Rivers of a Lost Coast

14 years ago this past Saturday, William E. Schaadt passed away at Memorial hospital in Santa Rosa, CA. Bob Nauheim and Russell Chatham wrote corresponding pieces for California Fly Fisher and John Randolph composed printed a remembrance in Fly Fisherman Magazine.

The following few paragraphs were written by George Snyder and appeared in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat on January 23, 1995. Although George misinterpreted a few facts, the large majority of the piece is accurate.

“Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Santa Rosa for Bill Schaadt, perhaps one of the most widely known fly fishermen on the Pacific Coast.

“Mr. Schaadt, a native of San Francisco, died of cancer last Tuesday in Santa Rosa surrounded by his fishing friends and family. He was 71.

“Mr. Schaadt made his living as a sign painter along the Russian River after moving to Monte Rio as a young man. He was known locally as an excellent pen-and-ink artist, producing cartoon and drawings not only of his beloved fish but of other subjects as well.

“He was perhaps best known for his love of fly fishing, using the technique in the ‘50s and ‘60s along the Russian River and also on the Pacific Coast’s major salmon and steelhead streams, including the Smith River in the northern part of the state and the Chetco in Oregon.

“Mr. Schaadt is also credited with being among the first West Coast Fly Fishermen to successfully use flies to catch saltwater fish, including striped bass and rock fish.

“Despite his modest living circumstances, Mr. Schaadt managed to fish Costa Rica, in the Florida Keys for trophy tarpon and in British Columbia. Mr. Schaadt, who was a friend of the late author Ted Trueblood, a former fishing editor for Field & Stream magazine, was profiled in that magazine and also Sports Illustrated, Outdoor Life and other wildlife publications.

“In addition, Mr. Schaadt was featured in popular books including “Steelhead Fly Fishing,” by Trey Combs, and “The Angler’s Coast,” by Russell Chatham, the author and artist from Livingston, Mont.

Bob Nauheim, the owner of Santa Rosa’s Fishing International tour company, was among several friends who were with him at the end. “He never married - his fly rods were his children. Unofficially, Bill holds the record for the largest salmon ever caught on a fly, at 57 pounds on the Smith River in the 1960s, [since beaten several times]” said Nauheim. “He was a natural. I was in awe of him when I first met him. Only a few people are legends in their own time, . . . and he was one of them.”

“Betty King, who along with her husband, Grant for many years ran King’s News and Tackle in Guerneville, called Mr. Schaadt “a man’s man,” Who was had to hide from lesser fishermen attempting to follow him to his secret fishing holes.

“Mr. Schaadt is survived by brothers, Robert, of Santa Rosa; and Howard, of San Francisco; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.”

- George Snyder