SAUGUS — About three acres of land make up the Malden Anglers Association, a fishing club that has called the town home since 1946.
The club’s members fish in Patkin Pond, a beautiful body of water that the club maintains throughout the year. Wrapped around the pond is a trail that begins and ends at the group’s clubhouse. Along that trail is the old clubhouse, which was built when the club started in ‘46.
“All the docks (around the pond) and all the water is maintained by the club,” The club’s Vice President Thomas Lew, who has been with the club for 28 years, said. “So we pay for the stocking of the fish, plus we have work groups that come in. If you’re a member of the club, you have to pay your dues, and you do four hours of work for the club.”
That work can include cleanup, fixing docks, or clearing the trails.
There is still a chill in the air, so there isn’t much activity around the pond, but that will change as the weather begins to warm.
“As you can see, we have a lot of ice over the pond right now. It makes it a little bit harder. What we do is stock this pond twice a year, once in late to mid-March and then once in September,” he said
He explained that the trout die during the summer, which is a natural part of their life cycle, and the population of trout is unsustainable in the heat. It’s during the summer time that people are allowed to spin fish and use worms at Patkin. Outside of that time, it’s all about fly fishing.
Lew then spoke about the different ways they interact with the community outside of the club.
“We’ve had a class for Salem State. They have a fly-fishing program. We’ve hosted something called Project Healing Water, a program for fly fishermen who are veterans. They come over and want some peace and quiet after serving their country,” Lew said.
He added that they host the veterans about once a week to help create a place where they can just relax and be among nature.
“It’s all catch and release. We don’t keep them (fish) to eat until after the summertime…Once we catch the fish, we let them go so they can be caught again,” he said.
Lew also explained how peaceful the pond is to him. He said the club has some concerns about a possible apartment building that might be built on a piece of land above the club. The complex would possibly need a retaining wall, which could strip the club of something very important: the way it transports visitors to a place that feels untouched by infrastructure.
“Fishing is very tranquil. It’s got a certain rhythm to it. It combines the idea of art and sports because we’re building these little crafts. Some members build rods here; some tie flies…There’s that whole art thing in it. And others travel and hike miles to find tranquil places to go fish,” he said.
Lew said he first got into fishing when a friend of his took him out to Maine. “I just got it. I understood the clothes, I got the order of things…I love the idea of the whole cycle of life and the idea of the art of it,” he said.
He explained that he met a lot of friends through fishing, which also helped him grow more into the activity.
“I also like the idea that a fish is too valuable to be caught just once. We want to share it. I don’t begrudge anyone who eats fish, I love fish, but there’s a lot of lessons learned here,” Lew said.
He dove into a story about how a group of fourth graders came to the club, and he was teaching them about fishing. The group had caught some fish, and it was during a time when they could catch and keep the fish.
“They were gathered around, and I asked ‘Do you want to watch me clean the fish?’ and they said yes. I was about to start cleaning the fish and a girl said, ‘Is this going to hurt?’ and I’m going to say honestly year, but it hurts the chicken and it hurts the pig…Where else can you learn a lesson like that here in Saugus?” Lew said.
The club has members from all walks of life, from teachers to engineers and fire chiefs.
Lew also showed off some of the flies he made, each one representing something specific that a fish would chase after. He explained that having the wrong fly in a specific season could lead to the fish not biting due to instinct. To make it a bit more understandable to nonfishermen, he said, “It’s like if I handed you a candy cane in June.”
“We make these here. You can buy them online, but part of the art of the whole sport is making these. It’s called fly tying, and we teach that. We have fly-tying night usually once a week. People come over, and they learn how to do it, and people really like it,” he said.
Lew said that the people who are members of the club truly appreciate what it offers them: a place to just be.
“I think people drive by this place all the time without stopping and without noticing that it’s there. It’s kind of an oasis right in the middle of all this busyness. I mean, we’re really only six miles from Boston. It’s a quiet little spot where people can learn about nature, be with nature, and commune with nature,” he said.
Lew also mentioned that the Malden Anglers will be hosting an open house on May 17, which will be open to the public. Anyone can pop by and get a tour of the club and learn how to be a member. There is also an open house in the fall that has not been scheduled yet.
