Archives West Finding Aid

Nemes's biographical materials include a small assortment of personal items and descriptions of his life. They include a portrait of Nemes, family correspondence, a short biographical sketch written in the mid-1980s, and his obituary from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Miscellaneous personal records consist of an international driver's license, receipts, and loan paperwork from the 1990s.

Nemes's professional records document his publishing career and related business ventures. Records associated with his publications are most prominent and include wholesale book orders, royalty reports, receipts from travels to Europe, publisher correspondence with Stackpole Books and Chatham Press, book publicity materials, and articles written by and about Nemes. His business records also feature legal agreements, including an agreement to produce a Nemes-branded fishing rod in Japan.

Nemes's correspondence contains incoming and outgoing letters related to his publications. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters to Nemes from his readers, including fan mail, book and fly orders, and questions seeking fishing advice. Some letter writers sent Nemes examples of their hand-crafted flies in addition to their letters. The flies are filed separately and can be found among his collected memorabilia. A small amount of outgoing correspondence contains copies of letters written by Nemes between 1973 and 2008 and relates to his publications and fly and book orders.

Nemes's book manuscripts, drafts, and book-specific research features pre-publication copies of his books on fly fishing and his non-fiction writings. This series contains drafts, manuscripts, galleys, artwork, notes, and collected articles for his books. Of greatest significance is an early draft (circa 1973) of his most famous book, The Soft-Hackled Fly.

Nemes's general research and notes consist of handwritten notes and collected articles related to his writings. Notes include research, drafts, and edits of Nemes's books and articles. They also include handwritten book order information, remarks on fly tying, reminders, and stray thoughts. Notes are contained on loose papers, in spiral notebooks, and on legal pads. Several small memo pads also contain dated entries regarding fishing trips and document Nemes's fishing location, weather, and insect hatch descriptions. A small collection of articles on entomology and the history of elementary schools is also included among these materials.

Nemes's photographs, slides and memorabilia features visual materials related to his life and career. Photographs include color prints of Nemes with family and friends, readers' photos sent to Nemes, and 3x5 negatives of fly tying. The series also includes binders of slides featuring images of flies, rivers, the English and Scottish countryside, and western landscapes. Nemes used slides as visual aids at speaking engagements and the slides likely relate to publicity events for his books and other public appearances. There is a small collection of flies (mostly sent to Nemes by readers), his Legend of the Headwaters award, and a framed photo with mounted flies from a Japanese fishing club.