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No, not that kind; supporters who support fly fishing. The
'good guys' who make our tackle and peripheral stuff. The
folks who systematically and not-so-systematically help out
in a thousand ways. The unsung hero's of fly fishing. The side
of them you never know about. Well, almost never.
Sometimes I hear grumbling about the evil manufacturers in
our chosen recreation. How they are 'this or that' or 'do this
or that'. What I rarely hear is how much they support our game.
They do, trust me on this, they really do. And they are usually
very shy about mentioning it. I suppose that is a good thing but
on the other hand, I think we need to hear about how much they
help a little more often than we do.
They don't 'toot their own horn' much so I guess I will give it a
short honk.
Honk!
There, you guys, that was for you and all you do for guys
like me and my friends out here. Thanks for all of the
'percentages' you donate regularly. Year in and year out,
you can and are counted upon for certain monies, often
desperately needed, for various projects like stream restoration
and a great number of other beneficial uses.
Thank you for the 'annual outright gifts' so many of you donate
to the many organizations. They count on it and you are there.
You support them, they utilize your gifts in return, developing
future fly fishers which will become your customer base. A
two-way street; win-win.
Then there is the gear. An huge amount of rods, reels,
lines and assorted goodies that are just outright donated
to organizations, clubs, both local and national, groups
of various ilk and shops, both fly, crossover and gear.
Heck, even bait shops I suppose. These manufacturers
give back and support us in so many ways and known
only by them. And usually all very quietly remember.
Where do they get the dough to do these things? From
you of course. From the money you spend with them on
your fly fishing things. It's part of what you spend with
them. So, you are now figuring that the more you shell
out for new tackle the more they will have and the more
they can give back.
Not sure I will take it to that level, but if it gives you a
good excuse to buy something else, go for it. Just
remember, part of what you spend comes right back
at us. All of us. And to those of you who have been
spending a lot; thanks. I appreciate it. In fact, I think
we all do. ~ James Castwell
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