Fishers of Men: Wilford Woodruff: The First Fly Fisherman West of the Continental Divide

Wilford Woodruff

To me, stories of the struggles and hardships of the Mormon Pioneers are always inspiring, heartbreaking, and captivating. Those of us who live in the Western United States share the legacy of their courage and faith, no matter our direct lineage or religious affiliation.  In one way or another we are beneficiaries of the blessings that resulted from their sacrifice and labor.  I know what you are thinking, “How does this relate to fishing?” 

I was raised in the Bridger Valley in Southwest Wyoming, an area rich in historical significance as pertaining to the old west. Among other things, Fort Bridger was a vital resupply point for handcart companies and wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Mormon Trails. In 1847, a man named Wilford Woodruff, a Mormon Pioneer, recorded in his journals accounts of fishing throughout the trek including fly fishing on the Blacks Fork of the Green River.  The house that I was raised in is literally just above the flood plain of the Blacks Fork River.  I have spent countless hours fishing and swimming in that river.  I can recall multiple occasions of catching large brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout just a few miles downstream of Fort Bridger. How I wish I could have fished next to Wilford back in those days!

The following is an excerpt from a wonderful article which documents the deep connection that Wilford Woodruff had to the art of angling.  He is honored here for his dedication and his mark on western fishing as we know it today. I must note that there is so much more to this great man than fishing. He left his mark on the world as a powerful missionary, teacher, and as a prophet of God.

Enjoy! To read the entire article click here.

bamboo rod

"Fortunately, Western annals leave a stronger clue and point directly to a Utahn--no less a figure than Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a totally committed angler. Woodruff made the trek west as a member of the LDS Council of Twelve Apostles and traveled in the vanguard of pioneer Mormons to reach and settle the Great Salt Lake Valley in July 1847. He also was one of the most diligent and important diarists among the Mormons, keeping note of everything he did for more than a half-century. And when he fulfilled a church mission to England in 1841, he brought back a fly rod and an assortment of artificial flies.

Because of his fondness for angling, he became a sort of clearing house for matters piscatorial. Woodruff always remembered to inquire of trappers and traders on the prairie where the best fishing was. And when someone had some luck, they passed the word to Woodruff.
 ..........
Bridger's trading post of crude log houses on Blacks Fork of the Green River was a place emigrants could stay a day or so to rest and feed their livestock, repair wagons and generally gird for the final push to the Great Salt Lake Valley or points west. And here Woodruff made his mark. In his own words, and colorful spelling: "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 & artificial fly & went to one of the brooks close by Camp to try my luck catching trout."
Fresh meat: "The men 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 & lines trying their skill baiting with fresh meat and grasshoppers, but no one seemed to ketch anything.
I went & flung my fly onto the [water]. And it being the first time I ever tried the Artificial fly in America, or ever saw it tried, I watched 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 & run away with the line, but I soon worried him out & drew him to shore. I fished two or three hours including morning & evening & I cought twelve in all. And abought one half of them would weigh about--3/4 of a pound each while all the rest of the camp did not ketch during the day 3 lbs of trout in all, which was proof positive to me that the Artificial fly is far the best thing now known to fish [for] trout with."
Wilford Woodruff went on to fish the Bear River (not with an artificial fly, however) on horseback in the middle of the stream, casting baited hooks into eddies. Like anglers of today, he discovered that fish are fickle. "Some of the time I would fish half an hour & could not start a fish. Then I would find an eddy with 3 or 4 trout in it & they would jump at the hooks as though there was a bushel of trout in the hole. And in one instance I caught two at a time.""