The Founding Flies by Mike Valla

[golden beetle]

I'm reading Mike Valla's book now, and the first paragraph from the Introduction gives you a sense of the book that has captured my interest and imagination:

"The history of fly tying, its remarkable evolution, and the stories behind fundamental fly patterns that emerged from the vises of our founding fly tiers are absorbing and fascinating tales. Like fly tying itself, studying those who made the craft what it is today can also serve as a substitute on those long winter nights when we cannot be on a steam casting our favorite patterns, many of which evolved from the founding flies."

So let's have a look at a few of the founding tiers over the.next several weeks of winter, and their signature patterns that served as the archetypes and inspiration for perhaps most of the patterns that we fish today, even if a jackass like me wouldn't know the founding tier, or his seminal pattern.

Time for some reading.

 

[golden beetle]

I am skipping around, reading about each tier at my discretion.

Just read about Carrie Stevens and Rube Cross.

Carrie Stevens apparently tied her last fly in 1953. She died in 1970.

How did she spend those last 17 years away from her craft?

As to Rube Cross, I think he needs a biographer to research his story and make a book of it.

Cross was obviously an influential tier, but he probably had a manner that irritated people and made a few enemies.

After reading from Mike Valla's book, I did some searching on Google.

The guy apparently worked as a bouncer. His house burned down, and then, shortly after he resettled into another home, was charged with possession of unregistered feathers by the police. Speculation is that he was turned in by another fly tier.

He left the Catskills shortly thereafter for Providence, Rhode Island.

Any additional insights into these characters would be appreciated. Especially Rube Cross. Mike's book is inspiring me to my own research.

 

[JeffK]

Rube Cross is responsible for Jim Leisenring's fame, according to Pete Hidy's son (who is writing a book about all this). In post war America Rube Cross was a fly tying celebrity and tied flies at misc shows. He was a big strong guy with large hands who managed to tie very delicate flies. His fly tying books were well read and I enjoy them to this day. He met Jim Leisenring, was impressed by the guy and coaxed him to write a book. The classic wet fly book would likely not have found a publisher unless Rube Cross went to bat for Leisenring with his publisher. Jim Leisenring was a tool and die maker and great fisherman and tier, but not all that much of a writer. He enlisted the help of his young fishing friend Pete Hidy to do most of the actual writing and a classic was born.

I think at lot of these stories point out that one couldn't (can't) really make a good living as a fly tier and you need other irons in the fire.

 

[golden beetle]

Rube Cross is responsible for Jim Leisenring's fame, according to Pete Hidy's son (who is writing a book about all this). In post war America Rube Cross was a fly tying celebrity and tied flies at misc shows. He was a big strong guy with large hands who managed to tie very delicate flies. His fly tying books were well read and I enjoy them to this day. He met Jim Leisenring, was impressed by the guy and coaxed him to write a book. The classic wet fly book would likely not have found a publisher unless Rube Cross went to bat for Leisenring with his publisher. Jim Leisenring was a tool and die maker and great fisherman and tier, but not all that much of a writer. He enlisted the help of his young fishing friend Pete Hidy to do most of the actual writing and a classic was born.

I think at lot of these stories point out that one couldn't (can't) really make a good living as a fly tier and you need other irons in the fire.

I also read online that after his house burned down, Rube Cross was helped by friends to resettle in the Catskills, before his final relocation to Rhode Island.

So perhaps some people felt strongly about the guy, in a positive way.

On the other hand, I just read Walt Dette's obituary from the New York Times, which recounts Cross telling Dette to "go to hell" when asked to teach Dette how to tie flies.

Dette reverse engineered Cross's flies, and the results suggest that Cross may have been less than forthcoming about his tying techniques, perhaps even in the books you mention, JeffK.

Let's continue the conversation.

Best.

 

[Trouser Trout]

I also read online that after his house burned down, Rube Cross was helped by friends to resettle in the Catskills, before his final relocation to Rhode Island.

So perhaps some people felt strongly about the guy, in a positive way.

On the other hand, I just read Walt Dette's obituary from the New York Times, which recounts Cross telling Dette to "go to hell" when asked to teach Dette how to tie flies.

Dette reverse engineered Cross's flies, and the results suggest that Cross may have been less than forthcoming about his tying techniques, perhaps even in the books you mention, JeffK.

Let's continue the conversation.

Best.

Dette and Cross both learned much of their craft from emulating the style of the Stevens brothers Nate and Herm.

 

[NJpatbee]

I am also in the process of reading the book and have learned an enormous amount regarding some of our early tiers and innovators. I knew from other writings that Cross could be an uncooperative guy and kept his tying methods close to his vest. The Darbee's and Dette's reverse engineered his technique. Great book - any fly tier or fly fisher that appreciates the evolution of American flies and fishing them will enjoy it.

