Massachusetts Salt Water Fishing License

If you haven’t already heard, starting this year Massachusetts (along with every other US state bordering the ocean) will now require a fishing license for most salt water sport fishing situations. A summary of the pertinent details:

Who needs a license? Any angler 16 years or older fishing in state marine waters, including up to the first dam in rivers and streams that flow to the ocean. An individual license is not required if you are fishing on a permitted for hire boat (which should cover most or all guide/charter boats).

How much does the license cost? The cost is $10, for both residents and non-residents alike. The license is good for the calendar year. Note that anglers age 60 or older are required to have a license but are not charged for it.

Where can I buy a license? You can buy a license by mailing or filling out a paper application at a very limited number of state licensing offices. I expect most people will forgo that route and instead choose to buy one online .

Is my Massachusetts license good outside of Massachusetts? At this writing Massachusetts has reciprocal agreements with Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. A salt water license from any of these states can be used to fish in the other three.

More info here

Commentary to follow. šŸ˜Æ

Bears Den Expo, February 19

For those of you in the New England area,Ā  the Bearā€™s Den Fly Fishing Expo is coming up this Saturday, February 19, at the Holiday Inn in Taunton, Mass. Now in its 13th year, Scott and the rest of the Bear’s Den crew always put on a great show. And with free admission, free parking, and free programs the price is hard to beat. The show runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., followed at 7 by the Fly Fishing Film Tour which by all accounts is fantastic. (Seating for the film tour is limited–you can reserve a seat at the link below.) There’s a raffle to helps to cover costs which this year includesĀ  one of Jack’s flies mounted and autographed and a boxed selection of Jack’s striper flies. So if you’re there why not buy a ticket to support the show!

Read more about the Bear’s Den Fly Fishing Expo

The Gartside Grub

A large part of what makes running this web site fun is the people you meet. Last week’s newsletter brought a reply fromĀ  Doctor Robert Gartside of the Lake District in the UK–not a relative of Jack’s, but a sharer ofĀ  hisĀ  love for of angling.

A tyer himself, he wrote “When I fished Tweed, I tied a fly which I called the Gartside Grub. It was a salmon fly on aĀ  fair sized trebleĀ  with a red wool tag and mingled brown & yellow deer hair wings a body of olive wool ribbed with red floss.. As simple as that but it looked just right in the Autumn colours and caught a fish first time out. My Ghillie was delighted as it was the first for his boat for a fortnight and I went on to catch my biggest salmon (25lbs)Ā  and also my best catch of five in one day. I also had theĀ  unusual experience of gettingĀ  three fresh salmon in four casts and the first weighed 21 lbs.”

That’s some pretty outstanding fishing. I asked for a picture of a Gartside Grub and he was kind enough to send this one. Not the best photo but Jack would have been delighted.

He also included a fishing report (always love reading those!): “…It isĀ  really the off season for game fishing here but that delightful fish the Grayling is still in season and I am patiently awaiting an opportunity to take my friend Lord C. to fish for them on the Hodder…

Life: Want to Make Something Out of It?

Finally finding a little time to go through Jack’s papers. So much material, written and collected over the years. Here’s a series of quotes I found scribbled on the back of a bar tab, under the title written above…

  • As no man is born an artist, so no man is born an angler. Izaak Walton
  • I only make movies to support my fishing. Lee Marvin
  • Keep thy hook always baited, for a fish lurks ever in the most unlikely swim. Ovid
  • Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein
  • I fish not because I regard fishing as being terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant, and not nearly so much fun. John Voelker
  • If people conentrated on the really important things in life, thereā€™d be a shortage of fishing poles. Doug Larson
  • Fly fishermen are born honest, but they soon get over it. Ed Zern

Pics from Jacks Hall of Fame Induction

On October 9th the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum inducted Jack into its Fly Fishing’s Hall of Fame. Other inductees were John Randolph, Louis Rhead, and Art Lee.

Bummer to say that between traffic and weather the drive from Boston to Roscoe, NY took longer than I allowed for. I missed most of the actual induction ceremony. But I got there for the cookies and apple cider, with time to mingle and tour the museum. There was a dinner afterwords where Bob Popovics presented Ted Patlen with the Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award. Before presenting the award Bob voiced a few of his fond memories of Jack, including the story of how Jack got him into his first tarpon. Hearing the warmth in Bob’s voice as he spoke about the old days in the Keys, Vaca Cut, and the old Golden Grouper…it was one of the high points of the evening.

The museum is really interesting, packed with items of lore and tributes to fishers of legend. If you’re ever in the Roscoe vicinity (about 90 miles northwest of New York City) it’s well worth a visit. Jack’s friend Mel Harris once observed, “There were two things Jack was proud of…his flies and his lifestyle.” The museum’s exhibit does a fine job of showing both. It includes three of Jackā€™s self-published books: Scratching the Surface, Flies for the 21st Century, and Striper Strategies. There are fly boxes too, crowded with Gartside Gurglers, Soft Hackle Streamers, BeastMasters, Corsair Minnows, Sparrow Nymphs, and Gartside Pheasant Hoppers. There’s a Red Sox hat, a Christmas gift to Jack a few years ago to replace one he wore for years until it fell apart.

From Jack’s family of friends, a big thank you to Jim Krul and the rest of the museum staff for allowing us the privilege of seeing our friend honored in this way.

Here are a few pictures. Click them to enlarge.


Gartside items in the American Museum of Fly Fishing

In its summer 2010 edition of The American Fly Fisher, the American Museum of Fly Fishing announced the addition of an number of Gartside items to its collection. The items include books, fishing gear, personal items, and over 100 of Jack’s flies.Ā  Sara Wilcox of the AMFF was nice enough to send me a copy of the article to share with Jack’s readers.

The American Fly Fisher journal is a free benefit to members of the AMFF. You can become a museum member on their web site under the membership section, or, by contacting Sarah Moore by phone at (802) 362-3300 extension 205, or by email at smoore@amff.com. If you’re not a member but would like to purchaseĀ  a copy of The American Fly Fisher ($10 each), again, contactĀ  Sarah Moore.

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