Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Fishing Flies - Muddler Minnow" Signed lower right. Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting was originally featured on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the U.S. 29c Muddler Minnow issued May 31, 1991.

The flyfisher's cast snakes out across the stream, landing lightly on the water, with a Muddler Minnow clinched tightly to the nearly-invisible monofilament leader. As the swiftmoving mountain water catches line and fly, the Muddler is propelled along with the current, twitching through eddies and "swimming" seductively around underwater rocks. With its undulating deerhair and realistic shape, it proves to be more than a hungry Brown Trout can resist ... and the "Brownie" pounces on what it takes to be a minnow, only to find itself fast to the angler's rod and reel. As anyone who has ever used it knows, the Muddler Minnow is a superbly effective, versatile and durable "streamer" -- the flyfishing term for a baitfish imitation. Developed by noted fisherman Don Gapen, it has come to be a universally-accepted method of mimicking any of the many squat, brown bottom-dwelling minnows. Gapen's original design has been widely adapted and modified, but the original Muddler is tied on a long-shank hook of heavy wire, with a small portion of wild turkey tail feather tied in as a tail, and a length of gold tinsel wrapped around the length of the hook. Over this are tied a small clump of fox squirrel tail fur and a "wing" of turkey tail. Finally, a clump of deer hair is added and clipped into the bullet shape of a minnow's head. The flash of gold, the realistic movement of the materials, the somber color and the natural shape combine to make the Muddler Minnow a classic trout-taker.

Image Size: 21 x 17.75 in.
Overall Size: 21 x 19.25 in.
Unframed.
(B12985)

- By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.

- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via WIRE TRANSFER, no other forms of payment will be accepted.

- All items are sold as-is where-is and no guarantees are made of any kind. All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.

- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com

- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through multiple online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.

- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be outbid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.

- Unless otherwise stated in the description, all items are sold without additional documentation or COAs. If any supporting documentation is available an image will be available online via the catalog listing.

21 x 19.25 in