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Kevin
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« on: November 12, 2009, 09:38:47 AM » |
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LOSS OF AN OLD FRIEND
BY JOHN BERRY
I have been going through an internal struggle for the last few weeks. My constant fishing companion for the last few years was in critical condition. The fishing vest that had kept me properly equipped and organized through thousands of major fishing expeditions was near the end of its life. For me, there is no piece of fishing gear that is more personal than the vest. On any given day, I might wear waist high or chest high waders. On a steamy summer day I might forgo waders to fish in quick dry pants and a pair of wading sandals. If I am fishing for smallmouth, I cast a seven weight to throw the bigger streamers required. On the other hand, if I am wading the Norfork I take a four weight rod. I generally choose a nine foot five weight for fishing from the boat. Now, if I am fishing in the boat, I generally put it on the back of my boat seat. Through out all of these options there is one constant no matter what the weather. I wear the same vest. In the three decades that I have been fly fishing, I have only owned three vests.
The Velcro that kept the pockets closed was no longer functioning. This had caused me to lose two very valuable fly boxes (both crammed full of flies), when I took an unscheduled swim on the Norfork. The two way zipper on another pocket was broken and now only closes in one direction (the wrong way) which makes it more difficult to close the pocket. Of course, there was a quarter sized burn hole on the back of the vest that was caused by an errant cigar ash. After eight years of constant use the vest was showing its age. I decided to replace it. I knew it would be a serious project.
I made a mental list of the features that I wanted. On this vest, I wanted to ensure that the pockets I carry my fly boxes in could be securely closed. I wanted a traditional looking vest in tan. There are a lot of innovative vests in a variety of materials. I wanted something that would dry quickly and looked good. I needed a short vest so that I could wade deep when I needed to. I needed a variety of pockets to store the stuff that I carry. They had to be easy to access and sized properly. One thing I needed in particular was D rings. I tend to carry the gear I use the most (tippet, lead, forceps, nippers, and a whistle) on the outside of the vest connected to D rings, so that I can access them quickly. I need another D ring on the back of the vest to carry my net. I was interested in a large pleated back pocket that could hold my rain jacket without impairing the fit of my vest.
I started poring through catalogues and visiting websites for all of the major manufacturers. I found the websites to be the most useful. They provided more views and a lot more information. I followed up with a visit to Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, when I could, to actually look at the item in question.
I found that things had changed quite a bit since I purchased my last vest. For one thing, prices were much higher. My first vest from L. L. Bean cost me the princely sum of thirty five dollars. Now I was looking at vests that cost in excess of two hundred dollars. That is almost as much as I spent on my first fly rod.
The next thing that I noticed was the proliferation of pockets. My first vest had maybe ten and the next had fifteen. Now I was looking at up to twenty nine separate pockets. I had no idea of what I would put in all of those pockets. I would have to carry an index of where I had stored my gear. It was all a bit much.
After much study and soul searching, I finally settled on and purchased a new vest. Now I had to transfer all of my gear to the new one and figure out just how to store each item. My new vest has twenty two pockets. I will actually only use less than half of them. When my vest was fully loaded, I looked in the mirror. It looked OK, but would it work on stream. Last Tuesday I got my chance to take it fishing.
The Norfork was scheduled to be off for a few hours. I gathered up my yellow Lab, Ellie and headed over. Lori was entertaining her parents and could not join me. The conditions were good and the vest functioned well. It was better than my old vest. I even managed to land a few trout with Ellie’s help.
The only question that remained was what to do with the old vest. Should it be burned with full military honors, like an American flag that had ended its years of faithful service? Some how, I found it difficult to part with. I finally hung it on the hat rack with my two other old vests as a fitting tribute to the many adventures we had shared.
Change is not always easy. We become comfortable using the things around us. Sometimes it is time to replace them. There is always a new path to take and it can be a pleasant journey. Good by old friend. I will not forget you!
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