Old School Mustad Hook

[Soft-hackle]

Mr. Bergman was indeed quite a famous fly fisher. He lived in Nyack and wrote numerous articles for the popular fishing journels, but starting in 1921, he was featured in Outdoor Life Magazine and became Fishing Editor for that magazine till he retired in 1960. In 1938 he published his most famous book, TROUT. If you have never seen it, or read it, you should go to your nearest library to see if they have a copy. While a lot of the info may be a bit outdated, there are sections in it on sunshine and shadow, presenting your fly, and much more which still ring true today. There are a collection of famous fly plates painted by Dr. Burke, a well-known illustrator of that time. They show the well-known flies of that day.(Most of them tied by Ray himself.) Many are classic wet flies of the early American fly fisher. All fly dressings are listed so you can tie them. Many classic wet-fly tiers dote on the fly patterns and recreate them at their vises.

For years Bergman's book WAS the trout fisherman's bible, and it remains a classic, today. Ray was inducted into the Catskill Fly Fishing Center's Hall of Fame, and he remains a favorite of many who have read his books. Many fly fishermen, myself included, literally, cut their teeth on TROUT and Bergman's work. As far as I know he was not an artist, except at the vise. Much of his memorabilia is cherished by the fly fishing community

Ray also operated a shop where he lived, Nyack, NY, and those hooks probably came from his shop, were labeled for him by the hook manufacturer. I would say these are VERY desirable to anyone who knows anything about American Fly Fishing and Fly Tying History.

Myself, I wouldn't sell them. They'd mean too much to me if they did come from his store. Quite frankly I am VERY surprised not more of you had heard of Ray.

Mark

[LopatNympher]

Thanks for that info Mark. I was under the impression that Bergman painted those plates.

[Flyfisher]

I have a book with his outdoor life articles right on my desk. He was ahead of his time in some respects. I have been looking into his works recently thanks for the info!!

[LopatNympher]

I just found this site with some pics of some his designs with the recipes. They are quite beautiful, I'd go as far as saying works of art. check em out.
http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/bergman/

[BlackLabel]

Wow those are really nice. I wish I could tie half that good.

[BlackLabel]

This is on the backside of the Bergman box. If I could figure out when a box of hooks sold for .40 maybe I could figure out how old it is.


Now after reading Mark's post I feel like I have something I don't deserve.

[LopatNympher]

Nick, if you could prove that's Bergman handwriting, you've got a treasure

[Soft-hackle]

Hi All,
The beautiful flies on that link you were admiring were tied by Bob Petti. He's a really nice person and great tier. The " Bergman Flies" are not really Bergman flies. They are a part of American fly fishing history. Many were tied to fish in our rivers and streams when the Brook Trout were still around in good numbers. Some were fashioned for fishing in the Adirondacks. They have become known as the " Bergman" flies because of the beautiful color plates in Bergman's book.

Well-known tiers of these flies today include Bob Petti, Don Bastian, Andy Brasko, and John Bonasera. Unfortunately, I don't know Don Bastian very well, but know of his work. The other tiers I am very honored to know. Many fly fisherman still use these patterns to fish with and they can be quite effective.

Another great tier of this genre is my friend Eric Austin who is just a good all around tier. Here's a link to some of the early wets he has tied:

Enjoy the eye candy. They are beautiful:

http://traditionalflies.com/index.php?wetpre1930

Mark

[LopatNympher]

Unbelievable craftsmanship, thanks for the link Mark.

[Soft-hackle]

As for the hooks, these ARE from Ray's shop in Nyack. Whether that's his writing on the back, you'd have to compare it to other written articles of his. I did some checking, and he use to market the hooks under his name from the shop. As you can see by the boxes, they were made in England. Ray passed away in 1967, but I don't know how long he operated his shop. He was one of the greats of American Fly Fishing.

Mark