Wilford Woodruff: The Fly Fisherman

Wilford Woodruff was born on March 1, 1807. One hobby he enjoyed throughout his life was fishing, and often found relaxation with a pole and line.
As a young missionary in England in 1845, he went fishing with a 70-year old man named "Father Richard Smithies." Wilford watched him fish with an artificial fly, and called it "the greatest art in fishing ever introduced." He recorded enthusiastically in his journal on May 8:
"Father Smithies caught 7 trout and two cheven in this way while we were with him. It was the first time I had seen the fly used in my life in the way of fishing. I was delighted with it; the rod and line was so light and flung with such skill and dexterity that the trout are beguiled and wherever they are, are generally taken. The fisherman has flies different for almost every month, calculated to imitate the flies that float upon the water at the time they fish. These flies are made of the feathers of birds, some of various colors. The trout will often take them before the natural fly. I was much gratified with this day's fishing."

Later, as the vanguard pioneer company made their way to Salt Lake, Wilford had a chance to try the art on his own. They were in the area of Fort Bridger on July 8, 1847. Wilford recorded:
"As soon as I got my breakfast I rigged up my trout rod that I had brought with me from Liverpool, fixed my reel, line, and artificial fly, and went to one of the brooks close by camp to try my luck catching trout. The man at the fort said there were but very few trout in the streams, and a good many of the brethren were already at the creeks with their rods and lines trying their skill, baiting with fresh meat and grasshoppers; but no one seemed to catch any.
"I went and flung my fly onto the [water]; and it being the first time that I ever tried the artificial fly in America, or ever saw it tried, I watched it as it floated upon the water with as much intense interest as Franklin did his kite when he tried to draw lightning from the skies. And as Franklin received great joy when he saw electricity or lightning descend on his kite string, in like manner was I highly gratified when I saw the nimble trout dart [at] my fly, hook himself, and run away with the line. But I soon worried him out and drew him to shore; and I fished two or three hours including morning and evening, and I caught twelve in all. And about one half of them would weigh about 3/4 of a pound each, while all the rest of the camp did not catch during the day 3 pounds of trout in all, which was proof positive to me that the artificial fly is [by] far the best thing now known to fish trout with."
We hope Pres. Woodruff is celebrating his birthday today casting some flies into that great trout stream in the sky...

(Journal excerpts from Susan Staker, _Waiting for the World's End_, spelling and punctuation corrected.)

Compiled and written by David Kenison