Every fly tyer has a “Statue of Liberty” fly box on his desk, it’s featured prominently close to his vice. It contains all his huddled masses, his wretched refuse of accidentals, flies missing legs, tails, poor color choices, or merely tempest tossed and a great idea that didn’t live up to it’s full promise.
After being held hostage by four days of howling winds, dawn broke airless and golden. I stuffed the “Ellis Island” specials into the vest and left – completely ignoring all responsibility.
I’ve got a new creek to discover – it’s actually the old creek that’s been scoured clean by this Winter’s floods. I’ll have new structures, new pools, and hopefully a few fish – although I’m not expecting to catch much other than brisk exercise.
I now put mine in a decoy fly box. I always make sure it’s out when I know my brother is coming over. Whatever he doesn’t claim usually gets cut up with a razor. Beads and hooks are then reused. I go through a lot of razors.
I’ve got the foam fly patch that sits next to the vice – it has some ugly first tries and some ugly flies gone wrong. I never throw flies out or razor them, I usually wait for a good cause to donate too (last year was the Baghdad School of FF) and dump 5-10 dozen on them. One mans trash is another mans treasure I guess.
I thought that’s what fly swaps with other bloggers were for. oops.
From my cell phone, them slotted two in the foreground are money. _ report to follow
Lemme see yer fly box for a minute. You gotta use two hands to type…Brother.