Jack Gartside: “Lord of the Flies”

When legendary fly-angler Jack Gartside was forced to undergo chemotherapy for lung cancer, he made sure to schedule the treatment at the end of the 2008 striper season so he could be finished in time for the ocean striper’s arrival in 2009, writes Dave Souza.

Such was the life of the creator of the famous “Gartside Guggler.”  Among other things, Gartside was one of the first fly anglers profiled in Sports Illustrated and told great stories of learning to tie flies from Ted Williams, the Boston Red Sox great.  In certain circles Gartside was as much a Boston icon as Williams, known for his intimate knowledge of the flats and islands surrounding the city.  Gartside succumbed to the lung cancer on Dec. 5, 2009.