Frederick A. Nelson is an avid fly tyer and fly fisher who extensively recorded his fishing experiences in Montana and around the United States and Canada. Nelson was born in 1944 in New York, growing up on Long Island. After serving five years in the military, he moved to Montana in 1972 and enrolled in Montana State University's graduate program for fish and wildlife management. He worked for many years as a fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and authored a number of fisheries studies and water resources reports in the late 1970s through early 1990s.
The Frederick Nelson Journals and Flies consists of thirteen journals, dating from 1973 to 2010, and related materials documenting Nelson's fishing excursions in Montana and around the United States and Canada. Nelson's journals, or fisherman's logs, are similar to research field notes, recording in scientific detail information such as locations where he fished, the species he caught, the size of the fish, the time he started fishing, the temperature outside, the flies used, the amount of strikes it took to catch a fish, specific pools and their location on the river, the time he left the river, who he was fishing with, and whether or not he released the fish, among other notes. Locations fished in Montana include the Madison River, West Gallatin River, and Smith River as well as Ben Hart Creek. Other locations fished include British Columbia, Canada, and Washington State. Fish caught include steelhead, trout, and salmon. Some journals include added materials such news clippings, pamphlets, maps, fishing regulations and licenses, photographs, and sometimes the flies used. The collection also includes numerous fishing flies crafted by Nelson and other artisans.
This collection is open for research.
Gift of Frederick Nelson, September 25, 2017.
This collection was processed 2018 January 16
[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT
Dating from February 1973 to August 1973, this journal describes the amount and species of fish Nelson caught as well as the time he got to the river, time he left, temperature, flies used, amount of strikes it took, whether he released the fish, the stream he was on, and on occasion, the specific pool he was fishing. Streams, rivers, and bodies of water include: West Gallatin River, Story Creek, the Madison River, Baker Creek, Yellowstone River, Rocky Creek and others. The bulk of Nelson's notes focus on the West Gallatin and Madison Rivers.
Dating from August 1973 to August 1974, this journal describes the amount and species of fish Nelson caught as well as the time he got to the river, time he left, temperature, flies used, amount of strikes it took, whether he released the fish, the stream he was on, and on occasion, the specific pool he was fishing. Streams, rivers, and bodies of water include: West Gallatin River, the East Gallatin River, and Ben Hart Creek. The bulk of Nelson's notes focus on the West Gallatin River.
Dating from May 1974 to July 1975, this journal describes the amount and species of fish Nelson caught as well as the time he got to the river, time he left, temperature, flies used, amount of strikes it took, whether he released the fish, the stream he was on, and on occasion, the specific pool he was fishing. Streams, rivers, and bodies of water include: Ben Hart Creek, Gallatin River and Henry's Fork, Madison River, Armstrong Spring Creek, Hyalite Reservoir, and the Yellowstone River. The bulk of Nelson's noted focus on Ben Hart Creek and the West Gallatin River.
Dating from June 1975 to November 1976, this fishing log is issued by the Montana Department of Fish and Game. The log records the date, hours fished at each location, body of water, nearest town or county, species caught, number caught, and average fish length. Streams, rivers, and bodies of water include: the Clark Fork River, George Town Lake, Flint Creek, the Big Hole River, the Yellowstone River, the West Gallatin River, the Madison River, the Beaverhead River, Clark Canyon Reservoir, Hyalite Reservoir, the Big Horn River, and Bear Creek. The bulk of the entries pertain to the West Gallatin River.
Dating from January 1977 to April 1977, this fishing log is issued by the Montana Department of Fish and Game. The log records the date, hours fished at each location, name of the body of water, nearest town or county, species caught, number caught, and average fish length. Streams, rivers, and bodies of water include: West Gallatin River, Madison River, and Yellowstone River. The bulk of the entries pertain to the Madison River.
Dating from March 1986 to March 1995, this journal contains notes pertaining to the date; location fished; who Nelson fished with; the amount, size, and quantity of fish caught; time spent on the river, occasionally the approximate time Nelson caught each fish; and kind of fly used. Also in the journal are newspaper clippings, river pamphlets, business cards, correspondence, printed and hand drawn maps, fishing regulations, and fishing licenses. The bulk of this journal pertains to fishing on Montana streams and rivers, including the Smith River, Yellowstone River, Madison River, Bear Trap Canyon, upper Gallatin River, and Big Hole River. There are also entries pertaining to trips outside of Montana; the bulk of these entries focus on steelhead fishing in British Columbia, Canada, and trout and salmon fishing in Washington State.
