In Time Flies: Visions of Flyfishing’s History, The Flyfish Journal offers a series of striking images from the early days of American flyfishing. These windows into time allow glimpses into things like method, gear and location, but also into an instinct that compels us to become a part of the rich and generous tradition of our sport.

“We didn’t always have it so easy. Back before camera phones and diminutive DLSRs—say about 1898—snapping a hero shot was tough work. Most of the early fishing images on these pages were likely taken with a field-view camera, which captures images on chemically treated glass plates. These early picture-taking machines are not at all portable or what you’d call “point and shoot,” being constructed of a heavy wooden frame with a brass camera body and a leather bellows attaching the lens. Add in a tripod, a handful of glass plates and assorted lenses, and the whole unwieldy package could easily weigh 50 pounds.”

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