It was absolutely a leading question, because I wanted one. He had made dozens over the years. I had plenty of chances to buy them in the past. I had never pulled the trigger, but now I was ready. So I asked if he had any of the little fiberglass rods available.
“Oh no,” he said. “Just the one. It’s the original that I landed Old George with.”
Ed Shenk passed away on April 10, 2020. He was 93 years old. Shenk lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and he fished the LeTort Spring Run.
Ed liked to fly fish the LeTort with streamers and tiny flies – using a very short rod. Partially from reading his book as a young man, I learned to fly fish the LeTort with steamers and tiny flies – using a short rod. Nothing as short as the 5’6″ fiberglass model he was referring to when I asked him if he had any left.
Even after my minor disappointment we continued to talk about short fly rods. I asked if anyone had ever given him grief about fishing with something that was virtually half the length of a standard trout rod. “I’ve been having a running argument with Joe Humphreys for years now. One time we were both teaching a class. Someone asked why he doesn’t fish short rods. He said, ‘Ed likes them, you could go do it.’ Then he stretched out, like he was drifting a fly, and said, ‘with this longer rod I can reach out and cover so much water and blah, blah, blah…’ So I said, ‘all I have to do is take two steps forward and I can reach out there too.’ It got a good laugh, and all Joe could do was smile and say ‘you son of a bitch.'”
Ed and I fished in the same circle. He’d just been doing it for about 60 years more than me. Living in Carlisle, participating in Trout Unlimited activities, and stopping in the fly shops, it was inevitable that we’d run into each other. I knew who he was, so I would always said hello. He was cordial. We didn’t start talking until we ran into each other on the LeTort. From that day on, we’d talk. He’d want fishing reports. I’d want history. He had plenty to share. I’m not sure I ever communicated anything of value.
The last time we spoke was a few years ago. I called him to get his perspective on a piece I was writing. As always, he was happy to answer questions, give opinions, and tell some stories. Old George came up.
It wasn’t that Ed name-dropped Old George. That fish, who just so happened to be a female, was simply a local legend. Ed caught her back in 1962, but the story is the perfect fly fishing tale. And a 27.5″ brown trout from a diminutive spring creek is certainly legendary. I made some passing reference to the fish, and how he must have felt like he got as good as the LeTort had to offer with her.
“No, no. There were others,” he said. “One in particular.”
“The first time I saw him was a rainy day, and so I was fishing my white minnow. I ran into him first in a wooded section before the quarry – before it opens into the meadow. One time I saw him much further down. It was probably 75-80 yards above Vince’s meadow. He would move around, you know, travel at night. He’d pull in and settle somewhere at daylight. He was absolutely over 30 inches.”
“The last shot I had him was right opposite the concrete abutment below the railroad bridge.” He got quiet. “It was the same place as Old George.”
He didn’t sound sad or defeated or anything like that. The stream was his love but it was also his rival. Those brown trout, those weedbeds, and those currents presented challenges that Ed thrived on. He won plenty of battles, armed with his 5-foot fly rods, crickets, and white minnows. But, as is the case with everyone, the LeTort always comes out on top. More fish swim away undetected than ever find their way to the net. This made him love it all the more.
“Are you making plans to come down and fish here in Carlisle anytime soon?” he asked.
I had just found out we were expecting another child, which made travel from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania for a little fishing less than convenient.
“Oh, of course. That’s important. And the fish will be here,” he said. Then, more to himself than to me, he said, “It is a wonderful little stream.”
I highly recommend Fly Rod Trouting by Ed Shenk. It is a perfect fly fishing book: technique, theory, and narrative. Plus, it includes the story of Old George. That alone is worth the cover price.
RIP, Ed.
Thankyou for this tribute. We need to remember these trailblazers that brought fly fishing into the present age.
Didn’t know Ed passed. I was such a fan. Like you I saw him at a ton of Cumberland Valley T.U. meetings and around town. He ran into me at the Kitchen Shoppe. I was looking at the water while my wife was in the store. He told me it was going to rain soon and gave me one of his white minnows, explaining how you had to build the head up so it pushed water when you swam it back.
Whenever he saw me he’d ask – “so what’s your favorite streamer?”
I couldn’t believe he always remembered. What a guy.
Thanks Matthew.
Patty (Shenk) Williams
Thank you for the tribute. In the 90’s, I lived in Carlisle and fished the LeTort almost daily during sulfur season with Ed. Often I would see him fishing his black sculpin tight along the bank late in the day with that short fly rod. Rest in peace Ed. I’m sure you are in a place where the aroma of honeysuckle is in the air and the sulfurs are flying.
Jim Reed, I was with Daddy when we netted the first sculpins in the LeTort to use as models for his Sculpin Flies. We were in the meadow just south of the RR bridge. I can also remember getting attacked by screech owls in the same meadow when fishing near dusk in the same meadow with Daddy.
I just learned today that Ed has passed. Sue and I are heartbroken. We intended to call him on Father’s Day. Little did we know that he had moved on before then. Our subsequent calls never connected. I can’t regale people with stories of our fishing trips and exploits. Our relationship wasn’t like that. We met Ed at the Allenberry fly fishing schools put on by him, Joe Humphreys, and Norm Shires. Those were wonderful times. Ed confided in me how much he missed his dear Wife. We became friends from then on. Ed was a teacher, an innovator, a creative fly tier and rod builder. He had a tremendous grasp of the natural world. Joe Humphreys said of him: “Some guys talk a good game. Ed is the game”. To Sue and me he was our friend. Good bye, Ed. We love you and miss you.
Just happened to run across this wonderful tribute to Daddy. Thank you so much. I talked to Joe Humphrey’s the day after Daddy’s passing and we laughed and cried together for about 20 minutes. Thank you again.
Stephen Shenk, Columbus, GA
Met Ed Shenk on his creek several times….early before sunrise…..fishing minnows and such. Enjoyed drinking a couple beers with him once….A true American Master…..
20 years ago, I got to spend an hour or so with Ed’s hand on my left shoulder and me casting with my right hand while Ed gave me pointers as I learned how to fish. We were wading in the Yellow Breeches. It’s one of the best moments of my life and I think about it all the time. Thank you, Ed.
Fantastic fishing memory, Dave. Thank you for sharing.