Carrie Gertrude Stevens (1882-1970) was an American fly fisher and fly lure tier from
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
and Upper Dam,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, and the creator of Rangeley Favorite trout and salmon flies. Self-taught in the art of fly tying, Stevens invented the
Grey Ghost Streamer, an imitation of the
Smelt
Smelt may refer to:
* Smelting, chemical process
* The common name of various fish:
** Smelt (fish), a family of small fish, Osmeridae
** Australian smelt in the family Retropinnidae and species ''Retropinna semoni''
** Big-scale sand smelt ''At ...
, ''Osmerus mordax''. Stevens' flies received national and international acclaim, and she was honored after her death with the naming of August 15, 1970 as "Carrie Gertrude Stevens Day" by the Governor of Maine.
[Hilyard (2000)]
Life
Carrie Gertrude Wills was born to Albert and Nellie Wills on February 22, 1882 in
Vienna, Maine
Vienna is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 578 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.
Demographics
...
. She was the youngest of six.
[Hilyard (2000), pp.3-5] Leaving Vienna, Carrie met Wallace Clinton Stevens in
Mexico, Maine
Mexico is a town in Oxford County, Maine, Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,756 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Mexico is a small mill town for the papermaking industry.
History
The land was once part of ...
, and the two married on May 1, 1905 in
West Farmington. By 1919 they had moved to
Upper Dam
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both
* ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...
, where Wallace established himself as a fishing guide. Carrie worked as a
milliner
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of ...
. There, through contact with her husband's clientele, Stevens was introduced to flies tied in the English style and began to experiment herself.
On July 1, 1924 Stevens landed a 6-pound 13 ounce
brook trout
The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...
, ''Salvelinus fontinalis'', that won her recognition in the ''
Field & Stream
''Field & Stream'' (''F&S'' for short) is an American online magazine focusing on hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. The magazine was a print publication between 1895 and 2015 and became an online-only publication from 2020.
History ...
'' magazine.
[''Field & Stream'' (Feb 1992), p.56] Her patterns were recognized and promoted by fly tying contests throughout
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, and two issues of ''Field & Stream'' focusing on her fly tie patterns and skill as a fisherman promoted her patterns nationally.
[Hilyard (2000), pp.6-7] Stevens began to receive orders for her flies from throughout the United States, "and soon I was in the fly business."
[Hilyard (2000), pp.20-21] Stevens' patterns were later, sometimes incorrectly, attributed to Charles Edward "Shang" Wheeler (1872-1949), a
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
state representative and senator, or to Connecticut Judge Charles H. Welles; both men recognized and promoted her patterns, and tied flies themselves.
Stevens attributed her initial interest in flies to Wheeler and named some after him, writing to friend Joseph D. Bates, "It is doubtful if I would ever have made a fly if Mr. Wheeler had not sent us one to try out in the pool in 1920."
Responding to claims that he and not Stevens had been responsible for the famous fly patterns, Wheeler later described how Stevens had skillfully developed his ties with materials such as "rooster's hackle, deer hair, tinsel, or blue heron's feathers," remarkably improving their performance.
Stevens became not only an astute fly tier, but also entrepreneur and saleswoman. According to Pamela Bates, "Carrie had the ability to know exactly what the sports would bite for - regardless of the preferences of the fish."
[Hilyard (2000), p.xii] Her fly tying business peaked after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but due to poor health, Stevens became less active and officially retired in 1963.
Stevens died on August 3, 1970.
[Hilyard (2000), p.29] After her death, Maine Governor
Kenneth M. Curtis
Kenneth Merwin Curtis (born February 8, 1931) is an American attorney, Democratic politician, and diplomat. He was the Maine Secretary of State from 1965-1966, the Governor of Maine from 1966-1974, and the United States Ambassador to Canada f ...
declared August 15, 1970 to be "Carrie Gertrude Stevens Day." Stevens remains the only fly tier to have been recognized by the state in Maine.
[Hilyard (2000), p.xi]
Fly ties
Stevens innovated fly tying design by shortening streamers to extend only slightly beyond hooks, and by using longer hook shanks.
[Hilyard (2000), pp.95-100] She furthermore brought fly profiles closer to those of baitfish by tying materials parallel to the hook, and used fly shoulders to imitate bait fish gill plates.
While patterns similar to the Grey Ghost existed prior to Stevens' work, she pioneered the streamer by using new colors, structure, and less exotic materials, making it more effective and accessible.
[Hilyard (2000), pp.xiii-xiv] Her hooks were principally supplied by S. Allcock & Company Ltd. of Redditch, England, and her feathers supplied by George Fletcher of Rangeley, Maine.
![BrookTroutAmericanFishes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/BrookTroutAmericanFishes.JPG)
Stevens' fly early fly ties were numbered rather than named, a practice common in the 19th Century. But as her popularity grew, Stevens began to name her patterns as well. Early patterns from the late 1920s and early 1930s included the Rangeley Favorite, the Stevens Favorite, the Pirate, the Green Beauty, and the Wizard. Patterns from the later 1930s include the Shang's special, the Golden Witch, the Blue Devil, the Gray Ghost, the Witch, the Greyhound, the Happy Garrison, the White Devil, and the Don's Delight.
During the 1930s, 49% of all record fish taken from the Upper Dam were caught with Stevens' flies. During the 1940s and 1950s, most American fly tiers making streamers attempted to imitate proportions invented by Stevens.
[Hellekson (2005), pp.383-384]
Other flies created by Stevens include the Colonel Bates, named after her friend Robert D. Bates Jr., the Will Ketch, and the General MacArthur.
Stevens' popular Colonel Bates fly was originally named the Captain Bates, its name changing as Bates was promoted in rank during his career in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
.
[Hilyard (2000), p.71]
Following the success of her husband while using her flies for trolling, a rare or unheard-of practice at the time, Stevens' flies became used for trolling throughout North America.
Her flies were purchased by fishermen in Alaska, Oregon, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, New Zealand and Patagonia.
[Hilyard, p.22]
Legacy
In his series on American streamer Patterns, Colonel Robert Bates included 14 patterns tied by Carrie Stevens; other sources suggest she may have invented as many as one hundred.
[Hilyard (2000), p.xv] The Gray Ghost remains one of the most popular fly ties used in trout and salmon fishing, and has been modified into many forms.
[Walberg (2003), p.158]
Carrie Stevens is the subject of a book written by Graydon R. Hilyard and his son, Leslie Hilyard, ''"Carrie G. Stevens, Maker of the Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies"''.
See also
*
Mooselookmeguntic Lake
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is located in Franklin County and Oxford County, Maine, in the United States. It is part of the Androscoggin River watershed. It is located in the western part of Maine, near the border with the state of New Hampshire and ...
*
Grey Ghost Streamer
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Carrie G.
American fishers
People from Vienna, Maine
1882 births
1970 deaths
People from Madison, Maine