April 27, 2005
Fly fish exhibit lands at museum
Adams fly created by Mayfield man trout fishing icon
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
One man in the small town of Mayfield had a large impact on trout fishing worldwide.
Leonard, or Len, Halladay, crafted the Adams fly in 1922.
Halladay created it for friend Charles Adams, who tested it on the Boardman River and termed it a "knock out," starting a fly dynasty. Halladay generously and offhandedly named his creation after his friend and Adams dry flies remain an enduring favorite among trout fisherman today.
The Grand Traverse Heritage Center opened a new exhibit Saturday highlighting the story of the Adams Fly, Len Halladay and Mayfield, a small town south of Traverse City along Garfield Road.
The Mayfield Committee of the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society created the exhibit, which will be at the Heritage Center through September.
The opening drew committee members, including Ken Wykoff, Halladay's grandson. He and other Mayfield natives recalled the tireless efforts of Halladay at his fly tying bench, a replica of which is included in the exhibit. He began tying flies in 1917, working to copy insects that attracted hungry trout.
"If he had five minutes, he'd work on it and tie a fly," recalled Wykoff of his grandfather, who died in the early 1950s.
Growing up fishing on Mayfield Pond, Edna Sargent of Traverse City recalled the early spring kick-off of trout season in year's past.
"We had a fire down by the Mayfield Pond and started fishing at midnight," she said. "A lot of times our reel froze up and we'd have to go back to the fire to thaw them out. At the opening we didn't start with flies, but with live bait; we used flies when it got warmer."
The collaboration between the small Mayfield Committee and the Historical Society gave the exhibit larger exposure at the Heritage Center. In addition, the committee could tap the structure of a larger, established historical group in their endeavor.
"Their purposes were compatible with the Historical Society's so they joined us as a separate committee but it's pretty much a gentleman's agreement," said Steve Harold, president and archivist for the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society. "The good historians from Mayfield really brought our attention to this and focused on it."
"It is an important part of recreational fishing history," he added.
The Adams Fly exhibit is dedicated to the memory to Edith Blackhurst, Wykoff's aunt who sparked the idea before her death in 2002. Blackhurst, who lived to be 100 years old, was determined to preserve the memory of her father, Len Halladay.
"Mrs. Blackhurst, in her last year, was instrumental in getting this going," Sargent said.
The exhibit also includes the fly fishing vest of Lon Adams, the son of Charles Adams, pictures of the Mayfield Pond and the town, exhibits of various flies and pictures of Adams and Halladay.
Wykoff never went fishing with his grandfather, something he regrets, but did hunt with him when he was ten.
"I wasn't really interested in fly fishing then but I am now," he noted. "You look back and there's so many things you wish you had done."
Wykoff and his childhood friends at the exhibit's opening reminisced about the notable character and mannerisms of Halladay. These included a fast-paced walk, almost a run, as his normal gait - something they attributed to short legs. Halladay also raised hunting dogs and cut and delivered a Christmas tree to the town's church every year for 60 years. He scoped out and marked the location of the tree during warmer months.
Halladay was also noted for his devotion to a 20-minute nap every day, no matter what.
"If he was up in the field, he'd roll under a wagon to nap," Wykoff said. "He never needed a clock, he just slept for 20 minutes after dinner [what we now call lunch] and woke up."