Fly Fishing’s Original Blogger?
By Tom Chandler on Dec 14, 2006 in Opinion, Underground's Best, Writing
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to stumble across a copy of Muriel Foster’s Diary, and bought it faster than your average fly fisher buys a big fish story.
If you’re not familiar with Muriel Foster or her diary, she was an upper-class Englishwoman who lived from 1884 to 1963. In addition to fly fishing, she loved to paint, and the heavily illustrated private fishing diary she kept is an engrossing record of one woman’s love for the sport.
She kept meticulous records of the fish she caught (including measurements and weight) as well as the flies she used.
Most pages were decorated with illustrations or poems, and the total effect is as much a portrait of the artist herself as it is a record of fishing in the early-to-mid 1900s.
Her diary spans a remarkable 35 years, though her latter years found her fishing (and writing) less due to the ravages of arthritis.
In fact, the final entry ends with “Finis Arthritis!” - but only after she describes fishing “a very deep, black little lake, surrounded by trees or cliff. difficult to fish.”
Like a true Undergrounder, she added “A most beautiful lake…”
There are days when I could tell you what the Trout Underground was all about, and others when I don’t have a clue, but I do know it’s at least partially an online community of like-minded fly fishing fiends/slaw dog enthusiasts - and a personal record of one writer’s fly fishing life on a river he loves.
I’d never claim to be a trout bum (and I know a few, including one who works way too hard to qualify as any sort of bum, but leads a truly enviable fly fishing life), but I do know what the sport means to a lot of the fly fishers I meet.
Most don’t keep hand-illustrated fishing diaries or snarky fly fishing blogs, but you can learn a lot from the look in their eyes when they meet you on the water, or the edge in their voice when you mention the fishing over the phone.
I only hope that - when the time comes to stop doing this (either fly fishing or the Underground, it doesn’t matter which) that I go with the grace of Muriel Foster, who didn’t make a big deal about things, but allowed as to how she’d fished a beautiful, deep black little lake with a borrowed rod.
Note: there are still used copies of Muriel Foster’s Fishing Diary floating around the Internet, including a few here at Amazon.com: Muriel Foster’s Fishing Diary (A Studio book)
Technorati Tags: muriel foster, diary, fly fishing
hawgdaddy | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
I think I saw this mentioned in a Gierach book once? I immediately made up my mind to find a copy, but let it slip my mind. Thanks for the reminder. I just purchased mine through your link.
hawgdaddy
rriver | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
TC,
Thanks for reminding me about this diary. I read about it somewhere, made a note to find one, and then forgot. I just bought the one used one packed as smoked salmon on Amazon.
- rriver
Tom Chandler | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
I think Gierach mentioned it in an essay (years ago). Believe it’s been mentioned elsewhere too.
Thanks for using Amazon and supporting the Underground. If they run out of low-cost copies, I noticed there were a few floating around on Allibris, another good source for used books (though I’m not an affiliate).
It’s an interesting book, though not the kind of thing you’ll read from start to finish. More something you leaf through.
Cool Eddy | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
Hey Dude,
It’s been a while. Hope you still remember me. I finished up this season on the Madison! Remember that cool driftboat I stole from that old guy? Well, it’s finished on the Madison too. Somebody told me that I would probably have to pay the costs for having pulled out from around the rock that it’s wrapped around, so….I boogied.
I met this nice trucker who offered to give me a ride back to LA. Yea,….back to Mom. She’s still really mad about the money. Anyway, I’m at this truckstop near Battle Mountain, Nevada. Been hangin’ out here for a couple of days while the trucker dude makes some drops. He said he’d be back Friday. ‘Bout all he said, too! I mean all the way from Montana, I had to make all the conversation! Sheesh!
So. Mom. Talked to her yesterday. We argued about the money for a while. I told her if she would just fax me a paper saying that the money (my inheritence for sure!) I could sign it, back date it and have it notarized. That way I could have something to show the judge. You know, make the bench warrant go away.
So, I’m glad I found you and your new website. I like to keep in touch with my friends. I should keep a diary too, you know. What with all the cool things that happen to me.
I’m gonna have to try to be a trout bum closer to home. Guide California, I think. There’s a guy that guides there that has a last name of a trout!! Is that cool or what? I should do that too, like Cool Eddy Brown or Cool Eddy Brook. Whataya think? Anyway, I think I can get a California guide license easy, what with my recent experience. I just wouldn’t want to row a drift boat again right away. Man, that guy and his wife that had to swim out of my boat on the Madison just yelled and yelled at me! Just like Mom. It really hurt, dude.
So look, I gotta go. The cook needs his laptop back. Man, does he have a lot of girfriends that email him! He treats em well, too. Always has his credit card out when he’s talking to him. Well, anyway, Merry Christmas. And if my Mom emails you, tell her I’m on my way.
Cool Eddy
rriver | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
Good old Eddie. You should invite him over. You could pick up a few tips maybe.
We peaked here at about 19.6kcfs, though its backed down to 12.6kcfs and dropping. About 3.5 - 5.0 kcfs is fishable, unless you go way up river, so we have long way to go. I’ll be in Borneo before the Rogue is fishable.
Dave R. gave me a neat little HMH case to carry my vise so I can tie in Borneo when I get there. I plan on stupid fish, but there usually will be one fly that they really like, and so I want to be able to tie what ever that is. The closest fly shop is Singapore, across the Straits, so need to be prepared, though I will fly fish Singapore at the end of the trip.
They do have mayflies and caddis flies in Borneo, the most commmon the little black sedge. Someday I want to fish a Giant Cicada hatch. I brought one back from last time as a sample. It has a wing span of 7 inches, a body length of 2 1/2 inches, and a body width of 1 1/4 inches. Spent on the water, the “spinner” is 7″ x 4″. They fall from trees on the water usually and that is how they are eaten by fish.
They look like a giant october caddis, but more brown than orange
- rriver
C4CRaine | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
…wth? is cool eddy for real? That was ridiculous(ly funny that is!) It would be nice to see more posts from him!
Tom Chandler | Dec 15, 2006 | Reply
Yep. Cool Eddy’s back. For those not familiar with the Legend of Cool Eddy, I’ll dig up his old, pre-blog Trout Underground posts and stick them on a separate page.
A word of warning; don’t drink anything while reading it. You’ll shoot it out your nose.
And once again, I will state for the record: I am NOT Cool Eddy (though I keep running into him on the river).
ass hooked whitey | Dec 20, 2006 | Reply
that ending note “finis arthritis” gets me everytime. good post, TC.
thee
Tom Chandler | Dec 20, 2006 | Reply
Thanks! I like it too.
Richard Jaffeson | Jan 17, 2007 | Reply
I found a copy of Muriel Foster’s fish diary during
November 2006, and gave it to a friend for Christmas. It was only $3 and in mint condition.
There was an accompanying phamplet which described
the story of her life, also well illustrated and in
perfect shape.
It is a quality publication, and I thought it would
be appreciated, but until reading your website I did
not realize it was such a rare find.
I included a reference to the diary in one of my
columns. See, “Clifford’s Mysterious Morning,”
(Gone Fishin’), Fame Forum, Volume IX, Number 34,
December 7, 2006.
http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/handouts
Tom Chandler | Jan 17, 2007 | Reply
Richard;
There are still reprints of the diary floating around, but certainly not for $3. The pamphlet with the diary did indeed describe a rare woman.
It would have been wonderful to meet her.