Remembering President Jimmy Carter the Fly Fisherman

Former President Jimmy Carter died at 100 on Sunday, December 29. He was a peanut farmer turned President. A humanitarian, statesman, novelist, Nobel Prize Laureate….and fly fisherman.Forty years ago, President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter made an historic five-day visit to Sullivan County. The Carters were invited to come and fish the Beaverkill and participate in fundraising events for the recently-formed Catskill Fly Fishing Center.Judy Van Put is a long-time member of the NYS Outdoor Writers Association, and she was one of the community members who hosted and fished with the president and first lady on their 1984 visit. She shared her memories of the Carters' visit in 1984.