All I wanted to do was go Fishing – the HOF, Mr. 406 - “the Kid”

[Lake X Kid]

Martyn Vickers fished for Atlantic salmon with Ted Williams off and on for 30 years on the Miramichi River in Canada. "He was as accurate in making a fly as a jeweler would be in creating a masterpiece," said Vickers. A good fly fisherman with a decent salmon rod should be able to cast 50 to 60 feet, according to Vickers. Williams' average cast was 85 to 95 feet, he said.

"Each one of his casts was perfectly made," said Vickers. "The fly rolled over the end of the line and dropped into the water perfectly."

Vickers says Williams' 6-foot-3 frame also helped his fishing. "This was a big man," said Vickers. "I'm 5-9 so I could wade out in the water and I'd be up to my chest and that sucker would have water up to his waist. So he could go farther in the river and with his long casts he'd cover a lot of water."
Vickers is now a doctor and chief of surgery. "I used to teach at Harvard," said Vickers. "I've met a lot of intelligent people. (Williams) was a very bright man. This was not your dumb super athlete. I think his brains and attention to detail were every bit as much the cause of his success as his physical skills."

In Florida, he often fished with Gary Ellis, a guide in Islamorada.
"He's the best fly fisherman I've had on my boat," Ellis said.

[Lake X Kid]

His fishing prowess earned him a spot in the International Game Fish Association’s Fishing Hall of Fame in 2000.

Ted Williams believed there were three fish worthy of any true sportsman—tarpon, bonefish,and Atlantic salmon. Considered by Williams the triple crown of fishing, he had caught and released over 1,000 of each by 1982. After Williams retired, he spent time between a home along the Miramichi River in east-central New Brunswick and a home in Islamorada, Florida. Williams spent June to October fishing for Atlantic salmon in Canada and the rest of the year angling for tarpon and bonefish in Florida.
Williams’ favorite spots for catching tarpon were around Islamorada south to Key West, at Homosassa Springs north of Tampa, and around Boca Grande just north of Fort Myers. Nine out of ten times he used a fly rod to catch tarpon. Williams shared his secrets with Underwood on fly fishing for tarpon.

[Here we see his details to fishing]

“I put at least 200 yards of backing on the reel, braided Dacron testing out to 30pounds. I tie that to 90 feet of No. 12 fly line with a whip finish. Then I tie on a six-foot butt leader of 60-pound of monofilament with a nail knot. I make a perfection loop the diameter of a pencil on the other end and tie it to the strength measure, a two-foot tippet of 15-pound mono, a Bimini twist loop tied on both ends. I tie to the perfection loop with a clinch knot, going through the bottom and back through the top with a double barrel knot. Then I tie the bottom end of the leader through a loose knot on my 100-pound shock tippet and tighten that down against the Bimini twist. Then I tie the tippet with three half hitches and a whip finish of four wraps. I tie the lure on with a perfection loop”

[Lake X Kid]

Hall Of Fame in Baseball & Fishing - Ted Williams.