Bush Pilot Angler [Hardcover]

Lee Wulff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

Lee Wulff is well known as a salmon angler, and now he will be known as a skilled pilot. This book tells of the many years Lee acted as guide, pilot and entrepreneur to the backwoods camps.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is a moment in Bush Pilot Angler, the late Lee Wulff's newly uncovered journal of his flying and fly-fishing off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland in the '40s and '50s, that should turn all who've ever cast a fly green with envy. Wulff--prophet of catch-and-release, passionate protector of the salmon, accomplished pilot, conservationist, filmmaker, and writer--was searching for an appropriate place to set down near the headwaters of a lake in the northern peninsula of Newfoundland when he spotted "a couple of long, dark rock ledges stretching out from the mouth of the river, and I made a mental note that they would probably be slippery if I waded out on them." He circled for a better look. "As the plane's shadow crossed the ledges, my heart came into my throat. The rock disintegrated into hundreds of fish that scattered in all directions. There were more Atlantic salmon than I had ever seen in one place." He landed, waded in, and caught fish after fish on a single White Wulff of his own creation, letting them off the hook to be hunted again some other time.

What a splendid discovery this journal is. Its pages document Wulff's hard work in establishing the remote Canadian salmon and trout fisheries he first saw from the air, his joys on the stream and in the air, his love for the pristine land and its bounty, his uphill battles with native Newfoundlers over concerns about overfishing, and his triumphs--and calamities--in search of memorable fish. These pages also evoke the immense spirit that attended the man who wrote it.

In one marvelous anecdote from World War II, Wulff takes both George Marshall and Hap Arnold, America's Army and Air Force chiefs of staff, fishing in the rain. The image of Marshall, "knee deep in the river, casting with an intentness that belied his having left a bloodstained Italy only hours before," is, writes Wulff, unforgettable. "I'll be forever grateful that I was with these men that morning on the river in the rain." Wulff, too, was an unforgettable presence. His journal is something serious anglers everywhere should be grateful for, as well. --Jeff Silverman

Review

It's a very complete picture of an exceptional man who lived an exceptional life. Just a great read. -- Atlantic Salmon Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Down East Books; First Edition first Printing edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892724803
• ISBN-13: 978-0892724802
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #844,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bush Pilot Angler is Epic!, October 8, 2000

By 

Jesse Goodwin (USA- Auburn,Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bush Pilot Angler (Hardcover)

Bush Pilot Angler, by Lee Wulff is an amazing storie about Lee's adventures in Newfoundland. He was an pioneer who set out to open the Newfoundland back country for tourism industry .In this book Lee uses his Yellowbird plane to explore the unfished rivers and ponds, where the salmon will take a fly evry cast and it is only common to catch a ten pound salmon. The book will capture you and you will be sadened when your finished the book because you'll want to read MORE!! The stories he talks of are what every flyfisherman or woman dreams of. This book is a must read if you are a fisherman or a Lee Wulff fan.* -J.Goodwin-

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly presented, highly recommended autobiography, February 7, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bush Pilot Angler (Hardcover)

The late Lee Wulff was one of the world's foremost salmon anglers, as well as a skilled airplane pilot and explorer. Bush Pilot Angler is his extraordinary memoir that shares the story of the years in which Lee pioneered the salmon and brook trout fishers on the remote coast of northeastern Newfoundland and Labrador. Having established outpost camps by boat, he quickly learned that getting clients and supplies in and out would require a plane. Through the 1940s and early 50s, Wulff ferried anglers into isolated lakes and rivers by flying them in with a J3 Cub on floats. The fishing in this wild and remote venues exceeded his clientele's most fervent expectations. Bush Pilot Angler is a superbly presented, highly recommended autobiography of courage, love, flying, and fishing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandfathers fishing companion, December 30, 2010

By 

harmonairbass - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bush Pilot Angler (Hardcover)

I started reading this book because my grandfather Jack Young (being a guide in Western Newfoundland) and Lee Wulff were very good friends. Although this book mentions gratefully a few things about my grandfather, the book also tells of many adventures that Lee encountered while flying all over western Newfoundland. I would especially recommend this book to anyone who has an interest of the great outdoors and small-craft flying.