Frederic Maurice Halford (13 April 1844 – 5 March 1914), pseudonym Detached Badger, was a wealthy and influential British
angler
Angler may refer to:
* A fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling
* ''Angler'' (video game)
* The angler, ''Lophius piscatorius'', a monkfish
* More generally, any anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes
* '' Angler: The Cheney Vice Pres ...
and
fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...
author. Halford is most noted for his development and promotion of the
dry fly Dry fly fishing is an angling technique in which the lure is an artificial fly which floats on the surface of the water and does not sink below it. Developed originally for trout fly fishing.
The fish and the dry fly
Fly fishing for trout can be ...
technique on English
chalk stream
Chalk streams are rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock. Since chalk is permeable, water percolates easily through the ground to the water table and chalk streams therefore receive little surface runoff. As a result, th ...
s. He is generally accepted as "The Father of Modern Dry Fly Fishing". John Waller Hills, ''
A History of Fly Fishing for Trout
''A History of Fly Fishing for Trout'' is a fly fishing book written by John Waller Hills published in London in 1921.
Synopsis
''A History of Fly Fishing for Trout'' is the first book to trace the history of fly fishing from its very beginning, ...
'' (1921) called Halford "The Historian of the Dry Fly".
In ''Royal Coachman – The Lore and Legends of Fly Fishing'' (1999), Paul Schullery describes Halford:
Early life to 1877
Frederic Halford was born Frederic Maurice Hyam into a wealthy
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family of German ancestry in 1844 in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England.
His parents, Samuel and Phoebe Hyam, moved to London when Frederic was 7. Samuel Hyam, and his brothers Lawrence and Benjamin, were very prosperous manufacturers of textiles and clothing in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. In 1875, all the Hyams changed their name to Halford.
At the age of 7, Halford began attending
University College School
("Slowly but surely")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent day school
, religion =
, president =
, head_label = Headmaster
, head = Mark Beard
, r_head_label =
, r_hea ...
(UCS) in London. When he left UCS in 1860 he went to work in one of the family businesses. Very little is known of his business career except that he retired from business at the age of 45 in 1889 to become a full-time angler.
[ In February 1866, he became an officer in the 36th Middlesex Volunteers for a short period of time, during which he learned how to shoot.
His first experience of fishing was in a small London pond at the age of 6 and as a boy he fished the Serpentine and the Long Pool in ]Hyde Park
Hyde Park may refer to:
Places
England
* Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London
* Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds
* Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield
* Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester
Austra ...
. As a teenager, he regularly fished the Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
with conventional tackle for sea trout, bream
Bream ( ) are species of freshwater and marine fish belonging to a variety of genera including ''Abramis'' (e.g., ''A. brama'', the common bream), ''Acanthopagrus'', '' Argyrops'', ''Blicca'', '' Brama'', ''Chilotilapia'', '' Etelis'', ''Lepo ...
, and pike
Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to:
Fish
* Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus''
* Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes
* ''Esox'', genus of ...
. His largest fish was a Brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...
from the Thames that weighed in 1870.
Halford's first experiences in fly fishing were at the age of 24 in 1868 when, through the generosity of a family friend, he was given a free beat on the River Wandle
The River Wandle is a right-bank tributary of the River Thames in south London, England. With a total length of about , the river passes through the London boroughs of London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, London Borough of Sutton, Sutton, Londo ...
, a pristine trout stream to the southwest of London.[In 1868 the Wandle was about 10 miles outside London and remained a productive trout stream into the 1880s. Today, the Wandle is part of ]Greater London
Greater may refer to:
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*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
, has been heavily polluted and is no longer a trout stream, although in recent years it is recovering.
In the late 1860s, the dry fly Dry fly fishing is an angling technique in which the lure is an artificial fly which floats on the surface of the water and does not sink below it. Developed originally for trout fly fishing.
The fish and the dry fly
Fly fishing for trout can be ...
was in use to some extent on the Wandle, but as a fly-fishing technique it was in its infancy. Halford learned the basics of fly fishing on the Wandle, a river he fished regularly every summer until 1881.
Chalk stream fly fishing
In 1877 Halford became a member of the Houghton Fly Fishers on the River Test
The River Test is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at Ashe near Basingstoke and flows southwards for to Southampton Water. Settlements on the Test include the towns of Stockbridge and Romsey. Below the village o ...
. In 1879, in John Hammond's tackle shop in Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, Halford met angler George Selwyn Marryat, a meeting that was to change the course of fly-fishing history. They were to be friends for the remainder of Marryat's life. In 1880, Halford found accommodation at Houghton Mill, on the banks of the Test and, with Marryat, began his research for his first book, ''Floating Flies and How to Dress Them
''Floating Flies and How to Dress Them'' - ''A Treatise on the Most Modern Methods of Dressing Artificial Flies for Trout and Grayling with Full Illustrated Directions and Containing Ninety Hand-Coloured Engravings of the Most Killing Patterns Tog ...
'', published in 1886. Halford wanted Marryat to be joint author of the book, but Marryat declined, wishing to remain anonymous. The book was a huge success, and laid the foundations for Halford's legacy as the "High Priest of the Dry Fly".[
In 1889, when he was 45, Halford retired from the family business to pursue fly fishing and writing. In that year he published his second book, '' Dry Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice''. Before he died, he fished a variety of beats on the ]Kennet Kennet may refer to:
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*Kennet, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
People
*Baron Kennet, a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
* D. Mark Kennet (born 1957), American economist
*Josh Kennet (born 1987), English-Israel ...
