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Reprinted
by permission of Ulster Publishing Co., Kingston, NY
The Consummate Sportsman
New
DVD features famed fly
fisherman Lee Wulff
By Anne Pyburn
 The relationship
between man and fish is the basis for a sport that is almost
sacred for many in Ulster County and much this region: fly fishing.
Now Lee Wulff, believed by some to be the single greatest fly
fisherman and fly tier of our age, casts his line for us and
takes us on an unforgettable fly fishing adventure on a new
85-minute DVD by New Paltz photographer/videographer Michael
Gold.
Gold captured
Wulff on video as he fished for brown, rainbow and native brook
trout on the legendary Beaverkill River in Sullivan County.
(The Beaverkill is the birthplace of fly fishing and possibly
the most famous trout stream in America, although the Esopus
Creek in Ulster County is also at the top of the list.)
“I was
not in the fly fishing world,” says Gold, “until my father-in-law
introduced me to it. He was absolutely avid. He took me to his
club up near Toronto and taught me about the philosophy, the
nature involved, the fishing skills. He was more like a father
than a father-in-law, really.”
Ironically,
Gold had traveled to Toronto to discover a world in which he
was already living. In fact, he resided at its epicenter. “I
grew up just over the border from Sullivan County,” he says,
“and lived there all my life until four years ago. And, of course,
Roscoe, NY in Sullivan County is ‘Trout Town USA.’ The Beaverkill
is the birthplace of fly fishing in America. If you fish the
Beaverkill, you’ve been to Mecca.
“I started
tossing the idea around with my father-in-law of making a video
featuring some of the famous fly tiers around the Beaverkill
area. I was throwing out names and got to Lee Wulff, and he
got all excited. ‘Are you serious?’ he asked. ‘If you can get
Lee Wulff on film, you will have the greatest fisherman of the
twentieth century.’”
Wulff,
Gold was to discover, was not only a world-famous fisherman
and fly tier but the originator of the catch and release philosophy
that elevated fly fishing above blood sport to art and conservationism.
“He believed that it was important to release a fine fish so
that the next angler could have the same experience,” says Gold.
“That no-kill concept changed angling forever…He was an extraordinary
writer and adventurer, opened up undiscovered lakes and streams
in Newfoundland, and tied the most incredible flies. His most
famous, the Royal Wulff, has actually been put on a postage
stamp. He also invented the fly fishing vest, which has been
adapted in all kinds of ways to other uses.”
Gold fell
in love with the idea of capturing the master on film, but the
angler, who lived in nearby Livingston Manor, proved as elusive
as a wise old brook trout. “I spent six months calling and getting
his wife, Joan. She was always very pleasant, but it was always,
‘Sorry, he’s not available right now.’ When you’re famous, everybody’s
after you, and she had learned to protect him. I about gave
up.
“Then I
had picked up a copy of one of Mr. Wulff’s books for my father-in-law,
and I thought, well maybe I can’t get this fellow to agree to
a movie, but maybe I can at least get this book autographed
for him”. That time, Lee Wulff was the one who answered the
phone. Stunned, Gold found himself apologizing for the months
of pursuit and explaining his desire to have the renowned fly
fisherman sign the book. Gold promised Wulff that he’d never
bug him again and would only take 30 seconds of his time. To
his even greater surprise, the legendary angler said, “Yes.”
“I drove
an hour and a half, just expecting to get that book signed,”
remembers Gold. “I really did expect to be gone in thirty seconds.
But to my amazement, I was invited in. He had this gorgeous
sunny dayroom- and we talked for five hours. Not once did we
bring up either fly-fishing or the movie idea. We talked about
Darwinism, education, politics, philosophy, engineering. What
a mind that man had!
“He had
to leave to attend a dinner in his honor, and as I was leaving,
he turned to me in the kitchen and said, ‘Okay, I’ll do your
project.’ I was so elated…It was the classic drama of predator
and prey. He had been my prey; ultimately I became his. He wanted
to share himself but he had tremendous integrity. He’d just
turned down CBS.” Judging
by the reviews of the 85-minute DVD Lee
Wulff on the Beaverkill: I Was Born to Fish, Wulff
put his legacy into exactly the right hands. The consensus among
fisher-folk is that the two men created a lasting treasure:
with the artist finding his muse and the fly fisherman his Boswell.
