Books @ what it was like 'Back in the Day' 1800's-1960's

An area where you can discuss books about angling, classic tackle, angling literature, your favorite authors, old and new, and any upcoming books you see of interest and of course all the classics as well.

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norcal_1
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Books @ what it was like 'Back in the Day' 1800's-1960's

#1

Post by norcal_1 »

Looking for more books on what it was like 'back in the day', eg 1900's - 1960's....when fishing was an adventure and the fish
were really and truly as big or plentiful as the tales

here are some examples:

Fishing in North America, 1876-1910 Frank Oppel
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what it was like pre 1948 in western US....
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what it was like to fish the Sierra in the 1930's and 40's by a writer that has a gift for making you feel like you're there with him, includes pics of the scenery and huge trout caught, too
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p.s. if you enjoy the McDermand book on Golden Trout Country, you can read about a retracement of the entire journey and compare what was found decades later in Nine Passes (2015)


what it was like to fish the West in the 40's, 50's and 60's with DanBailey and friends...
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history of western trout fishing
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Howard Back's charming guide to the rich waters in and near Yellowstone National Park has been revered as a classic for sixty-five years.
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1910 book on Yellowstone fly fishing - Fly Fishing in Wonderland, by Orange Perry Barnes (hat tip Hellmetflies)
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A Trip to the Yellowstone National Park in July, August, and September, 1875
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Reminiscences from 50 Years of Flyrodding, E. H. ("Polly") Rosborough
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They Left Their Tracks: Recollections of 60 Years as a Bob Marshall Wilderness Outfitter
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how a little river in Vermont could keep the attention of a worldwide traveler like Lee Wulff and what was it like back in the day when brown trout were measured in pounds?
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despite the modern title and coverage, much of the book is historical and covers what was it like to fish the wild country in Maine in the early glory years of big brookies and salmon, this book provides the historical background w/ pics
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Arcadia Publishing has several books
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Exploration by float plane of eastern Canada and New England in the 1940's/50'/60's by a legend
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McClane's Angling World: A.J. McClane's Greatest Adventures Game Fishing Across America
1986 publish date but stories go back 30 years

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1957 - Greatest Fishing by Joe Brooks: "From the streams of Southeastern Alaska and the Yukon territory, down through Montana, Pennsylvania, Ontario and Maine, to the waters of the Florida keys and the Everglades, and still further to the Isle of Pines, south of Cuba, and to the fabulous fishing waters of the Tierra del Fuego and southwestern Argentina..."
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stories from books published in 1928 & 1955, very good read w/ B+W pictures, too
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OTHER BOOKS LIKE THESE THAT YOU'D RECOMMEND?
Last edited by norcal_1 on 10/13/20 07:34, edited 22 times in total.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#2

Post by kermit »

Here are a few. I love the smell of old books!

- Among The Northern Hills - 1895
- Wild Life in the Rocky Mountains - 1916
- Mushings of an Angler - 1939

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#3

Post by gt05254 »

The late John Merwin's "Battenkill" is one of the best books about a river and the people and places surrounding it I've ever read. And of course, I love my pal Paul Schullery's "Cowboy Trout."
Gary

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#4

Post by Ed Pirie »

I would also suggest Bob Elliot's book, The Eastern Brook Trout. There is a lot in this book, especially about trout fishing in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the 1940's. The book has a copyright date of 1950. I would say there is more about Maine, than New Hampshire and Vermont, but it is good reading just the same. If you enjoy reading about the older fly patterns and fishing them in upper New England, then you will like this book. At the time this book was written, most of the local newspapers around here had an outdoor writer (I knew at least one of them) and it is fun to read their outdoor fishing adventures. I miss those days.

