About the Holiday
Is fishing your thing? Do you like nothing better than heading down to the lake or stream and spending a relaxing day with a fishing pole, some bait, and the possibility of reeling in a “whopper?” Perhaps you like fly fishing better, challenging yourself to flick that hook in just the right place. Then again, maybe taking a boat out to deep water and pitting yourself against the truly big fish is more your style. However you like to fish, make some time to enjoy your hobby today! If you haven’t yet discovered the joys of fishing, today’s book is sure to get you hooked!
Fly Rod Was First: Cornelia Crosby’s Adventures in Angling
Written by Cathy Ballou Mealey | Illustrated by Billie Michael
When Cornelia Crosby was born in 1854, Maine was a fishing paradise. “From lunkers to whoppers, the biggest trout and salmon pulled from the rivers and lakes were longer and heavier than baby Cornelia.” As a young girl, Cornelia spent much of her days outdoors, exploring the fields, woods, and waterways around her home—an antidote for her poor health. As a young woman, with her health improved, Cornelia was sent to the city to attend school, but she relapsed and returned home.
Here, the long days stretched out before her. She decided to try fishing, and with her first catch she was hooked. Cornelia spent spring and summer traveling among the fishing camps that dotted the state of Maine, wearing a full-length skirt and high-neck collar that amused her male counterparts. With her bamboo fishing rod, she reeled in fish after fish. During the winter, Cornelia worked as a telegraph operator and “daydreamed about casting her line into deep, cool waters.”
One day she crafted an original fish tale from her experiences and sent it to the newspaper, which published it. Readers were enthralled, and the editor wanted more of Cornelia’s stories. He even gave her a nickname, “Fly Rod.” “Fly Rod” Crosby’s columns about Maine’s natural beauty and extraordinary fishing opportunities took off. How good was fishing in Maine? It was so exceptional that Cornelia and her guide “once landed fifty-two trout in forty-four minutes.” On another “especially good day, she caught more than 200 fish!” But as one of the first public advocates for “catch-and-release,” Cornelia returned most of these to the water.
Cornelia’s stories began appearing in newspapers across the country, bringing visitors to all parts of Maine. Hotels and restaurants thrived. The railroad even “hired Cornelia to promote tourism and she wrote the first official state slogan. By 1895 “Fly Rod” Crosby was a legend, and Maine had become a top vacation destination. But at the height of her career, an accident curtailed her ability to hike or get out on the water. She fished from docks, however, and wrote her column into her eighties. Cornelia is remembered with a statue in the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame, a wilderness trail named for her, and even a bluegrass tune, “The Ballad of Fly Rod Crosby.”
Following the story, readers can enjoy Cathy Ballou Mealey’s step-by-step tips on how to write a fish story and see a photograph of Cornelia Crosby holding an impressive catch of fish.
Cathy Ballou Mealey’s biography of the trail-blazing Cornelia Crosby will fascinate children as well as adults as she transports them back more than 180 years to the pristine waters of Maine. With lovely, evocative language, Mealey puts readers at Fly Rod’s side to witness her fishing prowess, follow her innate talent for storytelling, and experience her impact on Maine’s nascent tourism boom. Mealey’s distinctive subject easily lends itself to a wide range of topics for educators and students to further explore, including fishing, the growth of US tourism and tourist attractions, women in journalism, changing fish and animal populations, and so many more.
Billie Michael’s magnificent illustrations transport readers to the mid-1800s with shimmering lakes and roaring rivers teeming with dazzling salmon and rainbow trout, sport undertaken in formal clothing, steam train travel, and the country-wide influence of newspaper columnists. Her images of Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby are packed with personality, exhibiting her brilliance and indefatigable spirit. Readers can almost hear the “swish” and “snap” of Crosby’s fishing line, while each page contains clear depictions of life and common objects from the period, inviting children into an exciting transitional era.
An exceptional biography of a remarkable woman, Fly Rod Was First: Cornelia Crosby’s Adventures in Angling will charm and inspire readers to embrace their passion and generate excitement for learning about the past. The book is a must for any school and public library collection as well as for children who love fishing, young adventurers, and history and biography buffs.
Ages 6 – 9
Sleeping Bear Press, 2026 | ISBN 978-1534113602
Cathy Ballou Mealey lives in Massachusetts where she still tells fish stories about the giant hornpout she caught (and released) at midnight on a dock at Beaver Lake. She is the author of Make More S’mores and the Sloth and Squirrel books. To learn more, visit her website. You can also find her on Instagram or BlueSky @catballoumealey.
Billie Michael is an illustrator with a passion for creating artwork that is full of detail, texture, and rich colors. She works with watercolor, colored pencil, and other media to bring stories and characters to life. When she’s not drawing, Billie loves watching movies, going on very long walks, and playing guitar. She lives with her cat, Louise, in Philadelphia. Visit her at billiemichael.com and on Instagram.
National Go Fishing Day Activity
Go Fishing Game
Kids can go fishing right at home with this easy-to-make game! With a paper plate pond, a few printable fish, and a few other supplies, kids will be catching a whole lot of fun!
Supplies
- Printable Colorful Fish Template
- Printable Black and White Fish Template
- Printable Go Fishing! Playing Die (optional)
- A large straw, wooden dowel, or pencil for a fishing pole
- String
- Two 1-inch round magnets for fishing pole
- Paper clips
- Scissors
- Crayons (optional)
- Glue (optional)
Directions
- Color the paper plate blue
- Print the Go Fishing! Game Playing Die (optional)
To Make the Fish
- Print the fish templates or have kids draw and color their own fish and cut out
- Tape a paper clip to the back of the fish or slip a paperclip onto the nose of the fish
- If using back-to-back templates, cut fish out, put a paper clip between the sides and glue or tape the two sides together
To Make the Fishing Pole
- Tie a length of string to the straw, pencil, or dowel
- Sandwich the other end of the string between the two circular magnets
- Lay the fish on the plate
- Go fishing!
Optional Game: Kids can roll the die to determine which fish to catch.
You can purchase Fly Rod Was First: Cornelia Crosby’s Adventures in Angling from these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Picture Book Review
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