“Gold has
given us an absorbing, priceless tribute to a most uncommon
man,” wrote wildlife educator Will Daskal in the Trout Unlimited
newsletter in the mid-1990s of the just released video, one
of many expressions of gratitude for Gold’s preservation of
Wulff’s legacy. The result, writes another reviewer, is “as
if the viewer had made a date to go fishing with Lee Wulff.”
The response
that mattered most to Gold, however, was from his wife, Joan
Wulff, herself a world champion fly caster and angler, who’d
said, “That’s the Lee Wulff I’ve known for the past twenty-five
years.”
“It was
such an experience,” he recalls. “Fly fishing has so much to
it. You study the water temperature, the pH balance, the fly
hatches. It’s all very scientific. But ultimately, it’s just
about going out into midstream in your waders and dipping your
hand in and feeling the purity…Wulff embodied both aspects,
and he was incredible to film. Even in his mid eighties, he
had a truly extraordinary physical presence. I just stood back
and watched.”
Besides
a fishing expedition that becomes an exploration of the relationship
between predator and prey, angler and fish, and human being
and natural environment, the DVD features Wulff tying four flies:
including his famed Royal Wulff and two that have never been
seen before. “Even at 85,” recalls Gold, “he had the longest,
most dexterous fingers and beautiful hands. He didn’t use a
vise to tie a fly.”
The DVD
also features an extensive interactive menu with a map of the
Beaverkill’s 14 famous pools and instruction from the master
in fly casting and tying technique. “I think he felt he could
impart something to the rest of the world through me,” Gold
muses. “Not long after we were done, he died at 85. He was renewing
his pilot’s license in the early 1990s and he passed away during
the descent, before the plane hit the ground. (The Federal Aviation
Administration flight instructor who was with him in the plane
survived.) We had talked two days earlier, one of those ‘we’ve
got to get together’ conversations…”
“It was
such a privilege being with him. As you know, I've photographed
so many famous, accomplished people in all fields, but Mr. Wulff
was the greatest essence of integrity, dedication, innovation
and love of nature in all its purity, and somehow, as tough
as he was known to be, he allowed me a private look within,
and it was life-changing. As an author and world renowned sportsmen,
Mr. Wulff imparted his philosophy through his writings and productions
on "American Sportsmen," ABC's former program, but he let me
go deeper, and in those brief moments before he died, I felt
it was more like father-son than a simple professional relationship,
and I subsequently produced a movie that truly came from the
heart in tribute to the beloved memory I will always carry with
me.” But, fortunately, they had already gotten together and
the result is a contribution to the annals of this esoteric
art/sport/way of life.
In the
Trout Unlimited article, fellow angler Daskal, called Gold “one
of the luckiest men on the face of the Earth!” Wrote the wildlife
educator and angler, “After all, he had a chance to live out
my own childhood fantasy, and moreover, he captured it on videotape.”
To learn
more of the man who was born to fish, as captured by the man
who was born to film him doing it, visit mgphotoman.com and
click on “Other DVD Productions.”
The DVD
sells for $19.95 plus shipping, handling and tax.
For further
information, contact Gold’s studio at 255-5255. |
"Mike
Gold (Producer/Director) has truly captured the pure essence
of Lee Wulff, the single most influential fly fisher, designer,
inventor, innovator and conservationist the good Lord has seen
fit to bless us with. This is a priceless tribute to a most
uncommon man. I hope each of you might share in this experience,
too.
--Will Daskal,
Trout Unlimited |
"This
is a journey with an expert guide you will not soon forget.
Eloquent discussion of the nature of the predator's instinct,
and the relationship of Man to Fish."
--Hoagy B. Carmichael,
Hudson Valley Magazine |
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"Lee
Wulff: A true master of the sport."
--John G. Farrell,
Angler Magazine
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Join
Lee Wulff, the single greatest fly fisherman and fly tier of our age,
as he goes fly fishing on the legendary Beaverkill River in
New York's Catskills for brown, rainbow and native brook trout. The
Beaverkill is the birthplace of fly fishing and the greatest, most
famous trout stream in America.