Ed Pirie
West Topsham, Vermont

norcal_1
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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#5

Post by norcal_1 »

Thanks for those recommendation guys
Last edited by norcal_1 on 03/29/18 10:14, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#6

Post by headwaters »

Virgin Water: Thirty-Five Years in Quest of the Squaretail Trout (1941) by Leighton Brewer, about fishing in the Adirondacks when he young, and then later in Quebec in the early 20th century.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#7

Post by norcal_1 »

...
Last edited by norcal_1 on 03/29/18 13:45, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#8

Post by norcal_1 »

Six Salmon Rivers and Another (1960) by George Frederick Clarke
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Six Salmon Rivers is not just for anglers. It is a classic of Canadian life — a luminous account of the author’s lifelong love affair with the rivers of New Brunswick and their wilderness landscapes. It is a treasure trove of tales told by old-time guides and real-life stories about backwoods eccentrics, early explorers, and fellow sportsmen.

George Frederick Clarke was a man of broad and passionate interests — writer, archaeologist, environmentalist and lifelong angler. Six Salmon Rivers and Another is full of thrilling stories of salmon caught and salmon lost on New Brunswick rivers. But what makes it more than an angling classic is the “other river” that threads through it.

Time and again Clarke puts into words the intangible things that make anglers love their sport: the saltiness of the guides; the camaraderie of the campfire; and above all the sights, scents and sounds of the wilderness — “so interesting, so primitive, so remote from the usual haunts of men.”

The “other river” is, in a word, contentment; the deep delight in the flow of time and place that wilderness woods and rivers can impart. “A day off is a day gained,” says Clarke; his book tells us why.

George Frederick Clarke (1883-1974) was the author of thirteen books and dozens of short stories. He lived in Woodstock, NB.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#9

Post by norcal_1 »

Grand Cascapedia Vol I & II by Hoagy Carmichael

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Originating in two rocky torrents in the Shick-Shock Mountains, the Grand Cascapedia River cuts across the forested wilderness of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula and empties into Chaleur Bay. Just as exceptional as the river’s natural beauty are the giant salmon that return there each summer to spawn. Known to the local Micmac Indians from time immemorial, these outsize fish have attracted wealthy and well-connected sportsmen—including captains of industry and U.S. presidents—since the mid-nineteenth century. Now, in these exhaustively researched and superbly written volumes, veteran angler Hoagy B. Carmichael reveals the eventful history of this most exclusive salmon river.

The first volume of The Grand Cascapedia River recounts the discovery of the river’s salmon by adventurous outdoorsmen in the 1840s; the assignment of fishing rights on the river to successive Governors General of Canada, as a curious perk of office; and—in a fascinating encounter between the Gilded Age and the northern wilds—the subsequent purchase of those rights by a small group of American millionaires, the “Old Club.” The second volume begins with the dissolution of the Old Club in the depths of the Great Depression and traces the development of the private camps, each with its own character and lore, that are found along the river today. It also explores the management of the river’s natural resources and the present-day division of fishing rights between the camps, the Micmacs, and the public.

Both volumes are illustrated with hundreds of rare archival photographs, as well as original maps and drawings. The Grand Cascapedia River represents an important contribution not only to the annals of sport, but also to social history and wildlife conservation and management.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#10

Post by norcal_1 »

160 Years of Salmon Stories by Morris Green
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With almost 400 pages of stories, photos and historical information, this hard-cover book honors the men and women from the Miramichi Valley and beyond who were inducted into the Hall of Fame between 1983 and 2012. Some of the names like sportsman Theodore “Ted” Williams, wildlife artist Arthur J. Taylor, and authors Wayne Curtis and David Adams Richards will be instantly recognizable. Others like guide William “Willy” Basco, fly tyer Wallace “Wally” Doak, and the owners of Wilson’s Sporting Camps on the Upper Miramichi will simply evoke fond memories of happy hours spent in pursuit of the elusive Atlantic salmon. Written by local author and experienced story teller Morris Green, 160 Years of Salmon Stories comprises 128 “short stories” that, in just a few paragraphs, will transport you out on the river.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#11

Post by hoagy b carmichael »

Hello all:

How nice to get a shout out from one of our members. The two volumes took me seven years to complete, and I am proud of their contribution.

