Lee Wulff (February 10, 1905 – April 28, 1991), born Henry Leon Wulff, was an artist, pilot,
fly fisherman
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, filmmaker,
outfitter
An outfitter is a shop or person that sells specialized clothes (an ''outfit'' is a set of clothing). More specifically, it is a company or individual who provides or deals in equipment and supplies for the pursuit of certain activities.
In North ...
and
conservationist who made significant contributions to
recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...
, especially
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 ...
and the conservation of
Atlantic Salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...
.
Early life
Lee Wulff was born on February 10, 1905 in
Valdez,
District of Alaska
The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military designation.
...
to parents Charles and Lilly Wulff of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and
Staten Island, New York
Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...
respectively. Charles Wulff left Brooklyn around 1900 to seek gold in Alaska but soon became dependent on other work and settled in Valdez. In Valdez, Lee's father was a deputy sheriff and newspaper publisher in the small frontier town. Lee's mother was a Norwegian immigrant from Staten Island who eventually traveled to Valdez to marry Charles. They had three children, Henry (Lee), Audrey and Lillian. Lee learned to fish at an early age in the rivers and saltwater surrounding Valdez. By age 10 he was learning how to fly fish with lancewood/greenheart rods and silk fly lines and leaders. During the Winter of 1915-16, Charles Wulff moved the family back to Brooklyn to assume management of his deceased grandfather's coal business. Lee Wulff disliked the big city of Brooklyn and longed for the outdoors of Valdez. However he did well in Brooklyn public schools achieving honor student status.
In 1920, Charles Wulff sold his interest in the Brooklyn coal company and moved the family to
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
. Lee quickly adapted to the local saltwater fishing in the San Diego region and routinely fished for
sea bass
Sea bass is a common name for a variety of different species of marine fish. Many fish species of various families have been called sea bass.
In Ireland and the United Kingdom, the fish sold and consumed as sea bass is exclusively the European ba ...
,
corvina
Corvina is an Italian wine grape variety that is sometimes also referred to as Corvina Veronese or Cruina. The total global wine-growing area in 2010 was , all of which is grown in the Veneto region of northeast Italy, except for planted in Ar ...
and
yellowtail in the kelp beds along the Pacific Ocean beaches with his high school friends.
He graduated from
San Diego High School
San Diego High School (SDHS) is an urban public high school located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California, United States. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District, one of the oldest public sch ...
on January 27, 1922 at the age of 18. He attended two years at
San Diego State College
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
before transferring to
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
to study engineering. At San Diego State he played
varsity and
lettered
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
in football, basketball and track. He graduated from Stanford on June 21, 1926 with a degree in engineering.
[ Despite having a degree in engineering, Lee Wulff did not want to be an engineer and with the reluctant support of his father, he decided to pursue a career as an artist.][
]
Paris
In the summer of 1926, at the age of 21, Lee Wulff traveled to Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
to study art. He eventually enrolled in the Académie Delecluse in Montparnasse
Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...
. Wulff enjoyed art school and got promising reviews on his work from two exhibitions in July and September 1927. While in Paris, he met another American art student, Helen Riha. Helen was a graduate of the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts
Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...
and from Schenectady, New York
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
. Helen would become Lee's first wife. Despite pressure from his father to pursue engineering work, on September 13, 1927, Lee Wulff left Paris to return to New York and start a career as an artist.[
]
New York
Lee Wulff arrived in New York on September 25, 1927 and found lodgings in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
where most young artists lived at the time. With only $100 in his pocket, he began seeking employment as an artist. Sustained with a few part-time jobs through the winter of 1927, he finally obtained regular employment with an advertising agency in January 1928 at a salary of $50 per week. Lee found time from his work to fish the Esopus and Beaverkill rivers in the Catskills. He began to tie flies, meet and discuss fly fishing with other New York anglers, one of which was Dan Bailey who became a celebrated fly angler in Montana. In the Spring of 1928 he was reunited with Helen Riha who had been working in New York for over a year. They both liked fly fishing and spent a lot of time together in the Catskills. In the Fall of 1928 they became engaged and were married in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...
on June 1, 1929.
