Fly Fishing Patriarch - The Late Lee Wulff

Lee Wulff was raised in Alaska when the numbers of spawning salmon were at their peak. Millions passed his view each year. An Englishman named Roseen, who was an avid fly-rodder, took the young lad under his wing and taught him the basics of fly fishing. Since flies were hard to find in 1915, they made their own, and, since there was no sophisticated equipment in those days, these pioneers tied their flies by hand - a practice that Lee never forgot.

While I interviewed him at his home in upstate New York, he demonstrated the ultimate fly-tying feat. He carefully picked up a size 28 hook, one so small that it's hardly visible. As I watched curiously and incredulously, he selected tiny fibers and gossamer style thread and tied a miniature midge... by hand... without a vise, without a magnifying glass and without hesitation.

The Wulff's eventually moved to California where Lee received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Stanford. He had a strong second interest as well and spent considerable time in Paris studying art. Later, he would combine these talents to design colorful lures for fishing.

Wulff's dream was to become The All-American Fisherman, which was unthinkable in the early 30's during the depression. But this was characteristic. He was ahead of this time in many respects. His ideas and goals sparkled with originality. Here are just some of his accomplishments:

* He fished the first International Tuna Tournament ever held and caught the biggest fish.
* He flew himself into virgin Canadian waters and caught as many as 75 salmon a day on flies.
* He invented the fishing vest in 1931.

He set the record for the largest striped marlin ever caught with a fly rod- 148 pounds on a 12 pound-test leader. He had the first TV fishing show. From 1960 to 1964 he was featured on the CBS Sports Spectacular. Then in '64, along with the Spectacular, he was also featured on The American Sportsman and contributed for another ten years.

In 1937 he promoted the "no kill" concept. He had seen the incredible population of Alaska salmon dwindle over the years and decided that a fish was too valuable to be caught only once. He coined the expression, "The fish you put back is your gift to another angler, and, who knows, it may have been another angler's gift to you."

He was an accomplished outdoor writer, book author, art director and producer. He was the first to make an underwater fishing movie. He wrote six books on fly tying and fly fishing. He and his wife, Joan, started a fly fishing school in Lew Beach, NY, which she still supervises. Wulff, obviously, was an outstanding fisherman, and innovative fly tier, an astute, creative person who could mix art, engineering and experience into a delightful blend of color, grace, and form. "I had a wonderful life," he said. And, indeed he had. One that many of us consider enviable.

Want to know more about fly fishing? Just click on the link below and check out, "Fly Fishing From Scratch!"