Ira Gruber's Atlantic Salmon Flies

 A great many Atlantic salmon anglers, and even a great many Atlantic salmon fly tyers, have likely never heard of Ira W. Gruber.   I'm hoping this blog post changes that fact, and a new book by Gruber's grandson, Ira D. Gruber will go a long way towards bringing his grandfather's flies and contributions to Atlantic salmon fly tying to light:  Ira Gruber's Atlantic Salmon Flies (Stackpole Books 2022).

Some salmon fly tying friends and I have been anxiously awaiting this book for almost a year.  My friend Pam Bates Richards, co-author with her father Col. Joseph Bates of Fishing Atlantic Salmon - the Flies and the Patterns (Stackpole Books 1996), alerted me to its upcoming publication when I asked if there were any Gruber flies in her collection that might help my pals and I tie better copies of this flies.  Several emails with grandson Ira D.  also shed light on Ira W's flies.

I won't recount Gruber's life and times here...his grandson does a great job of that in his book.  In fact, that section of the book was a pleasant surprise to me.  I thought it would just center on Ira W's flies. Many authors, including both Pam Bates Richards and Joe Bates - feel that "Gruber's flies form the basis of modern North American flies."   If you have any interest in historic Miramichi Atlantic salmon flies and tyers, this is a must-have book.

Back in July of 2021, a gentleman posted on the Classic Fly Rod Forum  ( http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/index.php)  that he had purchased, at an estate sale, quite a few Ira Gruber flies and several of his personalized boxes.  He posted this photo of his treasure find on that forum (And remember that you can click on an image to enlarge it!):

I contacted him, noting my interest in the flies, and the fact that the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, NB (I'm on their board of directors) could certainly use a collection like that (meaning the Gruber flies specifically).   Without hesitation, he said he'd send them to me to give to the Museum on his behalf.  I agreed to do so, and also agreed to frame them so that they would be more publicly accessible than perhaps otherwise presented.

Once I received the flies, I realized I didn't know many of their names, so, with kind permission of the donor, I decided to wait until I had the new Gruber book in hand to try and put names to flies.  It worked!  Here is a sample of what I was able to put together (love doing this kind of thing!) and I'll let the photos tell the story.  First, some of what I received as it came in the mail:

Wouldn't you love to know who wrote on the box?  And doesn't that look like a fly DeFeo or Jennings would draw?   Did I mention that in the book, Ira D. writes that his grandfather was visited by both of those gentlemen at his camp in Doaktown, NB?   The plot thickens.  

And here is what I have thus far been able to piece together, name-wise (note that the flies I have I photographed with a page from the book as a backdrop.  Each fly has an interesting history/description to go along with the photo:

The flies I've identified from the collection sent to me by the generous gentleman from the Classic Fly Rod Forum:

And when it was in its little baggie:

And the American Jock Scott as tied by the late Wallace Doak from a photo (page 425) in Bates and Richards 1996) with the same two Gruber flies:

And perhaps a slight variation (note the tail) in a fly in the collection for the Museum:

That's it thus far for what I can identify in the collection.   Can we say for sure that Ira W. Gruber tied them?  I mean, the donor of the collection states that he bought the group of flies at an estate sale advertised as Gruber's estate in Ira's hometown, it includes his personalized fly boxes, and, let's face it...Ira didn't seem to give a hoot about how his fly's heads looked, and all of these flies surely do fit within that frame work.  My old friend, the late Bob Warren, was always laughing when he joked that Clovis Arseneault's flies looked like he put the head cement on with a popsicle stick.  With all due reverence, maybe Ira used a toothpick??  Looking forward to creating a shadow box with these flies in it for the Museum's wall.

Some time ago, I asked a group of great fly tyers if they wouldn't tie up some "old timey" featherwings that we could somehow use as a fundraiser.  At that point, we were specifically thinking about a beautiful wall calendar.  Well, so far that hasn't worked out, although I did photograph the flies and have them ready for a calendar should  someone or some group ever come out of the woodwork to use them for that purpose, but in the meantime,  I shadow box framed three sets of the flies (ten flies in each framing) for fundraisers for the Miramichi Salmon Association and the Atlantic Salmon Museum.  The first of the framings (I am happy to report!) sold in an MSA online auction in February, 2022 for 700 bucks!   It now resides in Atlanta, Georgia (lol, the long arm of the Atlantic salmon!).   Here are the three framings, each with a different set of flies as I said, tied by among the best salmon fly tyers in the Maritimes and New England.  Here's the first, which sold for $700 (not, I hope obviously, color corrected photo):

And its flies. Note that this set contains two Ira Gruber creations:  A Blackville, tied by Jerome Molloy, and an Oriole tied by Lloyd Lutes.  Don't forget that you can click on the pic to enlarge it!

And the second, which will be in the next (late April 2022) MSA online auction:

No Gruber creations in this batch:

And the third and final set, which will go on the auction block at the Atlantic Salmon Museum's Hall of Fame dinner on May 14, 2022.

And there's and Gruber creation, the Reliable, on this side, tied by Stephen Nye.

Here are how those Gruber originals (Oriole, Reliable and Blackville), tied by my friends, might look on a nice wall calendar (hint, hint, anybody interested in backing that project??)

