I have a friend asking me about fly fishing museums out east. So I did an internet search.
He and his wife were planning on a trip to New York, Vermont, Maine, etc. this fall.
Are there no fly fishing museums in the Utica NY area, etc? What happened to the Fred Divine museum?
Can anyone help me out with current information?
Fly Museum information in NY area and Maine.
Re: Fly Museum information in NY area and Maine.
#2No clue about the Fred Divine museum, but there is the AMFF in Manchester VT and the great museum Outdoor Heritage Museum in the Rangeley area, Maine. The fishing is way better in that area of Maine than it is around Manchester, VT, just a heads up.
Gary
Gary
Re: Fly Museum information in NY area and Maine.
#3You have the Catskill Fly Fishing Center in New York, in the Roscoe/Livingston Manor area.
Re: Fly Museum information in NY area and Maine.
#4A common mistake is to plan Maine visits in August and expecting trout fishing to be readily available. Timing is everything. The best fly fishing in the Rangeley area will be in June and the first half of July, before the major hatches have ended and the water levels have dropped in the streams. September will bring a turnaround in temperatures and increasing fish activity.
The Oquossoc (Rangeley) Sporting Heritage Museum is an offshoot of the Rangeley Historical Society, which has a small museum on Main Street in the town of Rangeley. The OSHM has an amazing array of artifacts, largely organized around standout individuals of the past, people like Herb Welch, Carrie Stevens, Fly Rod Crosby, and Billy Hill. The big display room has good displays of Thomas rods on loan from the Two Curmudgeons who authored the Thomas book, Bob Stewart and Jerry Girard. Jerry has also loaned artifacts relating to Leonard, Wheeler, and others whose talents could be seen in firearms as well as rods. As the bulk of the rods are on loan the displays will change from time to time. A master plan for the display of Maine rod makers has not solidified yet but it will include Thomas, Eustis Edwards, Leonard, Wheeler, JB Daniels, and locals, Ken Crocker and Ed Hoar. Examples from all of them will be seen when you visit.
The web site will let you know what displays are current and what the schedule for related activities is like. Right now is the time to be there. There's still a some water in the streams and lake & pond hatches are peaking.
Re: Fly Museum information in NY area and Maine.
#5I feel terrible about forgetting the Catskill Museum while remembering AMFF! Yikes, what was I thinking? Oh, wait, that's right.... Also, since the OP said the visit would be in the fall, I still think the fishing in Maine will be better than in the Manchester, VT area.
Gary
Gary