, the Test and the Itchen but he rarely fished outside the country or away from the chalk streams of the south of England. It was on the Itchen where he met and fished with G. E. M. Skues
George Edward MacKenzie Skues, usually known as G. E. M. Skues (1858–1949), was a British lawyer, author and fly fisherman most noted for the invention of modern-day nymph fishing and the controversy it caused with the Chalk stream dry fly d ...
in 1891. Halford published four other books on dry-fly fishing before his death: ''Making a Fishery'' (1895), ''Dry Fly Entomology'' (1897), ''Modern Development of the Dry Fly'' (1910) and ''The Dry Fly Man's Handbook'' (1913), as well as his autobiography ''An Angler's Autobiography'' (1903).
Halford was among the founding members of the British Flyfishers' Club
The Flyfishers' Club is a gentlemen's club in London which was founded in 1884 for enthusiasts of flyfishing. In 1894, the club had more than three hundred members, while in 1984 this had risen to between eight and nine hundred.
History
The clu ...
, a prestigious gentlemen's' club in London devoted to the sport of fly fishing.
Halford vs Skues, dry fly vs nymph
Halford, along with Marryatt, perfected upstream dry-fly fishing in late 19th-century England and treated other forms of fly presentation, such as wet flies and nymphs on English chalk streams, with disdain. By the early 20th century, the Halford dry-fly doctrine had become cultish and to some extent dogmatic. The following passage by Halford epitomises his dogmatic views:
When G. E. M. Skues
George Edward MacKenzie Skues, usually known as G. E. M. Skues (1858–1949), was a British lawyer, author and fly fisherman most noted for the invention of modern-day nymph fishing and the controversy it caused with the Chalk stream dry fly d ...
began promoting upstream nymphing techniques on English chalk streams at the turn of the 20th century, there was immediate tension between those who favoured and followed the Halford school of dry-fly fishing and those who chose to use other techniques. There is no evidence that there was ever any personal animosity between the two anglers, only verbal wrangling in the sporting press about the pros and cons of the two techniques. Indeed, Skues's second work ''The Way of a Trout with the Fly
''The Way of a Trout with a Fly and Some Further Studies in Minor Tactics'' is a fly fishing book written by G. E. M. Skues published in London in 1921. This was Skues's second book after '' Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream (1910).''
Synops ...
'', which codified the upstream nymphing technique, was not published until 1921, well after Halford's death.
The debates continued into the 1930s. The Halfordian school claimed that upstream nymphing, although effective, was unethical and bad for the chalk streams, even to the point of banning the use of nymph on some fisheries, while Skues's proponents claimed that the dogmatic dry-fly approach limited opportunities when nymphing was a more appropriate technique. A culmination of sorts took place in February 1938 at the Flyfishers' Club
The Flyfishers' Club is a gentlemen's club in London which was founded in 1884 for enthusiasts of flyfishing. In 1894, the club had more than three hundred members, while in 1984 this had risen to between eight and nine hundred.
History
The clu ...
when the so-called "Nymph Debate" took place. Skues was present to defend nymphing techniques, while many others, chiefly Sir Joseph Ball, defended the Halfordian doctrine. The result was decidedly in favour of Halford's dry-fly techniques to the exclusion of all others, but no one denied the effectiveness of Skues's nymphing methodology. The debate helped cement both Halford's and Skues's seminal roles in the development of modern-day fly fishing.
Influences on American angling
Charles Goodspeed, in ''Angling in America'' (1939), his history of American angling, credits Halford's ''Floating Flies and How to Dress Them
''Floating Flies and How to Dress Them'' - ''A Treatise on the Most Modern Methods of Dressing Artificial Flies for Trout and Grayling with Full Illustrated Directions and Containing Ninety Hand-Coloured Engravings of the Most Killing Patterns Tog ...
'' as having a significant influence on the introduction of the dry-fly method into America. In 1890 Halford exchanged a series of letters on the subject of dry-fly fishing with American angler, Theodore Gordon, to include a complete set of Halford's favourite dry flies. In 1892, ''Favorite Flies and Their Histories
''Favorite Flies and Their Histories'' - ''With many replies from practical anglers to inquiries concerning how, when and where to use them-Illustrated by Thirty-two colored plates of flies, six engravings of natural insects and eight reproduction ...
'', by Mary Orvis Mabury devoted a coloured plate to a selection of Halford's dry flies, along with their method of use.
Death
Frederic Halford was wealthy enough to take winter vacations in Europe and the Mediterranean to escape the English winter weather. He was also an amateur photographer and liked to capture the people and places he visited during his winter trips abroad. Much of his work still survives today and shows that he visited Spain in 1908, Pontresina
Pontresina ( rm, Puntraschigna) is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland.
History and name
Pontresina was first mentioned in medieval Latin documents as ''ad Pontem Sarisinam'' in 1137 and ''de Ponte Sa ...
in 1909, Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
in 1910 and Biskra
Biskra ( ar, بسكرة ; ; Latin Vescera) is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about 248 miles (400 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (115&nbs ...
in 1911. In February 1914 he was in Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
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. During the return voyage he fell ill with pneumonia on the P&O liner ''Morea''. He died aboard on 5 March 1914 as the ship was arriving in London on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
. He was 69 years old. After his funeral, praise for Halford in the mainstream British press as well as the sporting press was overwhelming. William Senior, editor of '' The Field'', and a close personal friend of Halford wrote:
In the Journal of the Fly Fisher's Club, published shortly after Halford's death, Dr A. C. Kent wrote:
Books by Frederic M. Halford
In 1894, ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote of Halford:
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Further reading
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See also
* Bibliography of fly fishing
This general annotated bibliography page provides an overview of notable and not so notable works in the English language regarding the sport of fly fishing, listed by year of first publication. Although not all the listed books are devoted exclu ...
* Pseudonyms of notable angling authors
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halford, Frederic M
1844 births
1914 deaths
Angling writers
British fishers
People from Birmingham, West Midlands
Fly fishing