the Patricia Marston Walker (daughter of Laura Napolitano Queen,” who had sent her official greet- Fishing Gazette editor R. L. Marston), gave Coordinator of Membership and Operations ings. Anders Halverson, author of An Buller permission to share it with us. You’ll Alanna Reid Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout find it on page 17. Coordinator of Events Beguiled America and Overran the World, We’re happy to include a Gallery feature Patricia Russell addressed the group, and Harry Briscoe, in this issue (page 18) highlighting our Lefty Account Manager CEO of Hexagraph Fly Rods (and author Kreh collection. And we offer another whom I’d met before!), offered a response. installment of our Keepers of the Flame Sara Wilcox Bagpipes were played, and the port was series (page 21), in which John Mundt pro- Director of Visual Communication passed. But best of all, I got to meet—at files Scott Davis, who is both Maine fish- long last and face to face—Gordon and Bill eries biologist and Registered Maine Guide. THE AMERICAN FLY FISHER and their families, who are every bit as To say that we’ve been busy since the last delightful as I expected them to be. issue would be quite the understatement. In Kathleen Achor Becoming acquainted with such fine folk is October, we honored Orri Vigfússon, Editor a definite perk of this job. founder of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, Sara Wilcox For the record, I’ve met two of the four with our 2012 Heritage Award (page 22), then Design & Production authors whose articles you find before you hosted our annual Fly-Fishing Festival (page Sarah May Clarkson now. 24) to coincide with the meeting of our Copy Editor In the last issue (Fall 2012), Robert E. board of trustees. Even more events are Kohrman highlighted Daniel H. Fitzhugh noted in Museum News (page 26). And Jr.’s role in the history of Michigan grayling Executive Director Cathi Comar announces fisheries and conservation in Part 1 of “In a very special award on the inside back cover. Search of Michigan Grayling.” In Part 2, he focuses on Fitzhugh’s contributions through KATHLEEN ACHOR the eyes of the writer Thaddeus Norris, EDITOR TRUSTEES Michael Bakwin Foster Bam Pamela Bates Stephen W. Burke, MD Jane Cooke Peter Corbin Deborah Pratt Dawson E. Bruce DiDonato, MD Journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing Patrick Ford WINTER 2013 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 1 Ronald Gard George R. Gibson III In Search of the Michigan Grayling James Heckman, MD Arthur Kaemmer, MD Part 2: Thaddeus Norris and the Au Sable River Boat ....2 Karen Kaplan Robert E. Kohrman Woods King III William P. Leary III Tracking Atwood .........................12 Christopher P. Mahan Graydon R. Hilyard Walter T. Matia John R. McMahon Notes and Comment: Afterword ................17 William C. McMaster, MD Frederick Buller Peter Millett, MD Bradford Mills Gallery: The Legacy of Lefty ...................18 David Nichols Keepers of the Flame: Erik R. Oken Stephen M. Peet Scott Davis: Registered Maine Guide .............21 Leigh H. Perkins John Mundt William Platt Frederick S. Polhemus Orri Vigfússon Receives 2012 Heritage Award ........22 John Rano Fly-Fishing Festival ........................24 Roger Riccardi Eric W. Roberts Museum News ...........................26 Kristoph J. Rollenhagen Philip Sawyer Contributors ............................28 Franklin D. Schurz Jr. Robert G. Scott ON THE COVER: Fishing and hunting guide Chief Shoppenagon in a late- Gary J. Sherman, DPM nineteenth-century image. Photo courtesy of the Public Libraries of Ronald B. Stuckey Richard G. Tisch Saginaw Local History & Genealogy Department; Saginaw, Michigan. David H. Walsh We welcome contributions to the American Fly Fisher. Before making a submission, Andrew Ward please review our Contrib utor’s Guidelines on our website (www.amff.com), or James C. Woods write to request a copy. The museum cannot accept responsibility for statements Nancy W. Zakon and interpretations that are wholly the author’s. Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation TRUSTEES EMERITI The American Fly Fisher (publication number 0084-3562) is published four times per year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Editor is Kathleen Achor. Complete address for both publisher and editor is The American Museum of Fly Fishing, P.O. Box Charles R. Eichel 42, Manchester, VT 05254. The journal is wholly owned by the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Total number of copies: W. Michael Fitzgerald 1,400 (average number of copies of each issue run during the preceding twelve months; 1,300 actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date). Paid/requested circulations (including advertiser’s proof and exchange copies): James Hardman 1,213 (average; 1,078 actual). Free distribution by mail: 0 (average; 0 actual). Sales through dealers and carriers, street ven- William Herrick dors, and counter sales: 0 (average; 0 actual). Free distribution outside the mail: 100 (average; 100 actual). Total free distribu- David B. Ledlie tion: 100 (average; 100 actual). Total distribution: 1,313 (average; 1,178 actual). Copies not distributed: 87 (average; 122 actual). Leon L. Martuch Total: 1,400 (average; 1,300 actual). Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 92.4% (average; 91.5% actual). Paul Schullery The American Fly Fisher (ISSN 0884-3562) is published four times a year by the museum at P.O. Box 42, Manchester, Vermont 05254. Publication dates are winter, spring, summer, and fall. Membership dues include the cost of the journal ($50) and are tax deductible as provided for by law.