Joseph D. Bates, Jr.

Joseph D. Bates, Jr. (August 7, 1903 - September 3, 1988) was an American angling author. He has been called one of the most prolific fishing authors of all time.[1] He spent about a half century writing and, after his passing, noted one writer, “Joe Bates’ memorials are on the library shelves of several million angling fans."[2]

A native of West Springfield, Massachusetts, he gained prominence with his 1947 book Spinning for American Game Fish. With this book and related works he became the first to write extensively on the advent of the spinning method in the United States.[3]

Fly fishing for salmonids became one of his most esteemed topics. The Fly Fishing Hall of Fame, in which Bates was inducted in 2014, noted in his bio: “Joe Bates’ books, including Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing, Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing and others, constitute one of the beloved bodies of work in the literature of fly fishing.”[3]

Bates was also a noted collector, having amassed an extensive collection of vintage flies and other fly fishing items. The Bates collection, including a fly chest containing 600 Atlantic salmon flies, sold for $52,542 at Oliver Gallery’s High Roller’s Auction on February 23, 1990.