The Transfer of Knowledge #74

There is always a danger that if you share your knowledge, they will find ways to make it better. That is not a concern if you are open to new ideas or ways of doing things. It does however, require that you change your mind set which can be difficult. So you say, has Vernon flipped his lid? What in the world is he rambling about? The answer is “elementary dear Watson” I have not and yes, I do ramble.

So what in the world is up? It all started several years ago when I was getting tired of searching for flies at the local shop. Not to mention that the cost was rising. I decided that I could tie flies cheaper and better and I could tie what I wanted based upon what I saw on the water. So, down the road I went to getting my supplies. Now, any fly tier will tell you that they never have enough stuff. There are times when you pull out a book, look at the pattern and say, I have that, or no, I do not have that. Given that the closest shop is over 50 miles away, I tend to be a binge buyer. Buy a lot, even when you know you don’t need it because you just may down the road. Well, time went by and I amassed a lot of fly tying material, capes, saddle hackle, chenille, dubbing, floss, feathers and thread.  I had what I needed to do the job and didn’t think that there was anything else I could use. THEN, came the day when TC made some overtures about wanting to learn to tie flies. I had no problems with it and in fact relished the thought of her sitting beside me at her vise while I worked at mine.

Well, that day came this year. She was the recipient of all of her father’s fly tying material and his prized vise. But it all came at a cost. She had to redo and restructure all of what I had and add it to her dad’s stuff. Then we had to change the tying area to accommodate her likes. To a guy who has been tying all by himself for some time, that was a change. What used to fall on the floor and get picked up at some point, has now changed to where we have little dumpsters that we put our waste in as we use it? We also have little trays to put our tools in. Take one out, use it and put it back in the tray or drawer. Now, I know this is a much better approach and darn if I can now find exactly what I need as it is all labeled, BUT??

So, TC is now learning how to tie flies and the workbench looks clean, neat and manageable. I must admit that she is very methodical in how she ties and the finished product is looking good. BUT……..