One can order signed, reduced price copies by going to www.booksbycarmichael.com.

My thanks to one and all.

Hoagy

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#12

Post by novisor12 »

Ted William's Fishing the Big Three was an easy and entertaining read.

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#13

Post by roycestearns »

Thanks for this thread, now I have a few more books to chase!

One of the books under appreciated in American Fly Fishing History is Favorite Flies by Mary Orvis Marbury. The book was an attempt to catalog and standardize the American fly, however it's much more then that. Every state in the lower 48 is represented in anecdotes from actual fisherman in the 1890's. Where else can you read of a US Army soldier following Indians and using a piece of his red flannel to successfully fly fish for trout in Montana? The book is full of little fish tales, by those that lived them.... the history of the Royal Coachman etc... Reprinted numerous times you can pick up a paperback for less then $20

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#14

Post by norcal_1 »

Zane Grey on what it was like to fish New Zealand (fresh and salt) in the 1920's....when 11 lb brown trout were common
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Tasmania in the 1940's - 50's
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R.L. Blackwood, Australia 1950's
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Trout Fishing in New Zealand in Wartime, F.W. Pickard, 1940 publish date so 1930's described
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Trout in New Zealand – Where To Go And How To Catch Them, By W H Spackman. First Edition, published in 1892.
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Trout and Other Fishing in New Zealand by Colonel D.W. Beamish (MC) 1953
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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#15

Post by norcal_1 »

Casting Back - Sixty Years of Fishing and Writing
by Peter McMullan
"Covering a span of more than 60 years, these classic fishing essays are brought together for the first time, celebrating the thoughts, pleasures and adventures of a devoted angler and renowned storyteller as he fishes some of the timeless streams of Ireland, New Zealand and British Columbia."
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"Through the pages of Casting Back Peter McMullan takes the reader from his youthful Irish beginnings in the 1940s to his time as a young journalist in Northern Ireland during the mid-1950s, through the 1960s and into today’s western Canada and a totally different sport fishing environment.

Pike and bream, roach, tench and perch were his original targets – what British and Irish anglers call “coarse” fish. Then, with experience and the passage of time, came brown trout and Atlantic salmon – the more highly regarded “game” fish – as angling with lures and sometimes even “garden olives” gave way to dressed silk lines and fine handmade rods crafted from split cane. Moving from Northern Ireland to British Columbia in the 1970s brought an entirely new dimension to McMullan’s fishing life, as there were now Pacific salmon and legendary steelhead to be caught in stunning rivers too numerous to name.

The author’s recollections range from stories of being that boarding school boy who would slip away from his still-sleeping dormitory before dawn to fish for tench, to the time when an Irish pig stole his salmon, to an encounter with a black bear in British Columbia that just might have been a serious threat. Pivot from there to reflections on the lives of commercial fishers of herring in the Irish Sea and trout in Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, and finally to the ruminations of a now very experienced angler fortunate enough to travel twice to New Zealand to seek out big trout."

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#16

Post by norcal_1 »

The Anglers Coast by Russell Chatham, copyright 1976 but covers experiences in 40's/50's/60's of fishing the coastal rivers
from California to Washington back when steelheading was just in it's infancy
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reviews:

"Russell Chatham has written a wonderful memoir of the rise and fall of the great anadromous sport fishery of the Pacific Coast, as shown through the life of Bill Schadt, artist, sign painter, and all around total fish bum, who never married, lived in a trailer, worked only a few months of the year, and totally dedicated his life to fishing for salmon, steelhead and striped bass. Through his life, we relive the fantastic fishing of the '40s, '50s, and 60s, when the rampant development, logging and dam-building, to say nothing of severe over-fishing, began to decimate this fantastic resource. They thought it would last forever. Not only full of good writing, this book is loaded with wonderful photographs from the era."

"Just finished reading this book.
I grew up on the California coast fishing for Salmon and Steelhead.
As a kid the I heard alot of old timers telling stories about the great runs of fish that
once were.
I was was lucky enough to experience the tail end of this great fishery , which today is all but gone
in California.
This book brought back lots of memories.
Its sad the state of our rivers today.
Very good read."

