Bocianka1
Member
It has been my repeated experience that fly fishermen and fly tiers are some of the most generous and giving folk around. I know there are exceptions to that rule. But on the whole, it seems to me that this is an incredibly great community of sportsman to become involved with.
I want to offer my thanks to all of those who continue to pay it forward. To tip my cap and bow in respect to those who continue to make this sport something that seems to stand apart from so many other sports and hobbies. Thank you, your efforts do not go unnoticed. In fact i would encourage others to post how they have benefited from the generosity of others. It'd be good to read about something positive and uplifting after months of negative political ads :/
I have seen it again and again with fishermen. I have been the recipient of such generosity several times, not because of anything special i have done, but because of the good nature of those whom I've been blessed to become acquainted.
I remember first learning to cast a few years back and how quickly a few veterans lent me a rod and gave me a well used vest to keep along with handfuls of flies to use. Fly fisherman always seem to be offering flies to others to try and use to help them improve their experience. My father and another tier both lent me all of their tying things since they weren't using them much and I've been blessed (or is it cursed??) to be able to begin tying for the past year on hand me downs and borrowed equipment. All because of the generosity of others and their natural inclination to share this hobby that they each so dearly love.
Yesterday, I benefited from such generosity again, and I find it a bit humbling. But i will share this story to highlight the generosity that I constantly encounter and that i strive to emulate as i continue this sport.
I contacted a craigslist poster who was selling fly rods because at the end of the listing the poster mentioned almost as an afterthought that he was selling his complete tying collection. no pictures. no details. So i sent him an email to see what he had for sale in the hopes i might be able to pick up a few items to supplement my efforts and slowly break away from borrowed equipment.
Long story short, the sellers name is Gary and he is a retiring man of 72 who can no longer fly fish (and a talented carpenter as well). He was selling his rods for what they were worth. That was equipment to him and he knew it's value. But his tying collection was clearly more personal and he was selling it not to make a buck, but because he wanted to see it go to someone who would put it to good use. He could have sold it piecemeal or as a lot and received a significant amount. Instead, he kindly offered to sell the whole lot to me for a pittance. A portable tying bench, capes, furs, tools, books, dubbing, chenille, herl, feathers... I could barely get it all into one picture! You can see for yourself in the pictures below.
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A Lifetime of tying materials
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portable tying desk with lots of bobbin holders, tools, etc.
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Dubbing, boxes of assorted hooks, and various threads.
I took the time to share this post (here and on another forum as well), not to brag about my score of materials (although i surely am excited to no end at my good fortune), but to take a moment to say thank you to Gary and to those many many many others who are like him who move through this world quietly encouraging others in this sport by sharing their equipment, their time and talents, and even those who take the time to share their wisdom on forums to the noobs like me who are still on the beginning legs of this lifetime journey. If you've been blessed by such others, share your story. That's the kind of thread that would be worth reading.
Thanks again gentlemen.
I want to offer my thanks to all of those who continue to pay it forward. To tip my cap and bow in respect to those who continue to make this sport something that seems to stand apart from so many other sports and hobbies. Thank you, your efforts do not go unnoticed. In fact i would encourage others to post how they have benefited from the generosity of others. It'd be good to read about something positive and uplifting after months of negative political ads :/
I have seen it again and again with fishermen. I have been the recipient of such generosity several times, not because of anything special i have done, but because of the good nature of those whom I've been blessed to become acquainted.
I remember first learning to cast a few years back and how quickly a few veterans lent me a rod and gave me a well used vest to keep along with handfuls of flies to use. Fly fisherman always seem to be offering flies to others to try and use to help them improve their experience. My father and another tier both lent me all of their tying things since they weren't using them much and I've been blessed (or is it cursed??) to be able to begin tying for the past year on hand me downs and borrowed equipment. All because of the generosity of others and their natural inclination to share this hobby that they each so dearly love.
Yesterday, I benefited from such generosity again, and I find it a bit humbling. But i will share this story to highlight the generosity that I constantly encounter and that i strive to emulate as i continue this sport.
I contacted a craigslist poster who was selling fly rods because at the end of the listing the poster mentioned almost as an afterthought that he was selling his complete tying collection. no pictures. no details. So i sent him an email to see what he had for sale in the hopes i might be able to pick up a few items to supplement my efforts and slowly break away from borrowed equipment.
Long story short, the sellers name is Gary and he is a retiring man of 72 who can no longer fly fish (and a talented carpenter as well). He was selling his rods for what they were worth. That was equipment to him and he knew it's value. But his tying collection was clearly more personal and he was selling it not to make a buck, but because he wanted to see it go to someone who would put it to good use. He could have sold it piecemeal or as a lot and received a significant amount. Instead, he kindly offered to sell the whole lot to me for a pittance. A portable tying bench, capes, furs, tools, books, dubbing, chenille, herl, feathers... I could barely get it all into one picture! You can see for yourself in the pictures below.
A Lifetime of tying materials
portable tying desk with lots of bobbin holders, tools, etc.
Dubbing, boxes of assorted hooks, and various threads.
I took the time to share this post (here and on another forum as well), not to brag about my score of materials (although i surely am excited to no end at my good fortune), but to take a moment to say thank you to Gary and to those many many many others who are like him who move through this world quietly encouraging others in this sport by sharing their equipment, their time and talents, and even those who take the time to share their wisdom on forums to the noobs like me who are still on the beginning legs of this lifetime journey. If you've been blessed by such others, share your story. That's the kind of thread that would be worth reading.
Thanks again gentlemen.
