Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”

by Rusty Dunn

Arnold Gingrich was a man of influence in a city of power.  He founded Esquire magazine in New York City in 1933 as a “Quarterly for Men … dedicated to the enjoyment and improvement of the new leisure”.  The magazine appealed to refined cosmopolitans, which made Gingrich a celebrity among New York’s fashion and literary elite.  Esquire showcased manly pursuits, which included a healthy dose of fly fishing.  Gingrich was a pas­sionate fly angler and an accom­plished author (The Well Tem­pered Angler, 1965; The Joys of Trout, 1973; and The Fishing in Print, 1974).  On a gala evening of cele­bra­tion in 1983 to mark Es­quire‘s 50^th anniversary, Gin­grich was presented with a boxed gift of 100 trout flies tied by Wisconsin native Helen Shaw, often described as “The First Lady of Fly Tying”.  Upon opening the box, Gin­grich choked with emotion as he haltingly and tearfully said, “I never had a Helen Shaw fly.  Now I have a hundred.  Nobody’s worth that much.” Read More