Thursday, September 8, 2016

Craigslist, Oh Thank You Craigslist...























It stared back at me from the computer screen like a gleaming piece of gold

"Fly Tying Collection--$500"

A fellow tier from Seattle clued me into this goldmine, as somehow it escaped my notice on Craigslist in Spokane.   There it was, an almost unbelievable amount of tying materials, gear, hooks and more for a ridiculous price

Finally the poster got back to me and we arranged a time to see it.  His father had passed and he doesnt fish or tie, so it was time for it to go.

It was bin after bin.  Row after row of just about everything you could think of and a little bit more.

38 full or partial necks or saddles.  Dozens and dozens of threads.  More tools than I could imagine

Did I mention 5 different vices?

If you ever need chenille, v rib or any type of pheasant, I'm your guy.

It really got me thinking about the gentleman that assembled this collection over the last few decades. What got him excited about tying and fishing?   Where was his favorite place to go, what was his favorite fish to pursue?    The amount of materials suggested he was a commercial tier, but his son said it was just his hobby

I found it a bit sad that this man's passion didnt stay in his family but in a way, I'd like to think it did.

While I never met the man, I'd hope he'd be happy to know that all of these items will be put to good use.  I hope to teach my son's on the some of the vices in the collection.  I hope they tie their first crappy, ill conceived wooly bugger with the chenille and saddle hackle that he bought years ago

It's taken me a few weeks to really go through the collection and I'm still not done.  I'm still discovering treasures daily.

Thank you craigslist, you've been good to me.

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