Jim Schottenham launched into a story of George LaBranche’s indirect role in the first deliberate catch of a bonefish on a fly.
LaBranche, the famed dry-fly hotshot, lived in Islamorada in Florida and happened to be there when guide Bill Smith brought in two bonefish he said they caught on a fly. When LaBranche saw the fly was a bucktail with a piece of pork rind, he berated their catch and Smith. That motivated Smith to make flies for bonefish. He’s credited with the first deliberate catch of a bonefish on the fly a few months later in 1939.
Good curators know interesting things. From whispers, gossip and innuendo to gospel truth, general background and behind-the-scenes intrigue, it all makes better exhibits.
So I jumped at the chance Monday to speak with Schottenham as he finished the fly-fishing exhibit, “Time Flies: A Centennial Celebration” at Creek Bend Nature Center in St. Charles.
My all-time favorite curator is the Chicago Maritime Museum’s Madeline Crispell. I once had a 10-minute conversation with her that veered from Ireland, where she was a contestant on Rob Lowe’s game show, “The Floor,” to the Chicago River, background for her greatest piece of detective work on Black artist James Bolivar Needham.
Schottenham is in her class. He’s the American Museum of Fly Fishing curator, which reminds me that I need to visit the museum in Vermont (amff.org). He started as curator in 2022 and said, “I get to play with old fishing tackle. It is the greatest job in the world.”
The fly-fishing exhibit is part of the centennial celebration of the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. The forest preserve district, 20,650 acres with 98 forest preserves and more than 215 miles of trails, was created by an act of the state legislature in 1925.
Schottenham tied the exhibit into the time frame of 1925.
There’s Carrie Stevens, whose catch of a big brook trout in 1924 was second in Field and Stream, which in 1925 published her account of the catch. Her catch came on a fly she tied off a streamer pattern by her friend, decoy carver Charles “Shang” Wheeler.” She called it Shang’s Go-Getum. Her story and fly, credited with evolving into the all-time streamer Gray Ghost, were such a success that she grew a business out of it.
Schottenham said she tied her flies without using a vice. She was so secretive that no one saw her tie her flies until 1954 when Wendell Folkins, who bought her supplies and client list, and George Fletcher “were the first people to ever witness Stevens dressing a fly,” according to the AMFF account (amff.org/portfolio/graceful-rise-yesterday/agr-carrie-stevens/).
The time frame explains LaBranche, who authored “The Dry Fly & Fast Water,” then in 1924 published “The Salmon and the Dry Fly;” and Fred Shaw who published “The Science of Fly Fishing for Trout” in 1925. Shaw’s book at the exhibit has an autographed presentation page signed to Joe Brooks, famed fly fisher and writer.
My favorite setup features the Jock Scott dressed salmon fly, considered the most popular salmon fly. Beside a beautiful presentation of the fly, there’s a description and display of the birds and their feathers used in the fly.
As I was wrapping up with Schottenham, we fell into a discussion on flies/lures vs presentation. LaBranche, as Schottenham put it, “didn’t care about the fly, he was more about the presentation.”
We had an extended discussion on how much confidence matters in fishing. As Schottenham put it, “If you got confidence in what you are doing, you will be successful.”
That’s as true in life as in fishing.
It was time.
I highly recommend the exhibit for fly fishers. If you’re a regular angler, I suggest making it a side trip when in the area. To all, I recommend reading closely the descriptions Schottenham has on everything. The exhibit runs through June 8: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Programming associated with the exhibit includes beginner fly-tying workshops with Oak Brook Trout Unlimited (Thursdays beginning this week with others on April 24, May 1 and May 22, 7-9 p.m. at Creek Bend Nature Center). Others include creek exploration, amphibian adventure, welcome to your watershed and fishing the Fox River with Tom Stewart.
Creek Bend Nature Center is located on the west side of St. Charles in the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve near, yes, a bend on Ferson Creek.
For more information, call (630) 444-3190 or go to kaneforest.com.
To tie this up, Pete Barrett broke down nicely the first bonefish caught on the fly at tailflyfishing.com/caught-first-bonefish-fly/.
