Wet Flies in Focus Series 1: Henry Charles Cutcliffe and Roger Woolley
Prologue: Purple Cows & How did we get ourselves into this??
The story that unfolds in this series needs a bit of context. Why, for example, in this episode have we tracked down "Trump" the Prize Devonshire Red Ruby Bull (and how come the farmer is chasing him with scissors?).
Also, who was Roger Woolley - and how come some flies of his tied in the 1930s turned up in New York? What have they got to do with the British Army Surgeon Henry Charles Cutcliffe, born in Devon and who Died in West Bengal in the 1800s??
Episode 1: Forgotten Flies of North Devon's Fast Trout Streams
We go inside the Tutbury Museum and get to handle some fascinating clues. Also, I get to rekindle some memories of fishing competitions on the lovely streams of Dartmoor - plus I catch a trout on an 19th-Century Devonshire stiff hackle wet fly in Yorkshire...
We also make trans-atlantic contacts which help our journey of discovery...
Click Here for the Accompanying Episode Blog
Episode 2: Cutcliffe's Traditional Flies & Methods that Still Kick-Ass on Modern Trout Streams
In this episode we get deep into analysing the mechanics that make many modern competition methods work - and how they can be found in Cutcliffe's approaches too. There's particular reference to our on-stream experiences - because we don't want this to be only "theory" without proper practical ground-truthing.
We even compare it to the most unforgiving "ground truthing" of all for any fly fisher - the "Survival" fly fishing of traditional tenkara fishing in the Japanese mountains.
Click Here for the Episode 2 Blog
Episode 3: The Holy Grail of John Shaner's Photographed Cutcliffe Collection (Plus Flies from Woolley's Fingers via John Watson)
This is where it all comes together and we get some real answers - PLUS an explanation of what I was doing boiling rabbit and hare pelts in turmeric in my basement...
Tying the story strands together with birth/death records, completing the accurate re-creation of the "missing" manuscript flies and receiving the photos of John Shaner's collection allowed me to create the full color 8" x 10" page-format Print Book that captures the story of H.C. Cutcliffe's flies, fishing, life & death.
Episode 4: Owning the Print Book
My book documents all of the findings we've talked about in this series. It even includes Cutcliffe's entire original book manuscript
"The Art of Trout Fishing in Rapid Streams"
PLUS my analysis of his methods, flies and the full photographic record of Woolley's and my own re-creations of Cutcliffe's Devonshire Wet Flies. Oh, and multiple "proof of the pudding" photographs of lovely, wild trout captured using Cutcliffe's methods and patterns.
Although the 1st Print Run has gone - you can still get a signed (but not numbered) copy of the book on the link below