We learned on Tuesday of the death of Charles Gaidy, fishing author and illustrator, figure in the world of fly fishing. Emmanuel Vialle, president of the Ardeche fishing federation, knew him well and pays him a vibrant tribute in this article.
Born in 1940 in Clermont-Ferrand, Charles grew up in a world where nature was omnipresent. At the age of ten, he discovered fishing in the Abeille, a Corrèze stream which runs through the garden of his family home in Merlines. His teacher, Pierre Chéze, a famous local fisherman, nourished his passion and curiosity for the natural environment, profoundly marking Charles’ happy childhood.
As a teenager, he spent hours near Chavanon, observing life around and in the river. Soon his river was no longer enough for him and it was on the banks of the Diège, the Sioule and the Vézère that he left to perfect his fishing technique. It was at this time that he read “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway, discovering an author who would inspire him so much that he visited all the emblematic places linked to the writer, from Kobarid to Havana .
His school notebooks become canvases of his imagination, illustrated with drawings of trout, flies and rivers. In the 1970s, Charles became secretary of the Flies and Salmonidae Association, where he met Henri Péthe, who encouraged him to embark on a career as a fishing illustrator and author. Together, they meet legendary figures from the world of fishing, such as Jean-Louis Poirot or Aimé Devaux and especially their friend Paul.
Friendship with Paul Boyer, editor-in-chief of Fishing and Fishis a turning point in his career. Charles contributed to more than 100 issues of the magazine, offering daring articles on subjects unpublished at the time, such as bonefish fishing in the Bahamas or masheers in India. From 1987 to 1994, he actively collaborated with Fishing Magazinemagazine founded by his friend.
A traveler at heart, Charles travels the world, casting his flies on every continent and searching for every species of fish. His experience and wisdom make him a valued travel companion, capable of adapting to the most varied conditions.
In terms of personal life, Charles was married to Paulette, a great sportswoman and PE teacher, with whom he had two daughters, Valérie and Sylvie. Alongside his passion for fishing, he has a career at SNCF, where he plays a key role in the development of internal telecommunications.
Charles embodied passion, unwavering friendship, leaving an indelible mark on those who were lucky enough to cross his path.
So say…
Say… as you liked to challenge your friends, don’t you think we could have caught a few more trout, shot a few more woodcocks before getting back together over a good snack? You would have taken the little iron box out of your pocket and, while telling us about fishing, you would have revealed a delicate ephemera.
Your works, your words, your passion for fishing will continue to live in us. Each brush stroke, each page turned will remind us of the moments shared. So yes, you will always be there, whether on our walls or in our memories.
Hi Charles, I’ll leave you, it’s time for the drops…
