Quote Originally Posted by The Chronicler View Post
My article was intended to solicit some comment from our readers. The posts have illustrated that we are all individuals, and besides the obvious items like the vice, etc, each person has his or her own personal ideas of what is necessary.
What is necessary? As noted a lot depends on how one defines the problem. Since I tie for midwestern Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, my necessary is a lot different from that of a western or eastern trout fisherman.

This discussion brought to mind a story told by Tom McNally. As they flew into a remote lake in Canada, one of the lugggage compartments on the float plane popped open. He lost all of his fly gear except rods. What would he use to fish for the large pike that inhabited the lake? The lodge host was able to borrow a reel and line from a neghboring camp, but Tom was left without flies. Out of this apparent disaster came a pattern we can call the "White Wolf Streamer." Tom fashioned single hooks by removing two barbs from trebles taken from spoons. Thread and red yarn for the body came from the hostess's sewing kit. A white wolf pelt provided long guardhairs for the wings. A bench vice on the host's work table held the hook while Tom created a streamer that the pike loved to eat.

I remember reading this story long ago in his column in the Chicago Tribune. One can also find it in McNally's Complete Book of Fly Fishing.

The moral: "Only creativity is necessary."