Month: July 2010

Readers respond to the JackGartside.com summer 2010 newsletter

A few days ago I sent out the first JackGartside.com newsletter since Jack passed away. Jack’s mailing list is no small thing — about 4000 addresses. There were quite a few responses, all of them unfailingly encouraging. Here are a few of favorites…






“I had the pleasure of corresponding with Mr. Gartside during my tenure at MIT. Just reading about his life and his passion inspired me…I would often carry his guide books to read when on the T or when I had some downtime. He was a workingman’s fly fisher. No frills…pure passion.” Perez


“He was the closest real life version of a fictional character that I ever met.” Phil


“The hotel rooms in Roscoe, although cheap, sure look it! The Hendricks House with its garish new paint job is referred to by locals as the Sunoco Motel. The Rockland House has supposedly redecorated their rooms but that could mean just putting the hinges back on the doors and flushing the toilets every Friday. The only alternative to the Roscoe Motel really is the Baxter House a so-called B & B across from the Live Bait Bar & Grill….now how’s that for the name of a restaurant in Trout Town USA? Well enuf fun here…..Are you going to the induction?” Howie


“Mike, by any chance are you Mike Martinek? Believe it or not I was Mike Martinek’s swim instructor at overnight camp when he was a chubby 12 yr. old. I am still recovering over 50 years later.” Eric






Also, Gerry Karaska passes along that the Summer 2010 issue of The American Fly Fisher (by the American Museum of Fly Fishing) has a nice piece on Jack.

Jack inducted into the CFFM Hall of Fame

This fall Jack will be inducted into the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum’s Hall of Fame. From the museum’s Facebook page:

“On Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 3PM the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum’s Hall of Fame Committee will induct four individuals into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is open to everyone and there is no charge or donation required. Through extensive research and a vetting process by the HOF committee the annual class is determined. The following four members will be recognized for major and significant contributions to the world of fly fishing: (living) Art Lee and John Randolph, (deceased) Louis Rhead and Jack Gartside.”

Katie Lavelle will be accepting the award for Jack.

I know some folks who are planning to attend, raise a toast, and maybe even do a little fishing on the Beaverkill. It’d be cool to see a nice turnout of Jack’s fans and friends. Here’s a little info if you think you might like to go…

The museum is in Roscoe, NY. Per Katie: “The Roscoe Motel is the cheapest place in town, nothing fancy but there are quite a few B and B’s up there that are quite pricey. The rooms at the Motel are 60 to 75 dollars a night, here’s their web site: http://www.roscoemotel.com/rates.html

Jack’s Home Page on Facebook

Happy to report that Jack’s Home Page now has its own Facebook page. Why a Facebook page, you’re wondering, when there’s already this wicked awesome web site with its own blog? Well, a limitation of blogs is that they tend to be “newslettery” in tone due to their inherent structure. Visitors can’t really talk to each other. On Facebook, however, visitors can talk directly to one another, drop in any time to share a joke, a comment, a story, a piece of personal news, or anything really. You can upload a picture, a video, start a discussion, suggest an event. So Facebook offers a nice way for the community of Jack’s fans and friends to keep in touch with each another and even make some new friends.

Hope you like it and visit often. Jack Gartside’s Home Page on Facebook