Historic Hood River
Clarence English
4-12-2013
Notes
Here’s another fanciful Neff Bros. portrait. The subject this time is Clarence English, stepson of George Crowell. We last saw Clarence English on the steps of the George Crowell General Store in this image.
Clarence English served as a clerk at the George Crowell General Store at Second and Oak. Do you think he would be pleased to know that same space now houses the Gorge Fly Shop, where you can buy waders and other fishing gear?
Jeffrey Bryant
Clarence English was born 29 May 1869 and died 20 Jan 1965. He is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, San Mateo, California. I also found the following patents in his name:
Invented, "Wrench," U.S. Patent No. 599,895, patented Mar. 1, 1898.
Invented, Wrench," U.S. Patent No. 645,074, patented Mar. 13, 1900.
l.e.
I am impressed with those waders! And the pole.
This must be around 1900 and I didn’t realize fishing supplies were that sophisticated.
Clarence’s mother was a Stranahan. There is an interesting story about her trip by steam ship to California to attend Clarence’s wedding in one of the worst storms on the coast. She missed the wedding by two days.
l.e.
OK readers.
Salmon or Steelhead?
dsc
Steelhead
Buzz
A few comments. Pretty obviously a posed photograph. Catching salmon with a flyrod very hard. 25 years living and fishing in Alaska and I never caught one that way. But did see a few caught that way in small creeks. Maybe this fish came from Celilo. Used to enjoy watching those guys. They understood how to catch salmon out of a big river.
Buzz
Never considered that it might be a steelhead. I always thought steelhead rivers were close to saltwater. Do they run in Hood River. Maybe I just learned someyhing.
db
I wonder if he fished in a suit and tie.
Buzz
Just read where steelhead do run in the Hood River, so you are probably right. That is what I get for spending most of my life living near saltwater.
Ranger
Steelhead range well into Idaho, far from any salt water.
dsc
Both Salmon and Steelhead are native to the Hood River…..the fish in the photo does not appear to have the tell tail, black lower gum line as a Chinook Salmon will have….and the body shape of a Salmon is more like a football….much thicker than a Steelhead .
ODFW defines a "legal" Steelhead in the Hood River as basically a trout that is 20" in length or longer.
Buzz
Thanks for the info. Thought that was a pretty skinny salmon, but it is a good sized steelhead–at least compared to what I remember from my youth on the Siletz river.
charlott
Buzz, do you remember "Tex" Lyda the janitor at HRHS? Well as soon as he got off the job he was down by the Y-Inn fishing for steel head. Have eaten many he caught there, as he was a neighbor.
Buzz
Don’t remember Tex. But do you know if he caught them on a flyrod? When in grade school we always used used cured salmon eggs to catch them on the Siletz river.
Lesa
This has got to be a stuffed fish prop. The gentleman in question, could not hold such a relaxed pose otherwise. I have taken too many pictures of my husband holding fish, and believe me, even with a digital, he can barely keep his expression straight, from the strain.
I’d like to see the man, that could catch that size fish, on that piddly little rod and reel too. How funny!
What on earth is the animal skin he is standing on? Looks too white for a bear.
Lesa
I had my husband, "the expert," look at this photo. He says that it is most certainly a steelhead. Probably about eight pounds. Also it was very common to catch them with such a rod. His grandfather had several just like this one, so I stand corrected! I thought the fish looked heavier, but he says the way the fish is being held, out toward the camera, would tend to make it look bigger.
It’s an old fishermen’s trick. Notice the pole is held close to his body, but the fish is held further out, closer to the camera.
My grandfather was the same, had to have a picture of every fish he ever caught.
Don English
That’s my grandfather holding that steelhead, and I believe he would be dressed in that fashion when he hooked that fish, things were proper back then including Clarence.