The Wulffs quit their New York jobs to embark on a three-month honeymoon by car through the Southwest to San Diego to see Lee's parents returning to New York via the northern Rockies and Midwest. They returned to New York in late September 1929 both unemployed. Although they both found jobs, the stock market crash
A stock market crash is a sudden dramatic decline of stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especia ...
on October 29, 1929 led to cuts in pay. Early in 1930, the couple moved to Louisville, Kentucky to work for an advertising agency there. By August 1930 they had returned to New York, Lee being very disappointed with both the job and the fishing in Kentucky.[
The early 1930s found Lee and Helen fishing more and working less, but sustaining themselves with free-lance work. Lee was making acquaintances with future notables in the fly angling and outdoor business world–John McDonald, ]Fortune Magazine
''Fortune'' is an American multinational business magazine headquartered in New York City. It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, owned by Thai businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon. The publication was founded by Henry Luce in 1929. The ...
writer and author of ''Quill Gordon'', illustrators Mead Schaeffer
Mead Schaeffer (July 15, 1898 – November 6, 1980) was an :American illustrators, American illustrator active from the early to middle twentieth century.
Biography
Schaeffer was born in Freedom Plains, New York, in 1898, the son of Presbyt ...
and John Atherton and artist Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
. He was writing a few articles, teaching fly tying and giving talks on fly fishing to various clubs gradually becoming respected as an authority on the subject.
Learning about salmon
In 1933 Lee and Helen made a trip to the Margaree River
The Margaree River (''Abhainn Mhargaraidh'') is a river on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The northeast branch of the river derives from the watershed of the Cape Breton Highlands, while the Southwest Margaree flows northeast from Lake Ainslie. ...
in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
where he landed his first fly caught Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are ...
on a bi-visible dry fly.[
Taking fly fishing to the general public, he created a sustainable business. Two key ideas helped him make fly fishing into a profitable business. In 1939, Lee Wulff released the book, Handbook of Freshwater Fishing, where he maps out the principles of ]catch and release
Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...
fishing. The way he puts catch and release is that there will be more fish in the rivers, so you can come back again and again and catch fish; he says also that the fish get smarter making them harder to catch and making the fisherman have to be more accurate with his casts. Lee Wulff is considered the premier proponent of catch and release fishing. The second part of the business model is setting up organizations such as Trout Unlimited and other like it to protect the habitats[Wulff, Lee. "The Bright Future of Trout Fishing." A Gamefish Too Valuable. 1978. 261-70. Print.] that the trout live in and making the beautiful places where fishermen fish stay beautiful.
Newfoundland
Lee Wulff's first visit to Newfoundland came in 1935 when he fished for salmon on the Grand Codroy River northeast of Channel-Port aux Basques
Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of Newfoundland fronting on the western end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point onto the island of Newfoun ...
. In 1946 he established fishing camps at River of Ponds
River of Ponds is a town located northeast of Daniel's Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador. It became a Local Government Community in 1970 and had a population of 166 in 1956. The Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census reported a population of 173.
D ...
and Portland Creek with the idea of sharing clients with Ella Manuel at Killdevil Lodge near Lomond (where her sons, Antony Berger and Jonathan Berger, spent their summers). Lee Wulff and Ella Manuel were married in Corner Brook
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...
in 1947, shortly after he obtained his pilot's license. He sold his camps in 1954. Lee Wulff is credited with being one of the first people to suggest the establishment of what eventually became Gros Morne National Park
Gros Morne National Park is a National Parks of Canada, Canadian national park and World Heritage Site located on the west coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland. At , it is the second largest national park in Atlantic Canada after To ...
.
Joan Wulff
Although previously acquainted through some sportsman shows, in 1966, Lee worked with Joan Salvato Cummings on an ABC's ''The American Sportsman
''The American Sportsman'' is an American television series that aired from 1965 to 1986 on ABC which presented filmed highlights involving the program's hosts and celebrities participating in hunting and/or fishing trips along with outdoor recre ...
'' television film on Blue Fin Tuna fishing in Newfoundland. Joan was a world class fly casting champion and avid fly angler. Later that year they worked together on another American Sportsman episode on bass fishing in Florida. Despite Lee's three divorces and Joan's previous marriage, Lee and Joan were married in 1967. They settled with Joan's two boys, Douglas and Stuart, in Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in, and the County seat, seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census.
Keene is ho ...
.
Wulff School of Fishing
Lee and Joan Wulff moved their home from New Hampshire to Lew Beach, New York
Lew Beach is a hamlet in the town of Rockland, New York, United States. It is at the northernmost corner of the town and thus also of Sullivan County, near the tripoint with Delaware and Ulster counties, within the Catskill Park. Its ZIP code, ...
on the Beaverkill river in 1978.
The couple set up the Wulff School of Fly Fishing in 1979 on the Beaverkill River in New York. According to the school's website, Joan explained the couple's reason for open the school. "Lee's and my dream to share, with willing enthusiasts, the skills and lore of our wonderful sport. Lee will be with you through his words, films, and philosophy."
