User talk:Mike Cline/Articles Under Contemplation/Joseph D. Bates Jr.

Joseph D. Bates Jr. (1903-September 30, 1988) was a prolific author of outdoor and angling books and articles on the subject of fly fishing. He is most noted for his works related to the study of classic streamer and Atlantic salmon flies. Bates was a World War II veteran in the Massachusetts National Guard and retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was often referred to as Colonel Bates and Carrie Stevens, a noted fly tyer, named a streamer pattern after him–The Colonel Bates–to celebrate his work on the history and art of streamers, bucktails and Atlantic salmon flies.^[1] He was an avid angler and collector of trout and classic Atlantic salmon flies as well as other angling memorabilia. He authored 17 works on various angling topics and wrote numerous articles for angling and outdoor publications. His Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing (1966), Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing (1970) and Streamers and Bucktails (1979) are considered seminal works on the subject.^[2] His early works on spin fishing popularized this technique in the U.S. after World War II.

Colonel Joseph D. Bates Jr.
Occupation	Angling author
Genre	Non-fiction
Subject	Angling, Fly Fishing, Fly Patterns

Early life

Bates was the son of Joseph D. Bates, an advertising executive from West Springfield, Massachusetts and Josephine Avery Bates of Tatham Hill in Springfield.^[3] He attended local elementary and secondary schools. He started university at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1926 in pursuit of an engineering degree but discontinued that education after his first year. He returned to West Springfield to pursue a career in advertising with his father's firm Snow, Bates & Orme Inc.^[3] He and his wife, Helen Ellis Bates moved to Longmeadow, Massachusetts in 1935. They had two children, Bruce Ellis Bates and Pamela Bates Richards.

Military career

Angling collector and author

Spinning

Streamers and Atlantic salmon flies

Bates had been a collector of historic flies before World War II but began collecting in earnest after the war. He would routinely visit and correspond with prominent fly tiers as he researched information for articles and eventually his books on flies and fly tying.^[4] The publication of Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing in 1966 documented his extensive research into the origins and histories of a great many streamer and bucktail patterns and their tiers. The book gave many prominent anglers and tiers such as Carrie Stevens, Joe Brooks, and Lew Oatman national exposure.^[5] Bates' correspondence with anglers and fly tiers has help preserve and document the histories of many famous fly tiers.^[6] The book was revised and reprinted in 1970 and is still considered the classic reference on these patterns.^[7]

Joe Bates, Jr. has come up with a fine book that should help settle some of the arguments over the origin and authenticity of many streamer fly patterns. ...Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing is exceptional for the completeness of its treatment of a difficult subject and for its outstanding value as a reference text.

— Carll N. Fenderson, National Wildlife Federation, 1967^[5]

In 1975, Bates helped compile the best articles from the The Atlantic Salmon Journal into a limited edition anthology entitled The Atlantic Salmon Treasury. The journal was the publication of the Atlantic Salmon Association of Montreal, now the Atlantic Salmon Federation. The anthology captured the best works on the history and lore of Atlantic Salmon fish by many noted authors and anglers such as Dana Lamb, Anthony Netboy and Lee Wulff. The anthology was illustrated by noted wildlife artists Milton C. Weiler and Charles DeFeo.^[8] In 1981, Bates wrote the forward to Montana angler and fly tier George Grant's Montana Trout Flies praising the art of Grant's fly tying.^[9]

Being relatively unskilled in fly dressing, but with a keen appreciation for perfection, I look upon George Grant's fine art in the area of nymphs with admiration approaching awe.

— Joseph D. Bates, Jr. Forward Montana Trout Flies (1981)^[10]

Legacy

photo of trout fly

Colonel Bates streamer created by Carrie Stevens, tied by Don Bastain, photographed by Darren MacEachern^[11]

Much of Bates' lifetime collection of flies and angling memorabilia was sold at public auction in 1990, many of his items including reference copies of classic streamer and Atlantic salmon flies were donated to the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, Vermont.^[12] The Bate's collection at the annual R. W. Oliver Gallery's High Roller's auction in Kennebunk, Maine, realized $52,542 for the Bate's estate.^[13]

