skilled woodworker who enjoyed building wooden canoes as well as the picture frames he built for his customers. His appreciation for flies also was reflected in his library where he collected about 250 volumes of literature about fishing, fly tying and the history of the sport. His library stood out among collectors because most editions were in near-mint condition. He supported the sport by donating many of his framed flies to fundraisers for Clark-Skamania Flyfishers, Washington Trout, the Native Fish Society and other organizations. Precision craftsmanship, balanced design and the understated elegance of his mounts made his work a reliable moneymaker at auction. His mounts were not repetitive, often featuring dark flies in white circles or flies mounted on assorted backgrounds that highlighted the features of the fly. Fritz Gerds’ collection brings much to our organization and is now on display at the IFFF Museum. When you are in the area, please stop by to view this marvelous collection. You won’t be disappointed. Sherry Steele is on the IFFF board of directors and lives in Sisters, Oregon, with her husband and fishing partner, Eric.
Flyfisher Spring - Summer 2013
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Conserving, Restoring and Educating Through Fly Fishing
Nutley, New Jersey, he was the youngest of four siblings. After serving in the Navy as an underwater demolitions surveyor in the 1950s, he entered advertising. For 28 years, he worked for Fitzgerald Gardner Advertising agency, rising to the art director position. He also fished the Catskill streams, particularly the legendary Beaverkill River around Roscoe, New York. He retired from advertising in 1988 and moved to Longview, Washington, where he joined the Clark-Skamania Flyfishers and
remained a member until his death in 2011 at the age of 83. Fritz fished lakes and rivers throughout southwest Washington with club members, but his favorite challenge was to stalk the hardfished waters of Rocky Ford Creek in the middle of the state. He became quite adept at fooling its large and picky trout with small flies on long, braided leaders. His fly boxes were a study in pattern variety, ranging from large muddlers to small midges. Many were from the famous tiers whose work he had mounted. It was easy to know when Fritz was on the water because his easily recognized, cargo-fishing van with a carved trout pursuing a fly mounted on the door would be nearby. Inside were many rods, ranging from inexpensive fiberglass to his pride and joy: a 7foot, 6-inch, 5-weight Paul Young bamboo rod named the “Martha Marie.” Besides fishing, he was a