I first read about Sens, and several of his fly patterns, in the mid-60s after devouring Ernest Schwiebert’s Matching the Hatch, an early bible of mine. Decades would pass before another Guild member inspired me to do the research on Ed Sens. I had help and got very lucky making contact with family members, who verified my findings while providing valuable insights gained through personal correspondence and recollections of the man.
Thus my Sens’ information is based upon three sources. First, what angling/authors: Ernest Schwiebert, Ray Ovington, Gary LaFontaine, Leonard Wright, Al McClane, and others wrote about Sens, his work and flies. Without any doubt, Schwiebert and Ovington had the most to say about this flyfisher. Secondly, a detailed personal letter between Sens and McClane, given to me by Ed Sens’ son-in-law, Bob Hutton. Finally, family recollections of the man himself. Also included are a few Ed Sens’ fly patterns, which have served me well, with reference to finding others.
The book consists of forty short chapters, about one-third of which prior versions appeared in the Gazette or Woodstock Times, for which I was not compensated. In addition to Ed Sens, stories told are based upon the most recent fifty years of my angling log entries, focusing on the Catskills, some Garden State wild trout streams, and a lengthy personal examination of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park wild trout.
My goal in writing the book was to acknowledge contributions Edmund Sens made to trout fishing, perhaps a little known but not forgotten Catskill flyfisher.
Ed
PS… the cover of the book--- included below--- features a watercolor of the East Branch Neversink my wife did for such, as Sens was a Neversink flyfisher whose family owned property upstream of New York City’s Neversink Reservoir.
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