I was sitting at one an Ozark Fly Fishers meeting recently, looking at folks wearing the new apparel, and in particular, the slogan on the back of the t-shirt caught my attention. The shirt has a quote attributed to Lee Wulff: “Gamefish are too valuable to be caught only once.” As I looked at several shirts with this on the back, I wanted to know more about Lee Wulff. My search began…to find out more about this legend of fly fishing.We know he coined our shirt slogan and is considered the father of the catch and release movement. Back in 1939, Lee Wulff authored a book, Handbook of Freshwater Fishing, published by Frederick Stokes Company, and this phrase was in the text of that book. We know he developed the Royal Wulff pattern and an entire family of “Wulff” patterns. We know he was married to Joan Wulff – a fly fishing legend on here own. But, what don’t we know about Lee Wulff. Or, put another way, what didn’t I know about Lee Wulff. Along the way, I discovered a fascinating individual that led an amazing life and some of the things he did just might surprise you.
Lee Wulff, upon reflecting back on his life, said “I was born to fish.” This man born to fish arrived on the planet in Valdez, Alaska, a frontier mining town, in 1905. Trout and salmon runs in the nearby rivers were fantastic. According to his own account, he was catching trout by the time he was two years old on a piece of bacon on a bent pin. In Valdez, because the fish were so plentiful, anything short of fishing with dynamite was legal. There were no limits. He learned many different ways of catching fish as a result. As a boy, he became very proficient at spearing fish and it was his favorite type of fishing while growing up. An interesting beginning for the father of the catch and release movement, wouldn’t you say? Then, Lee Wulff met Rosy Roseen, a local jail guard that owned a fly rod and flies and he tagged along with him to see how he caught trout. This was a whole new way of thinking for Lee.
When Lee was nine, his father sent away for a fly-fishing outfit for him. As a side-note, his father cared nothing for fishing. It came with only a few flies and he soon lost them. His “fly-fishing mentor”, Rosy, only had a few flies himself. What is a boy to do? He tried tying his own using any feathers he could find, his mother’s sewing silk, and used only his hands. He looked at pictures in catalogs trying to imitate them, albeit clumsily. Their family later moved to New York and it was there that he watched, with wonder, a fly tier use hackle pliers and spin hackle and make that beautiful flare of feather fibers. He became intrigued with fooling the fish with something artificial. He had already learned how to tie them completely with his fingers only – no vice, no hackle pliers, and no tools. He tied flies by hand (no vice) for an entire lifetime – all the way down to #28 flies for trout. Humbling!
In 1920, when he was fifteen, he moved from New York to California and was exposed to a whole new world of trout fishing. He saved his own money to purchase new tackle and new materials to tie his own flies. Their family took a trip to Yosemite National Park and he fished almost every waking moment. On that trip, while fishing the big Merced River, he found some trout rising that he could not catch. The fish were smart and not interested in his 2X (probably thicker) tippet and flies tied on #12 hooks (or larger). His frustration must have been obvious and a car pulled up and a man came down to the water’s edge and handed him a box with two small dry flies in it - #16 Quill Gordons. This stranger suggested that they might do the trick and introduced himself as Outdoor Franklin – hunting and fishing columnist for a Los Angeles newspaper. He abruptly left in a cloud of dust. Lee Wulff gave these “mosquito looking” flies a try. The trout looked at the flies, but didn’t take them. He later determined that he probably needed a long, fine leader to finish the job. He did send him a thank you note for the flies. This “chance” meeting obviously had a large impact on the young Lee Wulff.
