Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award

David Klausmeyer to receive the first annual

Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award

On Saturday, October 21, 2006, The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum will honor David Klausmeyer with the presentation of the first Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award at the 2006 Fly Fishing Hall of Fame Dinner, to be held at King?s Catering, Old Route 17, Livingston Manor, NY, at 6:00 PM.

The Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award

Before his unexpected death in November 2004, world-recognized fly tyer, Poul Jorgensen, was working on a new award for innovations in fly tying called The Golden Hook Award. It was his wish to annually recognize a living fly tyer who has made major contributions to the art of fly tying. The criteria to be considered are developing tying innovations, creating fresh techniques that will aid future tyers, developing new materials or tools, publications, and instruction and teaching activities. As per Poul?s wishes, this would not be a fly-tying competition, but a recognition for a current contribution to the continuance of the art and craft of fly tying.

Poul worked with noted sculpture, Bud Wertheim, to create a bronze medallion to be awarded to each year?s recipient. As with many artists, there were difficulties on reaching an agreement on design and interpretation. According to Wertheim, ?the medal was initially commissioned by Poul Jorgensen. Poul died before the medals were cast. The final design was completed and cast by my own decision. He had not wanted his own image on the face of the medal, but I thought he deserved full recognition for his contribution to fly tying. I made many sketches of him while he visited my studio, and I used them for the final portrait, which has been deemed by Jim Krul, the executive director of the museum and a close personal friend of Poul?s, to be extremely accurate with a sense of his humor and wit.?

Mr. Klausmeyer was unanimously selected by the committee for his contributions over the past year. These contributions include providing innovative tying techniques through his many published articles and photographs, current and on-the-edge patterns and instructions assembled for tyers as editor of Fly Tyer magazine, as well as authoring a new book, Unnaturals: A Practical Guide to Tying with Synthetics, and collaborating with 2006 Fly Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee, Keith Fulsher in the revised edition of Thunder Creek Flies: Tying and Fishing the Classic Baitfish Imitations.