Meet the Fair Maiden

If it wasn’t for the Fair Maiden I would probably be dead by now. She has taken such good care of me through the years. I do know that if it wasn’t for her I would definitely be living in squalor. I have no idea how I got so lucky.

We first met in sixth grade. She was wearing a wool skirt and argyle knee socks. I fell in love. We began dating in high school. I taught her how to drive, play guitar, fly cast, shoot and skin furbearers. She taught me how to be civil. We got engaged along a hiking trail near Caledonia. After a night long Polish wedding we settled in Bird-in-Hand. Two years living like flatlanders was just too much. I landed a job as a logging safety specialist in 1979 and we moved to Beech Creek. The Fair Maiden took a job as a medical technologist at Lock Haven Hospital. We bought a large chunk of ground at the foot of Beech Creek Mountain and began to build our home from timber cut in Big Run and Eddy Lick. Our daughter, Katie, was born in 1982 and we moved into our new home. We began raising chickens, goats, guinea hens, geese, wild turkeys, coon dogs, beagles, rabbits, a horse and of course, donkeys. We broke ground for a garden and orchard. The Fair Maiden had her hands full with the farmstead, a growing daughter and an ungodly husband. Somehow she managed.

She also managed to become a very good angler. The Fair Maiden loves the sights and sounds of the trout stream. She is a very good fishing companion. We pack shore lunches and always have a beer when we are finished.

One summer, we were fishing Big Fishing Creek most every evening catching the rainbows that escaped the hatchery. The Fair Maiden was simply murder’em on a #18 McMurray Ant. It was fun just to watch her hook those fish.

That same summer, our local TU Chapter held its family picnic at the Hate to Leave It Camp now known as the Seig Conference Center. Our guest was Joe Humphreys. He gave a casting demonstration over rising fish for an hour and did not hook a fish.

We paused for our meal preparation and the Fair Maiden rigged up her rod, tied on a McMurray Ant and began casting over those rising fish. First one, then two, then three trout were hooked and landed. A crowd was gathering. Comments were made on how she managed to catch fish when the “expert’ could not. I was watching this ungodly fishing demonstration from the foot bridge. I believe that the Fair Maiden was now up to eight decent trout, including two nice brookies. About that time, Humphreys approached me and with glaring eyes uttered, “Don’t you ever do that again!” I glared back at him. I knew what he meant, but I played with him. “What do you mean, Joe?” “You know damn well, what I mean!” he replied. “I guess I do, I said, she’s down there catching fish and you’re up here making a jackass out of yourself!”

The Fair Maiden along her favorite trout stream.

The Fair Maiden fell in love with Soda Butte Creek in YNP. She really enjoyed catching those cutthroats with a caddis and bead head. This is where the Fair Maiden will get full credit for the popularity of the caddis and bead head fishing method made famous by RBF. I never had confidence in this ungodly method of catching fish until I saw how successful she was in hooking fish after fish. That’s when I started writing my bestselling book.

Besides fishing, the Fair Maiden is also enjoys cooking, baking, kayaking, bird watching, skiing, singing and taking care of the Chief.