Dating from May 1995 to October 2002, this journal contains notes pertaining to the date, location fished, who Nelson fished with, amount and quantity of fish caught, time spent on each river, occasionally the approximate time Nelson caught each fish, and kind of flies used. The log also contains newspaper and magazine clippings, river pamphlets, business cards, correspondence, maps, fishing regulations, and fishing licenses. The bulk of this journal pertains to fishing on Montana streams and rivers including the Smith River, Yellowstone River, Madison River, Bear Trap Canyon, upper Gallatin River, and Big Hole River. There are also entries pertaining to trips outside of Montana; the bulk of these entries focus on steelhead fishing in British Columbia, Canada, and trout and salmon fishing in Washington State.
Dating from March 2003 to October 2010, this journal contains notes pertaining to the date, location fished, who Nelson fished with, quantity of fish caught, time spent on each river, occasionally the approximate time Nelson caught each fish, and kind of fly used. Inserted materials include newspaper and magazine clippings, river pamphlets, business cards, correspondence, maps, fishing regulations, fishing licenses, patches, and photographs. Also included in this journal are flies taped to the individual pages with descriptions of the flies as well as occasional descriptions about which body of water they worked best on. The bulk of this journal pertains to fishing on Montana streams and rivers which include but are not limited to: the Smith River, Yellowstone River, Madison River, Gallatin River, Big Hole River, and Big Horn River. Found on the last page is a list titled "2010 Lake Total" documenting the lakes Nelson fished in Canada and the US in 2010 with the amount of days fished, number of trout landed, and average size recorded. There are also entries pertaining to trips taken outside of Montana; the bulk of these entries focus on trout fishing on lakes and rivers in Canada.
The images of flies were scanned in color for better reference.
This journal pertains to two steelhead fishing trips taken outside of the state of Montana in 1989 and 1990, and other fishing trips taken within Montana in 1992 and 1993. The journal holds detailed accounts of expenses during the trips such as: gas, food, licenses, and maps, with dates attached. Entries of experiences on the water detail flies used, fish caught, size of fish, time he started fishing, and water temperature. Included are hand-drawn maps and detailed directions to the locations of bodies of water. At the end of each respective fishing trip section, Nelson creates a summary for each trip and body of water.
This journal pertains to steelhead fishing trips taken outside of Montana during the years 1994-1997. Nelson records time spent on the road, who he traveled and fished with, temperature, species and size of fish caught, and bodies of water fished. Nelson also included hand-drawn maps as well as some of the flies and hooks he used, which are taped to the entry pertaining to the fly. At the end of each trip Nelson created a trip summary, which details amount of fish landed, average and median size of fish, and some specifics on types of flies used.
This file contains entries collected from Nelson's 1985 steelhead fishing trip. The entries detail date, river fished, number of fish landed and lost, and road used to get onto the body of water.
This file appears to relate to the next journal (volume 12), which begins with Nelson's 1985 Steelhead trip. It is assumed that the two items should remain together.
This journal details Nelson and his traveling partners' expenses on each trip, including gas, lodging, food, and licenses. The journal also details body of water fished, amount caught by each individual, size of fish caught, and date. Also included is a business card from a fishing camp in British Columbia where the fishing trips took place. At the end of this volume is a detailed summary of each Steelhead fishing trip taken from 1984 to 2007, detailing year, amount of fish landed per trip, and average amount caught each day.
This journal appears to relate to the previous file (volume 11); it is assumed that the two items should remain together.
Dating from October 1997 to October 2005, this journal recounts Atlantic salmon and steelhead fishing trips taken primarily in Washington State and British Columbia, Canada. The entries recount body of water, temperature, amount caught, and flies used. At the end of each trip, Nelson created a summary, averaging the amount of fish caught and lost each day.
Dating from October 2005 to September 2010, this journal pertains to fishing trips taken in British Columbia, Canada. The journal contains entries listing date, body of water, who Nelson fished with, summaries of fish landed and lost, temperature, size of fish caught, and flies used. Also included are flies taped to the entries, and photographs of Nelson and company on the river.
This series includes flies collected, and some presumably tied, by Nelson. Other than Nelson, the names of the fly tyers are unknown. The flies are organized into bags, with dates written on the containers ranging from 1993 to 2005.