Flyfishers' Club
Encyclopedia
The Flyfishers' Club is a gentlemen's club in London
which was founded in 1884 for enthusiasts of flyfishing. In 1894, the club had more than three hundred members, while in 1984 this number had risen to between eight and nine hundred.
; it has a collection of around three thousand works on the subject of fishing, including works such as the successful Floating Flies and How to Dress Them
and Dry Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice by F.M. Halford, one of the club's co-founders. Many well-known anglers are club members, and have contributed signed copies of their publications to the library.
According to Basil Field, the founding president, the original prospectus described the club's purposes as follows:
The club publishes a long-standing magazine, the Flyfishers' Journal; writers included G.E.M. Skues
, who has been described as "one of the greatest trout
fishermen that ever lived." Skues dedicated his 1921 book, The Way of a Trout with the Fly
to The Flyfishers' Club "in gratitude for many happy hours and some priceless friends". In 1938, a debate was held at the club on Skues' controversial theories about the use of nymphs in fly-fishing, which led him to publish Nymph Fishing for Chalk Stream Trout.
The club also has a museum of fishing memorabilia which holds a rod
used by David Garrick
and a case of flies
reputed to have belonged to Izaak Walton
. Other items include a rod box originally exhibited in The Great Exhibition
at The Crystal Palace
in 1851 and a pirn
(used as an alternative to a fishing reel
) which belonged to the "Ettrick Sheppherd" James Hogg
.
in 1941. Since then it has leased premises in several other London clubs. Today, the Club leases rooms in the Savile Club
, 69 Brook Street in central London.
Its current Patron is Charles, Prince of Wales
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
which was founded in 1884 for enthusiasts of flyfishing. In 1894, the club had more than three hundred members, while in 1984 this number had risen to between eight and nine hundred.
History
The club's library has been described as one of the finest of its kind in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; it has a collection of around three thousand works on the subject of fishing, including works such as the successful Floating Flies and How to Dress Them
Floating Flies and How to Dress Them
Floating Flies and How to Dress Them - A Treatise on the Most Modern Methods of Dressing Artificial Flies for Trout and Grayling with Full Illustrated Directions and Containing Ninety Hand-Coloured Engravings of the Most Killing Patterns Together with a Few Hints to Dry-Fly Fishermen is a fly...
and Dry Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice by F.M. Halford, one of the club's co-founders. Many well-known anglers are club members, and have contributed signed copies of their publications to the library.
According to Basil Field, the founding president, the original prospectus described the club's purposes as follows:
- "To bring together gentlemen devoted to fly-fishing generally.
- "To afford a ready means of communication between those interested in this delightful art.
- "To provide in the reading-room, in addition to all the usual newspapers, periodicals, &c., catalogues, and books, foreign as well as English, having reference to fishing, particularly to fly-fishing so as to render the club a means of obtaining knowledge about new fishing places and vacancies for rods, and making it a general medium of information on all points relating to the art."
The club publishes a long-standing magazine, the Flyfishers' Journal; writers included G.E.M. Skues
George Edward MacKenzie Skues
George Edward MacKenzie Skues, usually known as G. E. M. Skues , was a British lawyer, author and fly fisherman most noted for the invention of modern-day nymph fishing and the controversy it caused with the Chalk stream dry fly doctrine developed by Frederic M. Halford...
, who has been described as "one of the greatest trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fishermen that ever lived." Skues dedicated his 1921 book, The Way of a Trout with the Fly
The Way of a Trout with the Fly
The Way of a Trout with the Fly and Some Further Studies in Minor Tactics is a fly fishing book written by G.E.M. Skues published in London in 1921...
to The Flyfishers' Club "in gratitude for many happy hours and some priceless friends". In 1938, a debate was held at the club on Skues' controversial theories about the use of nymphs in fly-fishing, which led him to publish Nymph Fishing for Chalk Stream Trout.
The club also has a museum of fishing memorabilia which holds a rod
Fishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
used by David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
and a case of flies
Fly tying
Fly tying is the process of producing an artificial fly to be used by anglers to catch fish via means of fly fishing. Probably the most concise description of fly tying is the one by Helen Shaw, a preeminent American professional fly tyer in Fly-Tying....
reputed to have belonged to Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton
Izaak Walton was an English writer. Best known as the author of The Compleat Angler, he also wrote a number of short biographies which have been collected under the title of Walton's Lives.-Biography:...
. Other items include a rod box originally exhibited in The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
at The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
in 1851 and a pirn
Pirn
A pirn is a rod onto which weft thread is wound for use in weaving. Unlike a bobbin, it is fixed in place, and the thread is delivered off the end of the pirn rather than from the center. A typical pirn is made of wood or plastic and is slightly tapered for most of its length, flaring out more...
(used as an alternative to a fishing reel
Fishing reel
A fishing reel is a "cylindrical device attached to a fishing rod used in winding the line". Modern fishing reels usually have fittings which make it easier to retrieve the line and deploy it for better accuracy or distance. Fishing reels are traditionally used in the recreational sport of angling...
) which belonged to the "Ettrick Sheppherd" James Hogg
James Hogg
James Hogg was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote in both Scots and English.-Early life:James Hogg was born in a small farm near Ettrick, Scotland in 1770 and was baptized there on 9 December, his actual date of birth having never been recorded...
.
Premises
The Flyfishers’ has had a number of homes. It had no permanent home of its own for the first four years of its existence, but opened its first rooms of its own in the Arundel Hotel in 1888, then moved to No. 8 Haymarket in 1889 and remained there until 1907, when it moved to Swallow Street, Piccadilly. It stayed there until destroyed in The BlitzThe Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
in 1941. Since then it has leased premises in several other London clubs. Today, the Club leases rooms in the Savile Club
Savile Club
The Savile Club was founded in 1868 for the purpose of conversation and good company. Though located somewhat out of the way from the main centre of London's gentlemen's clubs, closer to the residences of Mayfair than the clubs of Pall Mall and St James's Street, it still contained some prominent...
, 69 Brook Street in central London.
Notable members
- Basil Field
- R.B. Marston
- F.M. Halford
- Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of FallodonEdward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of FallodonEdward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon KG, PC, FZL, DL , better known as Sir Edward Grey, Bt, was a British Liberal statesman. He served as Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916, the longest continuous tenure of any person in that office...
- George Edward MacKenzie SkuesGeorge Edward MacKenzie SkuesGeorge Edward MacKenzie Skues, usually known as G. E. M. Skues , was a British lawyer, author and fly fisherman most noted for the invention of modern-day nymph fishing and the controversy it caused with the Chalk stream dry fly doctrine developed by Frederic M. Halford...
- Francis FrancisFrancis FrancisFrancis Philip Francis was an English cricketer. Francis was a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Upminster, Essex....
- Arthur RansomeArthur RansomeArthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
- Eric Taverner
- Hugh FalkusHugh FalkusHugh Falkus , Cheam, Surrey, England – , was a British writer, film maker, World War II pilot and angler...
- Donald Overfield
- Richard WalkerRichard Walker (angler)Richard Stuart Walker was an English angler.One of the first to apply scientific thought to angling, 'Dick' Walker wrote many books on the sport. He also wrote for the angling press, most notably for the Angling Times...
Its current Patron is Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.