Well it took a few sessions, but that lovely old Richard Wheatley dry fly box now has every compartment occupied by families of new tenants. During the tying sessions, immersing myself in Italian via Radio Garden, it became clear that to simply use this box, as if I'd bought it new, was not going to be good enough. This had been a fellow dry fly angler's box. Looking at what was left of his flies, even though the insects had certainly enjoyed some very festive banquets, it was just possible to discern what some of these dry flies had been. This brought me to the conclusion that he had fished rivers in Wales and the North West of England. Somehow this made him real. We had never met, but there was still a connection...
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| Jack's Box: The note is attached to a sheet of ethafoam in which I keep a needle. It fits neatly inside the leather wallet in the lid. On every tangle Jack will be noted! |
I contacted my pal, who had been so kind as to pass on this box, and some other fly fishing items of his late father's.
"What was your Dads' name?"
"John Charles William Wilkinson. He was known to all as "Jack"."
"Thank you. I want to keep a record of him in the fly box."
"That's a nice thought..."
Well it's more than a thought now. Jack is duly recorded and every time I reach for my untangling needle, I will see his name. Henceforth, this box is to be known as "Jack's Box". It's full of Derbyshire flies in readiness for this season. I hope he would have approved.
Regular Rod
