PA Angler fly pattern archive??

[TimB]

I’m hoping one of the “old-timers” out there can help me. I’m looking for someone that might have kept copies of PA Angler from around 1970 (give or take a few years in either direction) or knows where I might find them. When I was a kid, I subscribed to the mag and used to tie some of the patterns from Chauncy Lively’s column. This was before I ever picked up a fly rod. I had no instruction, but bought a fly tying kit at a sportsmen’s show and followed some of Chauncy’s recipes.

I was rooting through some boxes of old gear a couple of weeks ago looking to see if I had anything for a gear swap at my TU chapter meeting and stumbled across an old fly box from when I was a kid. I found a few store-bought panfish poppers and a few ratty looking flies that I must’ve tied 40 years ago. Some were pretty comical looking. I did find two patterns that looked fishable and stuck them in a fly box before my trip to Canada. One was a decent looking rabbit strip streamer with an orange yarn body and junglecock eyes. It looked like a winner and I fished with it, but it fell apart the first time a fish hit it. The second was a leech pattern of some type or my interpretation of a classic woolly bugger. The last afternoon of my trip the guide suggested a leech pattern might be effective in the water we were working. I thought what the heck, and tried the old fly and within 15 minutes banged 3 brookies in the 4-6 lb. range with the fly. It was pretty cool catching those fish on something I tied as a kid 40 years ago.

I’m hoping someone might know some of Chauncy Lively’s patterns either from his book or the old PA Anglers. I was hoping to find his recipe for a leech/wooly bugger and see if I followed it faithfully or just adapted with what materials I had on hand at the time. My resources were pretty much limited to what came in the old fly tying kit. If anyone knows if there is an index/archive of patterns from the PA Angler from about ’67-70 it would be most appreciated. I would like to be able to research a couple of the old patterns, especially the leech. The online PA Angler index only goes back to ’97. Any help would be appreciated.


Tim B.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

well im not an old timer, but this was all i could find

ebay mag

more mags 22 of them

hope i helped, i tried anyways! :-D

 

[dryflyguy]

I can't help you with the archive. but I remember Chauncy's articles - he was a fantastic tyer.
I fish only on top, and I saved a few of his dry fly patterns from the '80's.
One that has been quite productive for me was called the tri-point dun. It's kind of a takeoff on the comparadun, but with a more realistic look. I tie a few of these for all the major hatches, and it has taken tough trout that have refused everything else I tried.

 

[RLeeP]

Tim: I have back issues of the Angler going back to probably 1964 or 65. By no means complete, but perhaps 80% coverage.

If you'll give me a couple/three weeks, I'd be happy to go through them and see if there are any Lively pieces that meet your need.

I could then come back here and let you know what Ive found and then, in an email exchange, we could discuss ways to get the info to you.

But, I'd need a little time. Family trips and whatnot. By order of my shrink, I also have to fish 7-10 full days per month and it has to be weekdays.... So, that takes up a little time too.

But, I've been going to go through them just for memory's sake anyway.

Interested?

Bob P.

 

[FarmerDave]

RLeeP wrote:


... By order of my shrink, I also have to fish 7-10 full days per month and it has to be weekdays.... So, that takes up a little time too.

That's a good one Bob. I had a foot problem this winter, and a Podiatrist prescribed that I soak the foot in cold stream water a couple times a week while holding a flyrod for balance. I had it in writing too, and the wife still didn't buy it. I had to use ice packs. :-x

By the way Tim. I did a quick google search, and there is a book out there called Chauncy Lively's Fly Box. Sounds interesting.

 

[Chaz]

Tim,
I found this on Amazon, it may help and for only $4.95 it can't be bad. Good to hear from you, don't those big brookies fight hard. Where did you go?
Make sure you cut and paste the link.
Chaz

http://www.amazon.com/Chauncy-Livelys-Flybox-Portfolio-Modern/dp/0811720780

ps, if you type Chauncy Lively Flies into google you'll get a ton of inofrmation.

 

[TimB]

RLeeP,

Thanks for the generous offer. Whenever you have time or maybe on a rainy day when you are unable to follow your shrink's prescribed therapy.... ;-)

I'm guessing 1968-69, but could be off a bit. Any info is appreciated. I'm sorry I didn't think to keep my old copies back then. Cauncy K. Lively's columns were very good if I remember correctly.

I'd be happy to send a few flies your way for your efforts.

Thanks,

Tim B.

 

[TimB]

Chaz wrote:

Good to hear from you, don't those big brookies fight hard. Where did you go?

Chaz,

The REALLY big ones fight even harder!

I was in Labrador. The average fish was about 4-5 lbs with some up to 7 lbs - I think. I only weighed one just to get an idea of how to judge them. We were fishing all C&R and after a while we didn't even take photos; just got them back in the water as afast as possible. The smaller fish was the first I caught on the pattern in question. The bigger fish was on a streamer and was one of the bigger brookies I got (caught some bigger pike and the guide insisted this one was a pike until I had it in the net!). It was awesome!

Yeah, I did some online searches and found the book title and lots of info before posting here...

Thanks for the info

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

nice fish tim! sure wish we had fisheries like that here in pa!

 

[cimarronred]

Hi, TimB,

I am fortunate to have known Chauncy Lively from 1970 until his death in 2000. He was one of the finest gentlemen I've been associated with.

During the years I subscribed to the Angler, I saved all of his articles. In fact were it not for Chaunce's writings I would probably not have taken the Angler. Another good friend through whom I met Chaunce allowed me to photocopy all of the articles he had dating from the early 1950's. Unfortunately, his collection is not quite complete.

I just checked the index that my friend had hand written, but there was no listing of a leech or wooly bugger. I'll look through all the articles later this week to be certain. I also have a signed copy of Chaunce's Fly Box, but it does not show your pattern either.

After his death, Chaunce's family were very generous and gave me a box of his flies, a gift I'll cherish until I die. I had hoped that the Angler would publish all of Chaunce's columns in one volume, but when I wrote them to suggest such a project, the response was that they have no plans for so doing. Too bad.

BTW, you can find some of Chaunce's fishing articles in the Riverwatch On-Line. Here you'll also find some stories by George Aiken, Chaunce's brother-in-law who just died last fall. George used to fish a gigantic Crowe beetle -- it was as big as your thumb. This started me fishing them. What a fly!

Here's a link to the Riverwatch. You'll see it's a Michigan publication. Chaunce moved there following his retirement.

http://www.ausableanglers.org/Riverwatch%20Online/Riverwatch%20Online%20Index%20Intro%20Temporary.htm

 

[TimB]

It's funny how one small event can start a quest. I enjoyed catching fish on that fly, but I'm probably having more fun thinking back trying to remember my old tying days and researching the pattern in question. It's entirely possible that it wasn't one of Chauncy's patterns, but that was the most likely source. I don't remember using any other reference or recipes at the time. I just assumed it was one of his.

Could be my adaptation of the Woolly Bugger with what materials I had. Near as I can figure, I would've tied the fly about 1969-71. Russ Blessing is credited with developing the woolly bugger in '67, but I don't know if the pattern was popular enough to have been published yet. It could be I saw something in the Angler or F&S about the bugger. I'll probably round up a copy of "Woolly Wisdom" just for fun. Like I said, its become a bit of a quest now.

I really appreciate your efforts and info. It's fun strolling down memory lane trying and remembering my enthusiasm for tying and fishing as a kid. I was self taught and never really had any success with the fly rod other than a few pond panfish on small poppers. I think this was the first time I caught something on a fly I tied as a kid. Thus the quest....

thanks again,

Tim B.