856 | Mary Orvis Marbury, Fly Fishing Treasures, and Preserving Angling History with Steve Woit

Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast

Dave Stewart

Leisure, Wilderness, Hobbies, Sports

4.7 • 530 Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 75 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

#856 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/856

Presented By: FishHound Expeditions, Togiak River Lodge, Pescador on the Fly

Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors

Steve Woit has spent years hunting down the stories behind fly-fishing's most influential figures — including Mary Orvis Marbury, whose Victorian-era writing documented flies and tiers before the modern industry existed. In this episode, Steve walks us through the research discipline behind Fly Fishing Treasures, his deep dive into letters, catalogs, photographs, and tackle provenance that reveal how anglers built a culture long before we arrived.

This conversation isn't about nostalgia — it's about protecting memory. Steve shows how writing, archiving, and conservation fundraising through donated tackle help safeguard fisheries and preserve the names and innovations that shaped our sport.

#856 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/856

Transcript

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0:00.0	What drives someone to spend 40 years chasing down antique fly reels, bamboo rods, and forgotten patterns?
0:07.8	And then to bring them all back to life in print.
0:10.2	Today's guest has done exactly that, from finding the first David Slater reel at the London market to writing fly fishing treasures.
0:16.7	And his latest biography, Mary Orvis Marbury, A Life in Flies.
0:20.5	Our guests have spent decades preserving the stories behind the gear that built our sport.
0:25.4	In this episode, you're going to hear how he tracked down the collectors who kept that history alive,
0:29.8	what makes a real, truly antique, and how Mary Orvis Marbury helps shape the way we name and tie flies even today.
0:36.6	This is the Wetfly Swing podcast where I show you the best places to travel to for fly fishing,
0:40.6	how to find the best resources and tools to prepare for that big trip,
0:43.5	and what you can do to give back to the fish species we all love.
0:47.3	Steve Boyd is here to share his story of finding master reel makers, master rod makers,
0:52.0	and uncovering forgotten archives, and even tracking down
0:55.8	the original frame flies that Mary Orvis Marbury tied for the 1893 World's Fair.
1:02.2	This is a great one. We're going to get into it all today, uh, from reels to flies and everything in
1:06.5	between. Let's get into it. Here he is. Steve Hoyt. you can find him at flyfishing treasures dot com how you
1:15.0	doing steve great yeah thanks for coming on here today and uh talking about uh one of my uh favorite
1:21.1	actually i love talking about classic gear um you've written a couple of big books out one about
1:27.2	mary orvis marbury who's obviously a big famous person in fly fishing history.
1:32.8	Also, fly fishing treasures, which is about kind of collecting gear.
1:37.5	We're going to talk about that a little bit.
1:38.5	And just, I think high level, everybody out here probably has some old gear.
1:42.4	You know, I got a bunch of gear that hasn't seen the light of day for a while.
	...

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