That was apparent at the June 29 opening reception of the new exhibit, “Kissing the Water: The Lure and the Lore of Fly Fishing,” which runs through Sept. 16 at the Marquette Regional History Center.

Fly fishing is illustrated on many different levels at the exhibit, from art, science, environmental concerns, equipment and the people who have done it.

The art includes the wood fish sculpture “River Dance” by Jim Krausman and an oil painting, “Big Brown,” by Meegan Flannery, among other works. A large photo of the Carp River by Scot Stewart, a birder and weekly columnist for The Mining Journal, adorns one wall, and is embellished with pictures of trout species found in the Upper Peninsula.

Artifacts include vintage fly rods, a creel and a net. Also on display are flies used by the late John Voelker, avid trout angler, attorney and author of “Anatomy of a Murder.”

Visitors to the Marquette Regional History Center look at the gigantic photograph of the Carp River, taken by Scot Stewart of Marquette, at the June 29 opening reception for the exhibit “Kissing the Water: The Lure and the Lore of Fly Fishing.” Fly fishing memorabilia and artwork are among the items at the new exhibit. (Journal photo by Christie Bleck)

Herb Grenke, of Harvey, an “elder statesman” of sorts within the local fly fishing community, was one of the many visitors at last Thursday’s reception.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for people to have a better understanding about what fly fishing is about, and the history here in the U.P.,” Grenke said. “But I think the most important thing is maybe some young people will look at this and get involved in the sport. I hope that happens.”

Grenke has been involved with teaching young adults about fly fishing and its many aspects, like fly tying and casting, throughout the community, including the NMU Fly Fishing Club at Northern Michigan University.

Fly fishers have to understand when and where certain insects — important fish food — hatch. Knowing the stages of a mayfly, for instance, can come in helpful.

Although angling skills are the nuts and bolts of the sport, knowing its heritage and importance in the U.P. could help any fly fishing beginner appreciate the activity.

MRHC curator Jo Wittler said it took about three months to put together the displays.

“For this exhibit, maybe only 30 or 40 percent is from our permanent collection,” Wittler said. “We have a lot of things in storage, so we did have some rods and reels and a few of the equipment.”

However, staff began to talk with Trout Unlimited and getting the word out in the area, soliciting people to submit photographs, equipment, artifacts and stories, she said.

One of those artifacts — and tales — concerns a 6-foot split bamboo rod, made in one section, by the late Fred Waara, who as a high school student in Detroit started tying flies for his chemistry teacher. His brother, William, started making bamboo rods in the 1930s and designed and built equipment for making them.

Fred then began to make rods in the 1940s. After moving to the U.P., where he opened a car wash in the early 1980s, he filled his time with making split bamboo rods in a side room at the car wash.

It was a true craft. Tonkin bamboo, which had been available during much of the Cold War, had become available again. The hand-crafted rods were tapered, and took him over 40 hours to make each one.

Fred Waara made about 100 rods, but gave them away instead of selling them, often to TU fundraising auctions.

The local TU chapter, in fact, is named after him.

It’s this kind of stuff that helps detail fly fishing’s regional legacy, and perhaps can draw in a new generation.

“It has a long history,” Wittler said. “It really connects people. It can be a solitary thing but it’s also a community thing.”

People don’t even have to hit the streams to appreciate the exhibit.

The aptly named Ann Fisher, of Gwinn, acknowledged she doesn’t fish, but her husband and father do.

“So, all this is nostalgic for me,” Fisher said.

Fly fishing also can act as an environmental indicator as well as an activity with ecological significance, Wittler pointed out.

“Oftentimes we think we live in such a beautiful, pristine area, but when you look at some of the data, it’s not pristine,” Wittler said. “There’s also a lot of things going on. Road building affects the streams.”

She noted the exhibit has an area detailing factors that affect the trout streams.

Appreciation of the regional natural resources, however, transcends age.

“Whether you fish or not, most of us who live here, we love the environment and we want to be outside and enjoy it and that our kids can enjoy it, and we want it to be clean,” Wittler said. “If we want to eat the fish, we want to be clean.”

And it’s good to be aware of all those factors.

“It’s all kind of connected, you know?” Wittler said. “When you got good fishing, you got good bug hatches, you got good water. People are drinking that water.”

The MRHC is located at 145 W. Spring St. For more information, visit marquettehistory.org or call 906-226-3571.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.