He later went on to receive an engineering degree from Stanford University, and then went to Paris to study art. He later came back to New York to begin a career in commercial art. During much of that time, he neglected to fish. A year into his move to New York, he met an artist at the advertising agency where he was an art director that was an avid fly fisherman. This individual rekindled his interest. Unfortunately, Lee Wulff had given away or sold all of his guns and fishing tackle in San Diego before going to Europe. He purchased a new fly-fishing outfit and returned to the water. He had developed a skill for improvising with flies while he was on the West Coast as a boy and he began to do the same out East. He would look under rocks and moss searching for trout food and what to fish. He and is friend would even occasionally hook on live stoneflies and really bring in fish. This led him to develop imitation stonefly nymphs with chamois, peacock and other materials. This was the beginning of a very innovative time for Lee Wulff with regard to flies. His pursuit of a better way brought in his improvements to the dry fly and culminated in the Gray Wulff, the White Wulff, and the Royal Wulff. His use of bucktail was an innovative use of animal hair on dry flies. How is that for a pioneer! He actually wished he would have patented the use of animal hair for dry flies, but he felt like the innovation did give his name a permanent place in fly-fishing history.
In 1930 he took a position in Louisville, Kentucky as an art director with a large advertising agency. He missed the trout streams of the East and when his company announced a pay cut it was just enough to cause him to quit. He moved back to New York and the bottom had fallen out of the job market and the Depression was a full-blown reality. He found work but it was during that time he made the decision to make a career out of fishing and move streamside. It took him six years to break away from New York City but he was eventually able to support his family by doing freelance artwork, fly-tying and writing, and filming and lecturing about fishing. His dream was realized and he was willing to be happy, even if it meant being poor. He was truly committed to the sport and had a deep desire to be true to himself.
The legend Dan Bailey, a close friend, insisted that Lee change the name of his fly the “Ausable Gray” to the “Gray Wulff” and also helped him work on the Grizzly Wulff, the Black Wulff, and the Blonde Wulff. In 1931, Lee Wulff designed and manufactured what is thought to be the original fishing vest. He and Dan Bailey set up fishing classes and received some publicity in a local fishing column. It was shortly thereafter that he penned his catch and release quote. He continued to lead and innovate in the sport of fly-fishing. In 1960 he had the first network television show on fishing on the CBS “Sports Spectacular” and in 1964 he shifted to the ABC “American Sportsman” to make fishing films. This was a dramatic launch-pad for sound conservation practices and the catch and release mantra was displayed for all to see. He was also one of the founders of the Federation of Fly Fishermen (now known as the Federation of Fly Fishers) and had a passion for Atlantic salmon – especially caught with a short rod. His efforts to protect the Atlantic salmon included work in the United States, Canada and worldwide. Lee was also active in the formation of the Atlantic Salmon Foundation. He was a multiple record holder of fly and all-tackle records and was known to fish for big game until the end of his life – including slugging it out with tuna, Pacific blue marlin, Pacific sailfish, and others. His passion spilled into all that he did.
There are a number of other things about Lee Wulff that many people don’t know. On top of being a spectacular fisherman, he was also a very astute hunter. One if his favorite things to do was to hunt alone for deer in the quiet of the deep woods. He also enjoyed hunting for grouse and loved to eat both the grouse and venison. He was a three sport athlete in college. He was an accomplished airplane pilot. Even into his eighties he was known to handle a chain saw and drive a bulldozer. He was both a man’s man and a classy gentleman – defining style and grace. He loved to fly his plane into remote areas of the backwoods. In his 86th year he died at the controls of his bush plane. Nobody who knew Lee thought that the crash had killed him. His co-pilot said, “I will always believe that Lee’s death was the cause of the accident – rather than the result of it.” Lee Wulff went out participating in his passion and he died much like he lived. When told of his death, Charles Kuralt, the host of CBS’s “Sunday Morning” said, “Lee Wulff was to fly fishing what Einstein was to physics.” He is survived by his wonderful wife, Joan Wulff, a fly fishing guru on her own accord. She continues to be involved in the fishing school that they built together and actively involved in the industry.
Lee Wulff gave more than he took. Conservation and stewardship – catch and release – were more than just words to him…they were a way of life. Thank you, Lee Wulff, for making such great contributions to fly fishing. We miss you Lee. You think about that. TL
