Racquet River--"Adirondacks"

Published by Currier & Ives, [between 1840 and 1880]

Here is another print from the Library of Congress's digital collection that I found while a while back.  As winter loosens it's grip on the east I start getting the itch to head out and wet a line.

The last rain storm has put a cramp in my plans to head out (only for a day or two), but my mind is wondering on where I want to fish this year.  Here is one of the places on my list the Racquet River in Upstate NY.  In the past I've gone up to the to fish the St. Lawrence River every May (before kids) to fish for Northern Pike but never made it to the Racquet River, maybe this year.

I did clean up the image removing the some of the patina but a water make remains.

Enjoy.

Method of Dressing Nymphs

Method of Dressing Nymphs comes from THE WAY OF A TROUT WITH A FLY by Skues, G. E. M. (George Edward Mackenzie), published in London, A. & C. Black, ltd. in 1921.  I found this brilliant plate while researching some traditional wet fly patterns.  I find inspiration in looking at old patterns and intrigued with the methods used to tie these pattens.  Enjoy the plate and description.

Plate II. METHOD OF DRESSING NYMPHS.
From a water-colour drawing by St. Barbe Goldsmith.

"Placing your hook—say, a Limerick No. 16—in your vice, begin whipping near the eye, and whip nearly halfway down the shank. Tie in here, with point towards head of hook, a bunch of six or eight fibres of feather of suitable colour, regulating the length so that when the fibre is bent over to the eye of the hook and tied down there will be enough of the points left to be pressed out on either side to represent the legs. Then pass the silk under the ends of the fibres of feather on the side of the bend of the hook, and whip on the bare hook to the tail; tie in two short, stout, soft whisks of suitable colour, tie in gold or silverwire, twirl on dubbing thinly, and wind to the place where the fibre is tied in; wind on the wire in regular spacing to the same point, and secure on the head side of the place where the fibre is tied in ; thicken the dubbing, and wind over roots of feather fibre to head. Then divide the points equally, and press backward from the eye; bring over the feather fibre to the head, tie it down with two turns, including a half-hitch, cut off the waste ends, and finish with a whip finish on the eye. Thus the legs are forced to stand out at right angles, or rather more backward, from the eye, and below the level of the hook shank, andthe effect of wing cases is produced. (See Plate II.)" –  Page126  THE WAY OF A TROUT WITH A FLY

Shad fishing taking up the net above Chester, N.J.

Here is a splendid drawing I found in the Library of Congress's digital collection.  Fishermen are standing in the Delaware River (1855), netting shad along the shore.  The artist is Queen, James Fuller, 1820 or 21-1886, and the drawing is graphite and chalk ; 23.1 x 33.2 cm..

Chester, N.J. is not the Chester of Morris County, but Chester Township, one of Burlington County’s original townships now Borough of Palmyra (if my research is correct).

I'd played with the drawing in PhotoShop to bring out some of the detail and if you like the see the original click this link: (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2009632254/).

Enjoy.

Salmon fishing on the Dee.

I found this brilliant print in the Library of Congress's digital collection. The title is "Salmon fishing on the Dee," I take it the it's the river Dee in Scotland. It looks to be a mezzo-tint print published in 1903 by Joesph Farquharson. I did clean up the image removing the some of the patina.

Enjoy

Circa 1870 Tenkara Scene - "American Sporting Scene - Trout Fishing "

This is another print from the Library of Congress's digital collection that I found while doing my Tenkara research.  As you can see it is a 19th century scene showing men and women on the bank of a river "Tenkara" fishing for trout.  This lithograph is circa 1870 by John Walsh & Co..  The original measure size D (roughly 14" x 20").  I did clean up the image removing the patina.

Enjoy

Ayu zu "River Trout" by Utagawa Hiroshige

Here is a Japanese color wood cut by Utagawa Hiroshige (1842 - 1894) some time  between 1868 and 1894.  The original measure 9.6 x 10.8 cm.  I found this print in the Library of Congress digital collection while I was doing some of my Tenkara research.  I'd clean it up a little but I didn't go as far as to remove what looks like a fold (the blueish line left of the chop). 

Enjoy

"Rise to the natural fly" By Louis Rhead 1901

I found this beautiful Square Tail (a.k.a Brook Trout) in the Library of Congress digital collection.  It's by Louis Rhead and copyrighted 1901.  I think it is in the public domain but with the recent changes in the law you need a law degree to figure it out.