The American Flv Fisher d Journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing SUMMER 1997 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 3 Photoerauhs bv Kathleen Achor Summer Stock T'S BEEN A BUSY SPRING. TWO of our staff members got married I (not to each other), we celebrated another successful festival weekend at the Museum, we welcomed a new exec- utive director (see page 29), and the journal staff prepared this Summer 1997 issue for you to enjoy during those few hours that you're not on the water. Last December, Paul Morosky paid us a visit, bringing with him a photo al- bum that belonged to his great-grand- father, Archibald Mitchell, a salmon fisher and creator of the Mitchell Museum grounds showcased the work of boatmaker Gregory Sowers during salmon fly. Mr. Morosky has been suc- festival weekend. cessfully researching the details of his relative's life. In "The Ristigouche At- lantic Salmon Fishing of Archibald Mitchell," we share with you not only some basic biographical information about this angler, but some of the im- ages from that historic album of pho- tographs as well. Notes & Comment features "The Earliest Fishing Reel: A New Perspec- tive." Frederick Buller discusses the ear- liest known artistic representation of a fishing reel, housed in the J. Paul Getty Museum, which suggests that anglers were using reels at least 1,500 years ago. In a salute to American summer- time, the American Revolution, and American fishing, we present "General Lafayette's Visit to the Schuylkill Fish- ing Company of the State in Schuylkill," an excerpt from An Authentic Historical Memoir of the Schuylkill Fishing Compa- ny of the State in Schuylkill, written by William Milnor in 1830. This official transcript of the first angling club founded in the New World relates the tale of the visit of, and bestowal of hon- orary membership upon, this leader of two revolutions. Curator Jon Mathew- son provides some introductory back- ground to this piece. We always enjoy our festival week- end here at the Museum. Photos from Alan James Robinson, whose our favorite annual event appear at left exhibit opened at the Museum the and in Museum News. night before, was on hand during KATHLEENACHOR festival weekend to demonstrate EDITOR his painting technique. Flv Fisher Preserving the Heritage Journal of 4the American Museum of Fly Fishing of Fly Fishing SUMMER 1997 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 3 T RU S TEES E. M. Bakwin Janet Mavec Michael Bakwin Wayne Nordberg The Ristigouche Atlantic Salmon Fishing Foster Bam 0. Miles Pollard of Archibald Mitchell ......................2 Paul Bofinger Allan K. Poole Paul A. Morosky James H. Carey Pamela B. Richards Michael D. Copeland Tom Rosenbauer Notes & Comment: Peter Corbin Robert G. Scott Thomas N. Davidson James Spendiff The Earliest Fishing Reel: A New Perspective ......14 Charles Ferree Arthur Stern Frederick Buller Reed Freyermuth John Swan Gardner L. Grant James Taylor Off the Shelf: James Hunter Richard G. Tisch Dr. Arthur Kaemmer David H. Walsh General Lafayette's Visit to the Schuylkill Fishing Woods King I11 Richard J. Warren Company of the State in Schuylkill .............19 Walter Matia James C. Woods William Milnor TRUSTEES EMERITI Museum Exhibits .........................23 G. Dick Finlay Leon Martuch W. Michael Fitzgerald Keith C. Russell Gallery: Robert N. Johnson Paul Schullery Charles DeFeo .........................24 David B. Ledlie Stephen Sloan Museum News. ..........................26 OFFICERS President Richard G. Tisch Contributor ............................28 Vice Presidents Arthur Stern Pamela B. Richards New Executive Director .....................29 Treasurer James H. Carey Secretary James C. Woods o N THE c ov E R : Runnymede Lodge guides with the "First catch of lgll." (See Archibald Mitchell, "Stories of the Taking of the Record Fish," Field & STAFF Stream, January 1913, vol. 17, no. 9, p. 998.) Executive Director Gary Tanner Executive Assistant Marianne Kennedy Curator Jon C. Mathewson Development Director Eric Brown The American Fly F~sherrs published Administrative Assistant Paula M. Welch four tmes 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 ($25) and are tax deductible as pramded for by law Membership rates are lrsted in the hack of each Issue. Editor Kathleen Achor All letters, manuscripts, photographs, and matenals lntended for publicatlan in the journal should be sent to the Museum. The Museum and purnal are not responsible for unsolicited manuarnpts, drawings, photographic Design Q Production Randall Rives Perkins material, or memor~hilia.The Museum cannot accept responr~bilityfor statements and interpretdt~onsthat arc Copy Editor Sarah May Clarkson wholly the author's. Un,oliiited manusinpis cannot he returned ~mlesspostage IS provided. Contrlhutions to The Consulting