Jimmy Carter on Spruce Creek

[Clams]

Jimmy Carter's passing at age 100 this week reminded me of the fishing diary he wrote of a trip he and his wife Roslyn made to Spruce Creek back in the early 1980s. It's a wonderful piece.

Jimmy Carter's Spruce Creek Diary - Fly Fisherman

The former president recounts his time fly fishing a Pennsylvania gem with family and friends.

www.flyfisherman.com

 

[JimKennedy]

Jimmy Carter was a dedicate fly fisher. I used to run into the Secret Service crew on Big Hunting Creek back when he would go to Camp David and do a little fishing. They were always very polite to other anglers, though you could tell the agents who were fitted out with fishing tackle had no clue about fly fishing.

In those days, the federal hatchery in West Virginia would always dump a few monster breeders in Big Hunting Creek for the president. They were completely out of place, but I was a kid at the time and thought it was really cool. I suspect the racoons had a feast whenever that happened.

I think the last fly fishing president we had was George Bush I.

Herbert Hoover wrote a book on fishing, "Fishing for Fun–And to Wash Your Soul," whose opening paragraph ends with this: Fishing "... is discipline in the equality of man – for all men are equal before fish."

 

[albatross]

Herbert Hoover wrote a book on fishing, "Fishing for Fun–And to Wash Your Soul," whose opening paragraph ends with this: Fishing "... is discipline in the equality of man – for all men are equal before fish."