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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#17

Post by norcal_1 »

The Western Angler, Roderick Haig Brown, 1939
An Account of Pacific Salmon & Western Trout in British Columbia, Vol I & II
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his other books, written about his fishing experiences from the 1940's to the 60's in British Columbia:
A River Never Sleeps
Return to the River
Fisherman's Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter
(4 book series)
To Know a River
Return to The River



Famous British Columbia Fly-Fishing Waters by Art Lingren - 2002 publish date but covers 150 yrs of history

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Looking over the 150 years, Art Lingren explores the origins of fly-fishing in British Columbia. He covers both the special waters where fly-fishing developed and the legendary fishermen who laid the foundation for the fly-fishers to come. Many of these fishermen were the first in all of North America to experiment with the flies and techniques of Great Britain. Lingren discusses such fabled waters as the Campbell River, the Dean, Bella Coola, and Skagit rivers, and of course the world-famous Thompson. A description of each water is given, including: its history, effective techniques and flies, species information, excerpts from historical references, local anglers and their experiences, and more. More anglers exploring the history of fly-fishing is as important a part of their life as actually getting out on the water. This book is for those fly-fishers with a love for the history of fly-fishing in North America. 8.5 x 11 Inches, 144 Pages, All-Color


Fly-Fishing Pioneers & Legends of the Northwest by Jack W Berryman
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The inventions, achievements, traditions, and lore of western fly-fishing are explored in this unique book which examines the contributions of 23 pioneers and legends from British Columbia, California, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington: Dan Bailey, Ted Trueblood, Zane Grey, Polly Rosborough, and Roderick Haig-Brown, as well as some not so well known like Harry Hornbrook, "Mooch" Abraham, and Ralph Olson. Written in an engaging style with original photographs and fly plates, the book documents the development of new and effective fly patterns, fishing methods, techniques and tackle for western waters


Early Northwest Fly-Fishing: A Fly-Angler's Lifetime Journey Through Oregon, Washington, and the World by Blaine Hallock
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Blaine Hallock (1889-1953) was born in Heppner, eastern Oregon and practiced law for many years in Baker City, eastern Oregon, and elsewhere. He was enamored of fishing, and especially fly-fishing, and spent many days streamside with other Northwest fly-fishing pioneers, such as Spencer Biddle and Supreme Court Justice William Douglas. Parts of his book were originally written almost one hundred years ago. This historic book speaks of Northwest and international angling in locations that today are world famous (and unfortunately often crowded). Mr. Hallock had a desire to explore and a wonderful talent for angling and writing. Origins of Western Angling is an exciting discovery of many of the roots of our sport - how one intelligent Oregonian experienced the first half of the last century.

Steelhead – 1948 by Claude M Kreider
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Rivers Of A Lost Coast DVD
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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#18

Post by norcal_1 »

Hemingway's son tells of fishing trips with his father and thereafter, most 1940's-60's
"He takes 280 pages to get himself to 30 years old, then a hasty 35 more to cover the remaining 33"
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then there's the compilation of his father's writings on fishing, also excellent (half fresh water fly fishing / half saltwater), includes articles he
wrote for sporting magazines of the day (20's and 30's)
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Re: Books @ what it was like 'back in the day'

#19

Post by norcal_1 »

Trout Fly Fishing in America by Charles Zibeon Southard, 1914
mostly covers technical aspects of fly fishing with one chapter on Rangeley lakes region
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Fly-fishing in Maine Lakes; by Stevens, Charles Woodbury, 1831- [from old catalog]
Publication date 1881
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Re: Books @ what it was like 'Back in the Day' 1800's-1960's

#20

Post by cwfly »

Published in Wellington, New Zealand in 1904. I received this book in 2011 as a gift from a poet, teacher and gentleman, BlackHillsBill. It came with a letter that will stay with the book.

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