In view of recent threads, I thought it might be interesting for some of you
to hear this;
For many years now, since I was a small boy, I have been more or less
obsessed with making things myself. When I first started fishing, it was not
possible to buy a lot of things anyway, even if one had the money, and so
one was obliged to make most of oneīs own tackle.
Just as catching a fish on a fly one has tied gives a lot more pleasure and
satisfaction than using a fly one has purchased, ( you have to try it,
before you fully realise this of course
), the same applies to many other
things.
It is not always ( indeed, actually not all that often!), cheaper to make
things yourself, but you gain insights you could otherwise not possibly
obtain, and you also ( eventually, in most cases!), end up with an item
which is tailored exactly to your needs and wishes, and can not be bought
anywhere. This is actually also the main reason for tying oneīs own flies.
It has nothing to do with money.
Many of the things I have built and tried out over the years, have cost far
more in terms of time, money and application, than they would have done if I
had simply gone out and bought the best available, but in the process, I
have gained absolutely priceless knowledge, and a great deal of even more
priceless pleasure. ( I know I know, priceless is merely priceless!).
For me, this is now an integral part of the game. Even though I have built,
modified, and optimised a great deal of my gear, and am a very successful
angler, I still keep looking for better ways to do things.
Nowadays I am not quite as extravagant with my time and effort as I once
was, and I have learned that it is not always a good idea to try and make
"everything" oneself, ( although one can get close if one really tries!).
But I still make a large number of things, and I still experiment a lot with
various things, ( quite apart from fishing tackle as well).
These are valuable lessons in their own right, but I have the added
advantage of knowing exactly what I want, and how to make it, or whether I
would be better advised in buying it, and what I then have to buy.
For this reason alone, it was all worth it, and I had a great deal of
pleasure, and gained a great deal of knowledge almost as a by-product.
It all depends on what you want, and how you wish to go about achieving it.
How much time and effort ( and money of course) you wish, or can afford to
invest, in what after all is merely a hobby, despite the almost religious
fervour shown by some.
Fishing, and everything to do with it, was ( and still is to a large extent,
even if I donīt fish all that often just now), my life, and I do not regret
a single moment of it. It has made me happy in a way that is quite
impossible to explain, it has taught me many things I would otherwise never
have learned, and despite all the trials and tribulations in my life to
date, I will nevertheless die a happy man as a result of it.
Very hard to express, but should even one of you be fortunate enough to
experience such, ( and quite a few of you obviously do), then you must
consider yourself blessed. I know I do.
TL
MC