If you have any interest at all in the development of Atlantic salmon flies, particularly flies tied specifically for the Miramichi, Ira Gruber's Atlantic Salmon Flies is a book you need on your shelf or at your tying bench.  Might as well make it easy for you, you can buy it here:  

https://www.amazon.com/Ira-Grubers-Atlantic-Salmon-Flies/dp/0811770435/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NP9EC0XCOYCC&keywords=ira+gruber&qid=1649434232&sprefix=ira+gruber%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-1.   Oh, and I get no commission for sales.   I just feel good about recommending the book.

This has been a really fun blog post to do.  I shoulda worked in a fly fishing museum!  Oh, wait, that's right.....

Cheers,

Gary T.

Remembering Bryant Freeman

 Bryant - who was one of those "larger than life" characters on the salmon rivers of the Maritimes - passed away last year. He was the world's greatest proponent of the Carter Bug for Atlantic salmon. I bet thousands of tyers and anglers learned, one way or another, how to tie and/or fish the bug. I met him, finally, back in 2016, on the Miramichi, where he gave me a Carter's Bug right out of his fly box:

Chris Williams, an artist and fly tyer from New Brunswick, created a beautiful image of the Carter Bug as a tribute to Bryant and as a fundraiser - all the funds from the sale of the print went to the Miramichi Salmon Association. I bought one, and then asked Chris if he'd consider donating one printed on good watercolor paper - I'd frame it - but we needed a Carter's Bug tied by Bryant for the framing. Chris contacted Bryan Burgess, also of NB, and Bryan stepped right up to the plate, donating a nice big Carter's Bug. The three of us collectively decided we'd donate the finished framing to the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, NB (Bryant is a member of the Museum's Hall of Fame). So sometime this year, the framing will be auctioned to benefit the Museum. Oh, and yes, I made a duplicate framing for myself, with the Carter Bug Bryant gave me that Fall day on the river.

It's always fun to get together with like-minded folks, and do something that benefits a good cause while at the same time paying tribute to an all 'round great man.  Cheers,
Gary

Battenkill Shadow Box

 Some years ago, in a conversation with my old friend, the late John Betts, I was bemoaning the fact that there are "artsy" maps of lots of the western rivers that you can buy as a wall-hanger, but very few of eastern rivers of any notoriety, fly fishing-wise.   A few months later (we're talking somewhere in the vicinity of 1999) a package from Denver arrived at my door...a gift from John.  It contained all kinds of goodies for the base map of the Battenkill he had drawn:

In the intervening 20 or so years, I got myself into creating shadow boxes, primarily related to Atlantic salmon fishing and flies which I typically have donated to Miramichi Salmon Association and/or the Atlantic Salmon Museum for their fundraisers.  Occasional commissions have helped keep my little framing boat afloat, so to speak, allowing me to purchase needed materials like matboard and especially the rough lumber (primarily cherry and oak) that I use to create the frames.

Speaking of lumber and wandering far from the title topic (as usual), I have a great source of cherry, red oak and walnut (which I don't use much; never really cared for it) about ten miles from me down in  North Pownal, Vermont.   A pile like this, which I bought yesterday, cost me all of 65 bucks.  Those boards are 10 to 12 feet long, and 8 inches wide.  Four quarter thick, and already lightly planed.

Weapons of mass construction;

The jointer, planer and table saw help me turn those big boards into smaller boards:

Which become frames.

But I digress!!   When I was the executive director of a fly fishing museum, I was able to buy shadow boxes with maps and flies for fundraisers from a generous gentleman, Barry Mill, whose company was Sawdust and Stitches.  Sadly, Barry passed away several years ago.  But the map/fly idea for me came from him.

Cut to the present day:   I finally decided to take John's map out of mothballs, and use it as the centerpiece of a shadow box all about the Battenkill.   Now, what flies to use?  Didn't take long to settle on some streamers designed by Battenkill legend, Lew Oatman.  His flies are particularly noteworthy for their tapered floss bodies...as well as their fish fooling capacity.   I settled on his "Dr. Oatman", "Shushan Postmaster" and "Battenkill Shiner."   Stuff about Oatman and his flies is readily available in books and, of course, the well-googled internet.  Joe Bates' book, Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing (Stackpole; several printings) has lots o' info on Oatman and his flies.

I have a printer (Epson WF-7710) that will handle up to 13x19 inch sheets, and also handles heavy,  #140, cold pressed watercolor paper, which is what I used to print the map and fly names on.  I always like to see the names of flies, and even who tied them, in shadow boxes.   And the watercolor paper is good to go, from an archival standpoint.

So, long story short, here is the shadow box.  I am doing it in a limited edition of only 10 framings.  The first four of the ten have already been sold.  You can click on the pics to enlarge them.

The cost is $175 incl. shipping and insurance anywhere in the lower 48.  If you live within 45 minutes of me, I'll personally deliver, and reduce cost appropriately.  If you're outside the lower 48, there will be additional shipping charges.  Might add another 25 to 35 bucks.   The sales of these framings will allow me to purchase more materials to make more framings that will raise important funds for Atlantic salmon conservation and Atlantic Salmon Museum operations.

You can contact me at gt05254@sover.net if you're interested.

Cheers,

Gary T.

LOL, I MUST NOT HAVE CHARGED ENOUGH FOR THIS FRAMING; IT SOLD OUT IN A DAY.