Another Tribute to Dan MacIntosh

Recently I purchased Shirley E. Woods’ Angling for Atlantic Salmon,  a limited edition book published in 1976 by The Angler’s & Shooter’s Press, Goshen, Connecticut. I had long wanted to read Mr. Woods’ highly regarded book and I became sufficiently motivated to procure a used copy following a telephone call from Mr. Woods himself. He has published many books and articles over the years, including children’s books and writings about financial matters, and now resides in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Mr. Woods’ book is long out-of-print and he has no spare copies, needing to find one on the Internet, as I did, to give to a friend.

In the book’s preface, Mr. Woods writes “A basic tenet of my fly fishing education was that the greatest trophy one could hook was an Atlantic salmon. Experience has changed many of my original views on angling, but the salmon remains unchallenged at the top of the list.” And although his adventures include fishing trips to such storied waters as the rivers of Quebec, Anticosti, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador and Iceland, he saw fit to include Nova Scotia’s St. Mary’s River:

“The St. Mary's spills into the Atlantic Ocean some seventy miles north of Halifax. The river flows through farmland and has a pastoral quality quite different from that of the rushing streams of the deep woods. There are quite a few settlements along its course, and some of these have memorable names—e.g., Ecum Secum, Goshen, Garden of Eden, and Trafalgar. Owing to a number of factors, salmon are much less prolific on the St. Mary's than they once were. However, if you strike the river at the right time in June, when the first run is coming through, you will still stand a chance of taking a twenty-pounder.”

 
“The first thing I did upon arriving in Sherbrooke, a nearby town, was to inquire of a policeman where I might find a good guide. Without hesitation, he volunteered the name of Dan Mac­intosh and gave me directions to his house. I didn't know it at the time, but Dan was the most renowned angler on the St. Mary's as well as the originator of a killing dry fly. For those who are unfa­miliar with the pattern, the Macintosh fly is very simply con­structed, consisting only of a squirrel tail "wing" and a ruff or col­lar of stiff cock hackles—no body or tail. Despite its elementary design, it has proved very effective on many maritime rivers. When we arrived at Dan Macintosh's house, we learned from his wife that Dan was "feeling poorly"; however, she expected him to be fit enough to guide the next day. When we met the following morn­ing, I saw that he was a tall, raw-boned man whose Scottish an­cestry was reflected in every feature. Dan was quite pessimistic about the fishing because the early run had passed through and there was little in our stretch except for a few grilse and the odd sea trout. In addition, the best pools were crowded to the extent that visiting anglers were camped in trailers on their banks.”
 

“Although our guide knew the river intimately, we spent a lot of our time driving in search of places to fish. Those we did find were small rapids where brooks entered the stream, rather than proper pools, and in consequence offered little scope for enjoyment. On the way home Dan stopped on a high bank which overlooked a backwater, or "bogan", on the other side of the river. Pointing to the pocket, he suggested I drop a dry fly there because it was a favorite haunt of large sea trout. Measuring the distance with my eye, I realized it was too far for me to cast and offered him the rod. I should mention that, because of neglect and long storage, the silk "King Eider" fly line had become "tacky" and was almost impossible to shoot through the guides. Dan ignored this handicap and proceeded to give a casting demonstration which I have never seen equaled. He didn't bother to double haul, but cast with such force that I feared for the rod. With quick, violent movements he lengthened the line and then shot it like a long snake across the river. Just before the fly landed, he checked the forward movement abruptly, and the lure parachuted gently to the placid surface. This was repeated fifteen or twenty times; and while he didn't raise a trout, it was still a magnificent display of controlled distance casting.”

A new and expanded edition of another book, The Legend of Nova Scotia’s Deadly MacIntosh Dry Fly, is scheduled for release later this month by publisher River Magic Productions, just in time for Christmas shopping.

Please stay on the line …