SIX PERIODS IN THE HISTORY

      OF AMERICAN FLY FISHING

      Periods One, Two and Three

      The Eastern Dominance

      In the beginning there was:

     The Beginning: 1845–1900

Samuel Phillippi: the split- bamboo rod

Thaddeus Norris: how an American must fish

Washington Irving: first modern fishing story

And then there was:

The Identity Period: 1900–1920

Theodore Gordon: the dry fly defined

George La Branche: the dry fly in fast water

James Leisenring: the wet fly and nymph

Then:

The Golden Age: 1920–1944

Jim Payne: the fly rod perfected

Walt Dette: Catskill fly tying

Ray Bergman: story, lore, and tackle

Setting the tone

**

Periods Four, Five and Six

The Western Ascendancy

Followed by:

The Transitional Period: 1945–1960

War, the spinning reel, and tailwaters

Ted Trueblood: the beautiful angler

Vincent Marinaro: the American master

A. J. McClane : the complete authority

Next:

The TU Period: 1960–2008

Catch and release wild fish

The Great Expansion

Technological advance and rise of synthetics

Commercialization and a global economy

And now:

The New Period: 2009–

End of expansion

Reconsideration, reform, and restoration

Older and simpler methods and satisfactions

Tenkara, ancient fly fishing from Japan

                                                                                         © GMW