Replenishing the Fly Box

With the flows increasing and the sun out, I figured the last couple days were perfect for tying flies and replenishing my boxes. I'll be honest, tying flies is one of my least favorite tasks and I will do just about anything to avoid it, (even writing a blog.) The cost of flies commercially tied however, motivates me to sit at the bench and tie some of the easier flies that I know I'll use. At a quarter a piece to tie verses two bucks in the store and figuring I'll use close to a thousand in a summer, the savings are pretty substantial.

One of the tricks I've learned to keep my interest on the vise is to listen to audio books while tying. It's amazing how much longer I can sit and tie and how much faster I tie while in that mode; especially if what I'm reading is enlightening. I came across a book couple days ago that has definitely kept my interest up and my focus on the vise--and on a few other things. The book is called, "The Shack," written by William P. Young.

I'll be honest, another failed relationship with someone I was really hopeful to have in my life for a long time has been weighing heavily on me. I've done quite a bit of soul searching and like so often in the past I have found myself longing for answers and more importantly--peace. That's something that hasn't come easy in my life so usually I squash the pain with long days on the river and hikes in the mountains. I've also tried finding it through relationships with women that don't usually amount to much. I have had some success in working with the kids I work with in the winter as being able to give back has given me some sense of purpose. However, I seem to always find my way back here with no explanation of why.

Listening to the book has helped me see a few things more clearly and has allowed some answers to some questions I've been struggling with. It still sucks but I feel like I'm learning quite a bit about myself and I'm becoming more cognisant of my choices and what I'm doing to create the situations I'm in and more importantly, how my expectations contribute to the let-downs.

"The Shack" has definitely added some new patterns to the box of flies I've stored away in the back of my mind. Listening to the book has also brought my attention to some patterns I haven't even thought about for while but knew were there. I'm grateful for the author's diligence in writing the book and with the collaborations created in the process. To fully understand, you'll just have to read it.

I'm just about done downloading another book to my IPod. I can't wait to get back to my vise and I'm looking forward to using the many patterns I'm learning about throughout the season.

Keep 'em where they live...