 

[golden beetle]

I am also in the process of reading the book and have learned an enormous amount regarding some of our early tiers and innovators. I knew from other writings that Cross could be an uncooperative guy and kept his tying methods close to his vest. The Darbee's and Dette's reverse engineered his technique. Great book - any fly tier or fly fisher that appreciates the evolution of American flies and fishing them will enjoy it.

It is a great book. It is my current favorite historical fly fishing work.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if it makes any difference whether the book is good or bad, nobody here gonna read it but me.

 

[JeffK]

My experience of 50 years ago was that all fly tiers were secretive, and that went double for those making a living. It doesn't seem odd to me that one fly tier wouldn't give his secrets to a competitor. He also tied flies at sporting shows, wrote useful tying books and was popular, so I don't think he was close to the chest for the day. Believe it or not, there was a time when you didn't expect to learn a fly pattern within 60 seconds on the Internet.

 

[golden beetle]

My experience of 50 years ago was that all fly tiers were secretive, and that went double for those making a living. It doesn't seem odd to me that one fly tier wouldn't give his secrets to a competitor. He also tied flies at sporting shows, wrote useful tying books and was popular, so I don't think he was close to the chest for the day. Believe it or not, there was a time when you didn't expect to learn a fly pattern within 60 seconds on the Internet.

Jeff, I want to know why the guy's house burned down, and why he left the Catskills.

There's a lot fascinating about Rube Cross.

Apparently, right before he left for Rhode Island, he was charged for having unregistered feathers, and speculation was that he was turned in by another tier for the alleged misdeed.

A lot here worthy of further research.

 

[Barleywine]

My experience of 50 years ago was that all fly tiers were secretive, and that went double for those making a living. It doesn't seem odd to me that one fly tier wouldn't give his secrets to a competitor. He also tied flies at sporting shows, wrote useful tying books and was popular, so I don't think he was close to the chest for the day. Believe it or not, there was a time when you didn't expect to learn a fly pattern within 60 seconds on the Internet.

What Jeff is saying here seems to be the prevailing attitude of the time. Most commercial tyers guarded their secrets. Walt Dette knew that. Before he was told to "go to hell", the story is that he offered Rube Cross $50 to teach him how to tye, which was a lot of money during the great depression.

Add Theodore Gordon to the list of secretive tyers. I've read that Gordon would go so far as to always put away his tying gear and materials when he had a visitor, and that Roy Steenrod is the only person known to have been taught directly by Gordon. Roy Steenrod generously taught great numbers of young people to tye, and may have directly spread the craft more than anyone of his time because of this.

Compare that situation with today. I think that it would be interesting to try to come up with a list of patterns that you can buy, but for which you CAN'T actually find a pattern available online. It would be a very short list.

 

[golden beetle]

What Jeff is saying here seems to be the prevailing attitude of the time. Most commercial tyers guarded their secrets. Walt Dette knew that. Before he was told to "go to hell", the story is that he offered Rube Cross $50 to teach him how to tye, which was a lot of money during the great depression.

Add Theodore Gordon to the list of secretive tyers. I've read that Gordon would go so far as to always put away his tying gear and materials when he had a visitor, and that Roy Steenrod is the only person known to have been taught directly by Gordon. Roy Steenrod generously taught great numbers of young people to tye, and may have directly spread the craft more than anyone of his time because of this.

Compare that situation with today. I think that it would be interesting to try to come up with a list of patterns that you can buy, but for which you CAN'T actually find a pattern available online. It would be a very short list.

Barleywine, I agree with your point, although I encourage you to buy Valla's book and do some independent research here.

I am a great fan of the mythical Rube Cross, but my interest is in his character more than anything else.

 

[TR]

I am a great fan of the mythical Rube Cross, but my interest is in his character more than anything else.

---

I agree.



What's with that shine on their foreheads?

 

[JeffK]

Ed Van Put has a section on Rube Cross in his latest book that is interesting. He paints a picture of a guy with a sense of humor who was popular in his home town. Of course your professional rivals can tell a different story. My read is that he was an economic refugee from the Catskills - a story told many times over with different details for every case. He grew up in Neversink, but spent time in NJ and NY to make a living. First his home town got flooded by Neversink Reservoir, which has to be tough. Then his rented house near the Beaverkill burned down at a time when WWII is gearing up making the fishing business tough while opening up opportunities elsewhere. I can see why he moved. Why Providence? Who knows, but I'd guess a friend or relative set him up. As I said, migration from the Catskills to regular jobs somewhere else is a tale told often