Bibliography

• Spinning for American Game Fish. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1947.
• Trout Waters and How to Fish Them. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1947.
• Streamer Fly Fishing in Fresh and Salt Water. New York: Van Nostrand. 1950.
• Secrets of Success in Spinning. Rockland Tackle Company. 1951.
• "Stories of Famous Streamer Flies". Pennsylvania Angler. Vol. 21, no. 10. October 1952. pp. 20–27.
• Spinning for Fresh Water Game Fish. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1954.
• Outdoor Cooking...Made Easy. Rochester, N.Y.: Otto Bernz. 1955.
• The Easy Way to Outdoor Cooking. White Plains, N.Y.: Self published. 1957.
• Spinning for Salt Water Game Fish. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1957.
• Bates, Joseph D. Jr.; Williams, Lee (1959). Basketball was Born Here. Springfield, Mass.: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Outdoor Tips With Aluminum Foil. Alcoa Aluminum. 1960.
• The Outdoor Cook's Bible. New York: Doubleday. 1963.
• Hot Tips for Outdoor Living. Self published. 1965.
• Streamer fly tying and fishing. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. 1966.
• Elementary Fishing. Popular Library. 1967.
• Atlantic salmon flies and fishing. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. 1970. ISBN 0811701808.
• Reading the Water : Where and When to Fish in Lakes and Streams. New York: Outdoor Life. 1971.
• Trout Fishing. New York: Outdoor Life. 1972.
• "Carrie Stevens and the Gray Ghost". The Flyfisher. 6 (4). Livingston, Montana: International Federation of Flyfishers: 4–7. Winter 1973.
• How to find fish, and make them strike. New York: Harper & Row. 1974. ISBN 0060102411.
• Joseph D. Bates Jr., ed. (1975). The Atlantic salmon treasury:an anthology of selections from the first quarter-century of the Atlantic salmon journal. Montreal: Atlantic Salmon Association.
• Streamers and bucktails, the big-fish flies. New York: Knopf. 1979. ISBN 0394415884.
• The Art of the Atlantic Salmon Fly. Boston: David R. Godine. 1987. ISBN 0879236744.
• Fishing:an encyclopedic guide to tackle and tactics for fresh and salt water. New York: Sedgewood Press. 1988. ISBN 0696110423.
• "The Original Jock Scott" (PDF). American Fly Fisher. 16 (3). Manchester, Vt.: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 2–4. Fall 1990.
• Bates, Joseph D. Jr.; Strand, Mark (1991). Find Fish Anywhere, Anytime. North American Fishing Club. ISBN 0914697390.
• Fishing Atlantic Salmon. Harrisburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. 1996. ISBN 0811706362.
• Bates, Joseph D.; Richards, Pamela Bates (Spring 1997). "From the Old to the New in Salmon Flies" (PDF). The American Fly Fisher. 23 (2). The American Museum of Fly Fishing: 6–17. Retrieved 2014-11-16.

Notes

1. "Colonel Bates". donbastianwetflies.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
2. Schullery, Paul (1996). American Fly Fishing-A History. Norwalk, Conn.: The Easton Press. p. 149.
3. "Joseph D. Bates Jr. (1903-1988)" (pdf). The American Fly Fisher. 14 (2). Manchester, Vt.: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 14. Fall 1988.
4. Valla, Mike (2013). The Founding Flies-43 American Masters Their Patterns and Influences. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. p. 14. ISBN 9780811708333.
5. Fenderson, Carll N. (1967). "Reviews". Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 96 (2). American Fisheries Society: 231–235.
6. Hilyard, Graydon R.; Lesile K. (Spring 2002). "Carrie Stevens-A Fly Tyer's Progress" (PDF). American Fly Fisher. 28 (2). Manchester, Vt.: American Fly Fishing Museum: 11–21.
7. Valla, Mike (2013). The Founding Flies-43 American Masters Their Patterns and Influences. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. p. 110. ISBN 9780811708333.
8. Alexander, A. L. (Spring 1976). "Review-Atlantic Salmon Treasury-Joseph D. Bates Jr" (PDF). American Fly Fisher. 3 (2). Manchester, Vt.: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 21.
9. Valla, Mike (2013). The Founding Flies-43 American Masters Their Patterns and Influences. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. p. 210. ISBN 9780811708333.
10. Grant, George. Montana Trout Flies. Portland, Ore.: Champoeg Press. p. 1.
11. "#203 Colonel Bates". Streamers365.com. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
12. Pamela Bates Richards (Spring 1999). "Joseph D. Bates Jr.:Collection of a Lifetime" (PDF). American Fly Fisher. 25 (2). Manchester, Vt.: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 12–19.
13. Bryant, Nelson (April 9, 1990). "Outdoors: Tackle For High Rollers". New York Times.

Working references

Hilyard, Graydon R. (2000). Carrie G. Stevens-Maker of Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. pp. xvi, 27, 36, 40, 71. ISBN 0811703533.

"Memorial Exhibit-Milton C. Weiler" (PDF). American Fly Fisher. 2 (2). Manchester, Vt.: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 23. Spring 1975. - re artist in Bates Books

Valla, Mike (2013). The Founding Flies-43 American Masters Their Patterns and Influences. Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811708333.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Joseph D.}} [[:Category:People from Longmeadow, Massachusetts]] [[:Category:1903 births]] [[:Category:1988 deaths]] [[:Category:Fly fishing]]