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"Ten bucks or ten days." That was the fine that
was charged to Clint Eastwood in the Joe Kidd
movie. He chose the days rather than to pay the
fine. How would you do it? If you think about it,
you might pay the fine and get it over with; but
Joe was a different kind of guy for sure.
We find ourselves in the same predicament all
the time, but rarely realize it is the same
predicament. We learn to tie our own flies
rather than pay the money for new flies. Sure,
there is some accommodation in creating your
own patterns, but most of us choose to tie our
own to save a buck; or at least that is what we
think. However, very few of us ever saves a buck
or two tying our own flies. It just doesn't happen.
In fact, we usually pay a lot more. The same holds
true with rods and other stuff.
First of all, there is the thought that I can have
flies nobody else has. I can create flies that the
fish like and nobody else has them unless I share
them. Most of you have seen a few of my flies,
and some fish them all the time. I don't hold
them away from others, but rather share them
with everyone. It's the least I can do considering
all that I have gained from all of you.
Then there is the guy who decides to make his own
fly rods, just to save a buck or two. Yep, you
can save a buck or two doing that. In fact, you
can usually save a few bucks, especially after you
get the experience. However, there are a few other
concerns too. A factory rod usually has a warranty
that your rod doesn't have. And, if you are making
rods for others, you might want to consider that
warranty because there are some who break rods
all the time, and you will probably make a rod
for at least a couple of them. Keep in mind
that it only takes one or two to make it a
losing proposition.
Then there are your own rods. Let's say you just
make rods for yourself. You could create some
dandy rods that will make people just say wow.
I can understand that. I do it for myself all
the time. And, fortunately, I rarely break rods,
so it is a good proposition. However, if I do
break a rod, even if the blank has a warranty
and they honor it, I will probably lose money
on the remake. It just works that way. I live
with the knowledge that I have rods nobody else
has, and that they cost more than most other
rods. If I break one, it's my own trouble, and
I doubt I have really saved anything on the rods
I have.
There are other things too. Some folks like furled
leaders, to the varying degree. They like homemade
nets and wading staffs. They make their own rod
tubes, with or without the reel attached. The
list goes on and on. I have seen homemade reels
and wader carriers; some that were gorgeous. Some
of it is for cost savings, some is for creativity
and some is for the knowledge that they could just
do it. We all have our reasons for what we do.
The one thing I have never really seen is a genuine
cost saving. The one item might cost a bit less,
but there are other things that cost more. Paul
Dieter has several homemade items that I'm sure
saved him a few bucks, but he also has some stuff
that cost him a bunch. We all do, and it is hard
to deny it if we think about it for a while. We
all do stuff that is supposed to save us bucks but
costs us more in the long run. I guess it is just
a fact of nature.
So, what about fishing are you doing to save a
buck? Are you tying your own flies or making
your own rods? Is it really saving a buck or
are you just fooled? "Ten bucks or ten days."
It is your choice, but be sure you really know
why you make your choice. Who is really being
fooled? ~ AC
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