Over the years, Todd Moen has been welcomed into the true heart of fly-fishing history...well beyond the fast-paced, marketing-driven world that dominates today’s social media landscape. One of the defining examples of this was his 2012 visit to the Wulff School of Fly Fishing in the Catskills, where he worked closely with casting instructor Joan Wulff. Joan’s story is woven into the foundation of modern fly casting: beginning in her teens in the 1940s and continuing through 1960, she won multiple local, regional, and national casting tournaments...often outperforming all-male fields. In 1951, she became the first woman to win the National Fisherman’s Distance Fly Championship with a groundbreaking 136-foot cast. She later spent nearly two decades as the first female paid spokesperson for The Garcia Corporation before founding the Wulff School in 1979 with her husband, Lee Wulff, a pioneer of modern catch-and-release ethics. Today, Joan remains a living legend in Livingston Manor, where her school continues teaching along the storied Beaverkill River...the birthplace of American dry-fly fishing.
During this 2012 project, Todd worked closely with R.L. Winston's Annette McLean to produce a comprehensive series of films documenting Joan Wulff’s casting techniques at their highest level of clarity and preservation. On his way back from London...where he had just finished working with Tim Rajeff and Gareth Jones on a new line of Airflo fly lines...Todd made a scheduled stop in New York for another assignment with R.L. Winston, dedicating a full week to filming with Joan. He captured every technical lesson she has refined over generations, along with several in-depth interviews that explore her life, her influence, and her legacy. Although only a portion of the interviews and footage has been edited so far, the project already stands as a significant archival contribution to fly-fishing cinematography.
Hi Todd,
My name is James Dunlap and I’ve been working with the Wulff School as their creative director since the new ownership has stepped in. I was recently commissioned by Ross Purnell of FlyFisherman magazine to create a short 3-minute film celebrating Joan’s 100th birthday this year. I’m gathering photos and video footage of Joan throughout the years for the video and am hoping you would be open to sharing some of the videos and photos from your project, you would be credited for anything you share. If you are interested, please email me and we can work out the details. Kindest regards, James
Thanks James, Just catching up after an incredibly busy late summer and fall. Up in North Dakota now covering the harvest. I’ll email you with any details for any other projects you have coming.