The G. Donald Bartlett streamer is one of three patterns created by Carrie G. Stevens of Upper Dam, Maine, in honor of George Donald Bartlett, of Willimantic, Connecticut. Don as he was known, made his first visit to Upper Dam at age nine in 1909. For thirty-six years, Don made annual trips, sometimes two a year, to Upper Dam. Don met Charles E. “Shang” Wheeler around 1920, and they became friends. It was Shang who gave Carrie streamer hooks and materials in 1920 and encouraged her to try tying some flies.
Mr. Bartlett was a client of Carrie’s husband, Wallace, who was a guide at Upper Dam. The other two streamers Carrie created and named after Donald Bartlett are the Don’s Delight and the Don’s Special. According to Don’s daughter, Lucy Bartlett Crosbie, he and Carrie shared ideas for new patterns, and Don enjoyed trying them out. “He was extremely proud of the fact that she named three flies for him…” Notes from: Carrie Stevens: Maker of Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies, Stackpole Books, 2000. Sadly Donald Bartlett passed away in 1945 at age forty-five.
G. Donald Bartlett Streamer, tied and photogaphed by Don Bastian. The hook is a Gaelic Supreme Martinek / Stevens Rangeley Style Streamer, size #2 – 8x long.
G. Donald Bartlett streamer, same fly as photo no. 1 but flat on a background mat, tied and photographed by Don Bastian.
G. Donald Bartlett streamer, carded, and ready for packaging. Tied and photographed by Don Bastian.
G. Donald Bartlett
Hook: Any standard 6x or 8x long streamer hook
Thread: White Uni-Thread 3/0 or Danville 3/0 Monocord for underbody working thread (as an underlayment for the floss), then white Danville 6/0 for attaching floss and finishing up to the head.
Tag: Flat silver tinsel
Tail: Lavender hackle fibers
Ribbing: Flat silver tinsel
Body: Danville #7 Orange floss, four strand
Throat: Lavender hackle fibers – these were applied Stevens style – six bunches, three per side, and finishing with one small bunch mounted in front center of the throat at the head
Wing: Four white hackles flanked on each side by one slightly shorter grizzly hackle dyed yellow
Head: Black Danville #100 with an Orange #7 band
For a tutorial on the Rangeley / Carrie Stevens style of the layering of the throat and setting the asembled wings, go to:
https://donbastianwetflies.com/2013/01/13/carrie-stevens-and-rangeley-style-streamers/
To view or purchase my Carrie Stevens Collector’s Edition Set featuring the Don’s Delight, Don’s Special, and G. Donald Bartlett streamers,go to:
http://www.myflies.com/Carrie-Stevens-Streamer-Patterns-Collectors-Edition-Set-No-6-P785.aspx
Don, this is a beauty. I don’t recall seeing this pattern before. It is so nice to hear the history as well. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hi Kelly;
Thanks, as always, for your observations and comments! Glad you like the pattern…it is one of Carrie’s lesser known streamers. Thank God for the Hilyard book, otherwise a lot of this info would still be unknown and hidden. Thanks gain for your comment!
Beautiful pattern, Don. I love Carrie Stevens’s patterns and tie them and fish them often. The trouble I have is finding hackle or schlappen in lesser-used colors – like the lavender in this pattern, or teal, for example. Do you have a supplier of feathers in these obscure colors, or do you dye your own?
Hi Jeff;
I’m fortunate to have a big bag of teal feathers that I bought from Classic and Custom Fly Shop, in Connecticut, no longer in business. 😦 He used to specialize in nice feathers, in large bag quantities. For example, I still have an unopened 1 oz. bag of bronze mallard. And an ounce of European Widgeon.
I didn’t dye the lavender, it was bought years back from Universal Vise, in a package when they were still in business. Otherwise, I buy Chinese capes, and bags of strung saddle — even from LL Bean, and other fly shops. Some comes from Wapsi, I just look through the packs to find good feathers for streamers. It’s available if you look. I also have a stash of strung neck and saddle feathers bought over the years, going back 15 – 18 years…good streamer wing material. I guess that’s the bonus of accumulation. Way back when, I knew one day I would be getting more into tying streamers, so I’ve been collecting the materials for almost 20 years. Glad you liked the pattern Jeff. Thanks for your comment!
Nice lookin pattern Pappy!…thanks for sharing.
Hi Dave;
Glad you like the fly…the G. Donald Bartlett is an interesting fly because of its lavender tail and throat. The yellow-dyed grizzly looks good over the white too. I really like this pattern. I wonder if Carrie Stevens dyed her own feathers? We won’t likely ever confirm that…but as a milliner by trade, she surely must have used some feather suppliers that were not typical fly tying material providers. So it stands to reason that odd colors of feathers would be fairly easy for her to obtain. Funny – you calling me Pappy. 🙂
Just to note, G. Donald Bartlett’s eldest daughter’s name is spelled Lucy Bartlett Crosbie. Like my great-grandfather G. Donald, the family is still very proud that these flies were named after him!
Hi Vincent;
Wow, very cool to hear from you! And thank you for the family name spelling correction! 😉 Have you seen the Carrie Stevens three-fly Collector’s Edition Set that I make featuring the three flies she named for your great-grandfather?