What has happened to the swaps?

[cholcomb13]

This board use to have multiple swaps going on at the same time and all were full. I am a little surprised in the lack of participation. However, I've been busy and MIA for the last few years and will probably be hit or miss in the future as my life, becomes more complicated as my kids are growing and take more of my time.

Is this happening more and more with other people? Have more people just decided not to participate? What's your take? REE you've been here the whole time, what's happened?

[CharlaineC]

once summer is over more swaps will arise trust me.

[Allan]

cholcomb,

Although my profile shows a member date of 03-26-2011, I've actually been a member since about 2000. I'm guessing that over the course of those years I've been in and/or hosted a total of about 3 dozen Swaps from this site and maybe a few dozen at other sites. So I think I have a decent understanding about Swaps. I'm guessing that the lack of response to Swaps right now can be attributted to any combination of several things: 1)time spent fishing not tying; 2)family time with kids home or travel; 3)tight money; 4)general lack of interest; 5)general situations of life that crop up; 6)lack of interest in specific swap 'themes'; 7)other.

The one you are hosting may just be: Wrong timing (in several aspects), wrong theme at the moment, lack of attention span by the audience, people busy with other things right now. Regardless, things should pick up once we get into Fall. Then it'll peter out till the New Year and pick up again until about July/August when it'll slow down once again. Sorta like a natural ebb and flow. So don't be discouraged. Maybe come the winter you'll be saying that you don't have enough time for all the Swaps going on!

Allan

[DG]

Put me down in category 4. I was in a few swaps back in the day, then quickly realized that I was trading flies I could use for flies I never would, and spending time and money I didn't really have on them. I hosted one, and ended up hosting another due to an injury to the host, and the nightmares of people falling out without notice and failing to meet the deadlines made me swear never to do it again. I suspect a lot of people burned out on these, although probably not as fast as I did.

[Rick Z]

There are openings in the Swap of the Month.

Other than that I am not in many swaps now as Other things are taking time.
May try my 4 swap madness again late this fall.

Rick

[branhap]

I was a regular participant in swaps until my daughter arrived in January. Summer is bad, as I spend my free time fishing, not tying. This winter, I'll probably join in a swap, provided there is one that gets me flies for mountain streams. I have countless frogs, novelty flies, and bass streamers that I rarely get a chance to use here in Wyoming.