Editor Margot Page Amencan Fly Fisher are to be considered gratuitous and the property of the ,Museum unless othel.wrse requested Contributing Editor Paul Schullery by the contrrbutor. Artriles appearing In thls journal are abstracted and indexed 111 Historical Abstracts and Amenca- Hzitory and Life Copyright O 1997. the Amerlca~~Museum of Fly Flshmg, Manchester, Vermont 05254. Original materlal appearing may not be reprinted without prior permisslon Second Class Permlt postage paid at Manchester Vermont 05254 and additional offices (USPS o574io). The Amencan Fly Fisher (ISSN 0884.3562) POSTMASTER:Send address changes to The Amencan Fly Flshei, P.O. Box 42, Manchester, Vermont osz54. SUMMER 1997 1 The Ristigouche Atlantic Salmon Fishing of Archibald Mitchell by Paul A. Morosky NYONE WHO HAS fly fished se- his weekly column, "Angling Notes," in will send you the fish by tonight's ex- riously for Atlantic salmon has the nineteenth-century periodical Forest press and hope you receive it in good Aheard wonderful tales and folk- and Stream (now Field ei. Stream). Olds condition (for supper)-This is better lore about the magnificent salmon fly was Mitchell's son-in-law, and when fishing than I expected and I may not fishing in Canada during the "early fishing with his father-in-law he live long enough to strike it so rich daysn-unspoiled rivers, countless fish, brought along a camera! Through Che- again."g The 1912 season was similarly and huge salmon. What was it really like ney's words and Olds's photographs, it rich and he wrote, "I began fishing this to be one of those pioneers experiencing is possible to travel back a century to year on Monday, June loth, and had perhaps the finest of all fly fishing? glimpse the superb fishing of that time. met with good success up to June 27th, David B. Ledlie has provided excel- The setting for Mitchell's fishing was having up to this time killed fifty fish, lent insight into this era with his articles a stretch of the Ristigouche River shown weighing in the aggregate 1,001 poundsl'9 in The American Fly Fisher (Spring 1976 on pages 6 and 7. From 1892 until 1902, And in 1900, Mitchell defined the word and others) concerning Dean Sage and he owned and fished the Alford water blast? when he reported to Cheney about the fishing at his Camp Harmony on opposite Camp Harmony.4 In the years his June fishing: "Leaving out all under Canada's Ristigouche River (now Res- from 1902 until his death in 1923, twenty pounds, I had twenty fish."1° To- tigouche River), c. 1875-1902.~ Similarly, Mitchell owned the Dawson Farm and day's salmon angler wonders with awe: John Mundt, in "The Historic Penob- fished the abutting Dawson water on When was the last time a fly fisher casu- scot: America's Atlantic Salmon Fishing the Ristigouche.5 He also owned fishing ally ignored all salmon weighing less Legacy" (The American Fly Fisher, Sum- rights to other pools on the Ristigouche than 20 pounds? mer 1996), recounts the first Atlantic and its Upsalquitch tributary, but he In his life, Mitchell caught two salmon fly fishing on the Penobscot Riv- had his greatest successes in the High salmon weighing more than 40 pounds, er in Maine by Frederick W. Ayer and Rock, Florence, and Rough Water pools one in 1912, which is shown on page 11, others in the mid-1880s.~ of the Dawson water.6 The Dawson and another in 1918. Mitchell and Che- Another opportunity to learn more farmhouse was referred to as Run- ney agreed that "the most remarkable of this wondrous early sport is found in nymede Lodge, or the "Old Camp," and salmon score for one day's fishing that the stories about the Atlantic salmon was expanded at least twice to accom- ever came to my knowledge . " was fly-fishing years of Archibald Mitchell of modate additional guests. Around 1915, that of James Barnes Baker, who in one Norwich, Connecticut, from about 1886 a luxurious and much larger "New day on the Grand Cascapedia in 1898 to 1923. Mitchell was introduced to fly Camp" was built between the farm- landed seven salmon weighing 28,30,35, fishing for salmon on the Penobscot house and the river, and the name Run- 35, 38, 40, and 41 pounds." Such a day River by Fred Ayer in 1886, and in 1892 nymede Lodge was transferred to this boggles the imagination of the present- they began three decades of salmon new camp.' day salmon fly fisher, who may not hope fishing on the Ristigouche.3 Two How magnificent was the fishing? for such a record in a lifetime. Yet he or salmon-fishing companions are respon- Olds's photographs, reproduced on she can find solace in Mitchell's words: sible for preserving the history of these pages, give testimony to the num- "It was my fortune, or misfortune, to Mitchell's fishing: Albert Nelson Cheney bers and size of fish caught on a daily fish on a salmon river every day but and Edward Alan Olds.