It is here that Lee casts his fly line and takes us on an unforgettable
fly fishing adventure. He demonstrates his fly casting and fly fishing
techniques, ties four flies without the use
of a vise, including the most famous fly ever created; The Royal Wulff.
Two of the three other flies are tied here for the first time.
"I
was born to fish. I started fishing as soon as I could crawl. There
was a little creek in back of our house and my mother got me going
with a bent pin for a hook that was baited with a piece of bacon."
Lee also discusses his philosophy of catch & release, predator
& prey, and man & nature. The New
York Times said that, "Lee Wulff was a master fly caster and
fly fisherman." No one has had a greater influence
on sport fishing than Lee Wulff. It is the ONLY footage of him on
The Beaverkill River, and this must-see 85 minute DVD also includes
breathtaking never-before-seen aerial footage of The Beaverkill's
14 most famous fishing pools. This DVD
should be included in every serious angler's fly fishing library.
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"Michael
Gold may be one of the luckiest men on the face of the earth!
After all, he had a chance to live out my own childhood fantasy,
and, moreover, he captured it on videotape.
This tape is a rather unique and rare opportunity to view Lee
Wulff, one of the most special people in the annals of fly fishing
history.
If this video had been poorly done, it might still be worth
the purchase price just to have a copy of the only extant video
footage of Mr. Wulff on the Beaverkill; however, such is not
the case.
Mike Gold's project is truly a labor of love, and it shows.
Mr. Wulff's own words focus on man's role in his own world,
touching upon the predator-prey relationship, the philosophy
behind catch and release and the historical importance of the
Beaverkill as a focal point in American fly fishing history.
Lee Wulff was a man "Born to Fish" and we are all
much better for it. With this video, Gold has given us an absorbing,
priceless tribute to a most uncommon man. I hope each of you
might share in this experience, too."
--Will Daskal, Trout Unlimited |
"Catskills
photographer Michael Gold carried his video camera to "the
greatest trout stream anywhere on earth," and there, shot
the last footage of the supreme figure in the modern history
of North American fly fishing.
Meandering as tranquilly as any stream, Gold's film is both
quiet and moving, and I'm grateful that back in what he calls
an "orange autumn", an old man gave him some of the
little time he had left. The film shows Wulff tying flies, with
close ups of his dexterous fingers, without wearing eyeglasses
or using a vise- one of them on a #28 hook barely an eigth of
an inch long.
The film moves downriver through famous pools, and shows Wulff
catching and releasing trout. "There was the master, the
artist, the consummate sportsman," the narrator says, "fly
fishing the poetry of The Beaverkill River."
--Harry Bruce, Atlantic Salmon Journal |
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"This
weekend, thanks to the efforts of Michael Gold, I visited
with Lee Wulff on DVD as he fished his favorite pools on the
Beaverkill. The 85 minute DVD represents the only footage
of Lee Wulff on the river. It's pure, undistilled Lee Wulff
--his philosophy, his innovative skills, his love of the Beaverkill,
the sport, and the fish. Lee discusses Catch-and-Release as
only he can. He expresses his thoughts about our place in
the natural world as he casts to the Beaverkill browns. It's
as if the viewer had made a date to go fishing with Lee.
Gold, the DVD's producer and director, has created a segment
of fishing history for which many anglers will always be grateful."
--Don Ecker, The Hackensack Record
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"Lee
Wulff on The Beaverkill" is a skillfully-shot, 1 hour,
25 minute visit with Lee and the river that he called home.
It also includes Lee tying four different fly patterns, including
the most famous Royal Wulff. This is Lee Wulff at his best:
describing the history of fishing as he lived it, telling his
angling philosophy, showing how to cast a long line on a short
rod.
It is Wulff without pretense and flash; it is Lee Wulff as everyone
should know him."
--C. Scott Sampson, Finger Lakes Times |
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$19.95
$17.95 + S&H
85 minutes
DVD |
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The
Corporate Image
1 Jacobs Lane / New Paltz, NY 12561
1 800-846-8822, 845-255-5255
E-mail: MGphotoman@AOL.com
www.mgphotoman.com |
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