The Story behind David’s painting Catch and Release starts with Dave Georgia, the Maine Game Warden suggesting to Fly Tyer Charles Mann from Winthrop, Maine that he design and tie a Fly for the Maine Game Warden Service.

David Footer with long time friend, Charles MannPhoto: Dave Footer and long time friend, Charles Mann.
Dave Georgia, Charles Mann and Ed Muzeroll got together. Dave had the idea of creating a fly for the Maine Game Warden Service and he asked Charles Mann to design one and tie it up. Charles then designed a Atlantic Hairwing Salmon Fly using the Maine Game Warden’s uniform colors and Ed used those as the basis to design and tie the Maine Game Warden Fly in the Fully Dressed Salmon Fly pattern which Charles doesn’t tie. As an off shoot of that Charles designed the Maine Game Warden Streamer Fly. Both Charles Mann and Ed Muzeroll are well known for their fly tying abilities and each deserve acknowledgement for designing their individual pattern or recipe for the Maine Game Warden Flies.

At a later date, David Footer was attending a function and both Dave Georgia and Ed Muzeroll were there. Dave Georgia, suggested to David that he use the Maine Game Warden Fly in one of his next paintings. Edward Muzeroll offered to tie a fly in the Maine Game Warden pattern for David to use as his model. Ed later sent a fly down to David and once the inspiration came to him for the painting of Catch and Release, David did use the fly Ed Muzeroll had sent him for its model.

Maine Game Warden Fly
From Charles Mann:
The Maine Game Warden Streamer Fly: Maine Game Warden, Dave Georgia, of Milford, Maine suggested that I design a fly that could be dedicated to the Maine Game Warden service. The original design was a Atlantic Hairwing Salmon fly. The combination of color that I chose were those that were found in the Maine Game Warden uniform. The fly in Dave Footer’s print titled Catch and Release is a redesign of the original Maine Game Warden in a feather wing streamer style fly.

Hook: Mustad 94720, size 2 to 6
Tag: Fine gold oval tinsel
Rib: Flat gold tinsel
Body: Two equal sections first section red floss, second section black floss
Throat: Red bucktail as long as the hook shank, followed by black hackle fibers
Wing: Peacock herl, two green saddle hackle inside of two black saddle hackles
Cheeks: Very dark red indian crow substitute
Sides: Jungle cock eyes
Head: Black

The Combination of colors are those that are found in the Maine Game Warden uniform.

Gold: Badge
Red: Dress/winter jacket and uniform patch
Black: Boots and belts
Green: Work uniform

The original fly and the streamer style both were designed and tied by Charles Mann, Winthrop, Maine.

If you would be interested in getting a Maine Game Warden Fly tied by Charles Mann, either for fishing it, or framing with your own copy of The Catch and Release print by David A. Footer, you may contact Charles by email at: themanns@fairpoint.net

All photos are owned by David A. Footer or are have been used with permission and and though we hope you enjoy viewing them, any reuse without permission is strickly prohibited.