Wulff series of flies
In 1930, Lee Wulff designed three innovative dry flies to fish with on the Esopus and other Catskill rivers. He called the flies the Ausable Gray, Coffin May and Bucktail Coachman. They were high floating, full bodied flies with hair wings and tails. They proved exceptionally effective for trout and salmon in fast rivers. At the time, he was fishing regularly with Dan Bailey, a science teacher at Brooklyn Polytechnic
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...
. Both men were tying and selling flies in their spare time to supplement their incomes. Wulff considered the traditional English and Catskill style dry flies that were the staple of the fly trade were far too skinny and "anemic" to be effective for American trout thus he created this stocky, robust style of fly.[ Angling author Joseph D. Bates Jr. in his seminal work on ''Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing'' (1970) credits Wulff with "establishing a distinct American style of dry fly."
He collaborated with Dan Bailey during the development of the patterns and Bailey encouraged him to rename the flies. The original Ausable Gray, Coffin May and Bucktail Coachman became the Grey Wulff, White Wulff and Royal Wulff. Three additional patterns were created by the end of 1930, the Blonde Wulff, Brown Wulff and Black Wulff. The series would gain prominence after Wulff introduced them to Ray Bergman, another fly angler and outdoor writer who became the Fishing editor for ]Outdoor Life
''Outdoor Life'' is an outdoors magazine about camping, fishing, hunting, and survival. It is a sister magazine of ''Field & Stream''. Together with ''Sports Afield'', they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing by Money (m ...
magazine. Bergman embraced the flies and included them his two editions of ''Trout'' (1938, 1952).[
Wulff considered the pattern somewhat generic and encouraged variation and evolution of the pattern instead of rigid adherence to a precise recipe. Dan Bailey, who fished regularly in Montana and eventually established a fly shop and mail order business in ]Livingston, Montana
Livingston is a city and county seat of Park County, Montana, United States. It is in southwestern Montana, on the Yellowstone River, north of Yellowstone National Park. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,040.
History
T ...
in 1938 promoted the series extensively to western fly anglers. The Wulff flies, especially the Royal Wulff, are still a staple in angler's fly boxes around the world. Angler and writer John Gierach believes the Royal Wulff is one of the most popular dry patterns over the last half century.
Death
Lee Wulff died on April 28, 1991 near Hancock, New York
Hancock is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The town contains a village, also named Hancock. The town is in the southwest part of the county. The population was 3,224 at the 2010 census. The town is the largest by area in Del ...
when the Piper Super Cub
The Piper PA-18 Super Cub is a two-seat, single-engine monoplane. Introduced in 1949 by Piper Aircraft, it was developed from the PA-11 Cub Special, and traces its lineage back through the J-3 Cub to the Taylor E-2 Cub of the 1930s. In close ...
he was piloting crashed into trees at the end of the runway during a landing. He was on a check-ride with his flight instructor Max Francisco. Wulff was dead at the crash site. Francisco survived the crash but with very serious injuries. About 30 minutes after the crash, Francisco was located and helicoptered to a nearby hospital. He recovered to fly again. Francisco related that he believed Wulff, a pilot with 44 years experience, lost control of the plane because of an acute medical situation and was possibly dead at the controls when the plane crashed.
Obituaries
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
in ''The New York Times'', The Guardian and other major newspapers leveled nothing but praise on Lee Wulff and his life and career. Shortly after Wulff's death Charles Kuralt
Charles Bishop Kuralt (September 10, 1934 – July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on '' The CBS Evenin ...
, then host of the CBS television show Sunday Morning publicly commented: "Lee Wulff was to fly fishing what Einstein was to physics". Nelson Bryant, Longtime outdoor editor, often called the dean of outdoor writers, of the New York Times wrote of Wulff:
Outdoor writer and humorist Ed Zern wrote this in his tribute to Lee Wulff during a memorial at the New York Angler's Club on June 25, 1991.
Bibliography and other works
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** Posthumously published journal of his flying and fly-fishing off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland in the 1940s and 1950s.
Audio and video
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External links
* Lee Wulff Papers. General Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
Notes
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* Jones, Stephen. "Lee Wulff." Lee Wulff. Yale Library, May 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 201
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wulff, Lee
People from Valdez, Alaska
People from San Diego
People from Brooklyn
Stanford University School of Engineering alumni
1905 births
1991 deaths
Fly fishing
Académie Delécluse alumni