Many of your readers, especially those who fish, will remember “The Complete Tangler,” a column that appeared in The River Reporter over a period of years, written by Clem Fullerton.

I met Clem, the consummate fly fisher, a very long time ago, when I was a fledgling fisheries biologist, assigned to manage the Amawalk Outlet, a wild brown trout fishery in Westchester County. Clem arrived at the first survey way back in 1968 as a representative of the Croton Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited and a member of the Amawalk “Rock Rollers,” a group of anglers dedicated to improving the habitat of that little river.

From the outset, I could see that Clem was a staunch conservationist, and over time learned that he was a valuable ally when it came to fisheries issues. During the years that we surveyed the Amawalk, Clem and I had any number of heated discussions about the best way to manage the trout fishery in that river. And while our debates were often a bit feisty, I was always treated with respect by Clem. So over time we became more then professional acquaintances, but friends too.

As the years passed, I was assigned to the Albany office and lost contact with Clem and his wife Barb. Then one quiet June evening, along the pools of the East Branch, I heard a distinct and familiar voice coming from the river, and through the vegetation could see that black cowboy hat, Clem’s trademark. Then I knew. I yelled “Hey, Fullerton, is that you?” and got a happy response. So from that chance encounter, we renewed our acquaintance, after which he and and Barb joined our weekly get-togethers at the camp below Downsville. Clem called us the “Bamboo Gang” because most of us fished with cane fly rods. These weekly meetings continued into June of this year, at which time Clem and Barb sadly explained to us that it was time to sell their cabin near Eqiununk, along the Delaware, and return full-time to Texas, their winter home.

We were all deeply saddened to hear this news, because we knew how much these two loved the Catskills and fly fishing, and to a man could not imagine how much sorrow and pain this was causing. So today was an emotional day at the home of Tom and Sue, long-time neighbors, where the “Bamboo Gang,” gathered one last time to honor Clem and Barb. It was a sad but memorable occasion, with good food and not a few tears. Ron Urban, director of the New York State Council of Trout Unlimited, gave Clem and Barb “The Distinguished Conservation Award” for their years of commitment to the preservation of cold water fishery resources in New York State. Then Dave Plummer gave the couple a collage of pictures and other memorabilia that were important to them through a lifetime of fly fishing. We then said our good-byes and left with heavy hearts, knowing that the “Bamboo Gang” would never be the same without these two good and caring people and friends of trout.

[Tony Bonavist is a resident of Hurley, NY.]