[808steelheader]

After posting about how I am a cheap skate steelheader, I got to thinking further about how I am also a "Pack Rat" when it comes to steelhead stuff. I tend to buy stuff and never get rid of it, which means, my pile of gear just keeps growing, often much to my wife's dismay. Being a touch messy doesn't help either. An upside of being a pack rat is sometimes, it's fun rediscovering old stuff I've had sitting around collecting dust and putting back into use. Speyspaz's post about going back to DT's helped trigger some of the "what's old is new again" fun with me as I busted out some old gear and found new joy in using them.

Since I've been exposing my weird character flaws here and on my blog, I just was hoping to hear of others' "Pack Rat" stories!

http://toddhirano.blogspot.com/2015/04/whats-old-is-new-again-aka-pack-rat.html

 

[Eastside]

Should be another good thread. Along with my comment about being on an allowance for fishing gear, being frugal has forced me to clear out (sell) most of my own stuff when making a new purchase. That said, I hang on to my stuff for a long time. I still have the Ithaca 20-gauge pump that my parents gave me when I was a teenager as well as the 6-weight Orvis rod and Hardy LRH reel from that time span. The one area that I qualify as a pack rat is fly-tying materials, but I even purged that recently.

Let's see what others say!

Mark

 

[SLSS]

I'm cheap, except for rod's, reels, and canoes and kayaks. But I'm a terrible, sentimental pack-rat, and wholly without organizational skills. A nightmare actually. I did sell a bunch of stuff a couple years ago, after an extended illness left me a bit short (self-employed), but it was all tier 2 stuff- none of my primary holdings (fishing/canoeing/kayaking stuff to my wife).

My rule with boats is the only reason to get rid of a boat is that your are getting another one. Hard earned 25 years ago after being talked into selling a sweet little canoe by a now ex-wife who wanted a new refrigerator before the divorce she was planning.

 

[Bargeboss]

l Might Need That One Day

I'm a pack rat as well. Whether it be fishing, hunting, tools. If it's a good deal and l can see myself needing "THAT" one day then it's coming home. My kid salivate every time he walks into the garage. I'm surprised he hasn't already put his name on some of the things collecting dust.

And SLSS, l hope your rule on wives isn't the same as your boat rule😨

 

[SLSS]

And SLSS, l hope your rule on wives isn't the same as your boat rule😨

No, no- not even close. I'm more loyal than the best dog. Even my kids have told me what a bad choice I made with their mom.

My wife and I celebrate our 20th this year. My only fear is the next 20 pass as quickly as the first 20.

 

[Deep Swing]

Yes, but mainly for tying materials, 40+ years worth


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[808steelheader]

Guys:
Thanks for the "pack rat peer support"!

DeepSwing:
You reminded me that I also still have a bunch of fly tying stuff from the very beginning of my ventures in fly tying in 1989. Still use most of my original tools and lots of packages from "Kaufmann's Streamborn" still in my drawers that get put to use.

Todd

 

[Eastside]

I have materials from the Morning Hatch Fly Shop in Tacoma that has been out of business for a number of years, yet I need one more thing that I intend to track down this weekend... Guess I'm a pack rat then.

 

[borano20]

Hello.. I do not want to talk about this. Yours borano20

 

[MT Box]

I destroy my toys.:devil: That kind of kid I guess. My poor generous loving father.....had to see a lot of nice stuff go bye bye. I will always be thankful. Hard used things don't pile up it seems. Trying to change my ways so I can have something nice in the quiver in this lifetime. Dad's a Golfer now.

 

[808steelheader]

I destroy my toys.:devil: That kind of kid I guess. My poor generous loving father.....had to see a lot of nice stuff go bye bye. I will always be thankful. Hard used things don't pile up it seems. Trying to change my ways so I can have something nice in the quiver in this lifetime. Dad's a Golfer now.

Have you taken advantage of rod warranties?? Even my inexpensive Cabela's has a warranty, I think. I destroy my stuff as well, but over the course of time as I use stuff until it falls apart. Of course being a pack rat, I always have backups....

Todd

 

[steelhead23]

Used treasures

Hey Todd, its not my fault. When ebay first became popular I found some truly amazing bargains. More than once, a widow posted a spectacular rod saying something like "I know nothing about fishing, but my dead husband really liked this rod." And while I sometimes felt like messaging her that that old fly rod was a San Francisco era Winston bamboo, likely worth a grand or more, I simply made a reasonable offer only to win the auction at half my max bid. Thus, I now have backups to my backups and have gleaned a bit of fly rod history. But now my closets are full and I had better start trimming the herd or one day my widow will sell the stuff to guys like me at firesale prices. BTW - Those old Fenwick Feralites are now fetching pretty good money. One thing I note for the cheapskates out there - quality stuff (T&T, Winston, Scott, etc.) really hold their value. I picked up my favorite summer spey rod here, used in the classified section. I cannot for the life of me understand why a used high-end rod costs half what new does, but I ain't complaining (until I sell). Its not like they wear out.

 

[808steelheader]

Hey Todd, its not my fault. When ebay first became popular I found some truly amazing bargains. More than once, a widow posted a spectacular rod saying something like "I know nothing about fishing, but my dead husband really liked this rod." And while I sometimes felt like messaging her that that old fly rod was a San Francisco era Winston bamboo, likely worth a grand or more, I simply made a reasonable offer only to win the auction at half my max bid. Thus, I now have backups to my backups and have gleaned a bit of fly rod history. But now my closets are full and I had better start trimming the herd or one day my widow will sell the stuff to guys like me at firesale prices. BTW - Those old Fenwick Feralites are now fetching pretty good money. One thing I note for the cheapskates out there - quality stuff (T&T, Winston, Scott, etc.) really hold their value. I picked up my favorite summer spey rod here, used in the classified section. I cannot for the life of me understand why a used high-end rod costs half what new does, but I ain't complaining (until I sell). Its not like they wear out.

Rich:
wow, you surely got a deal on that Winston!! Quite the find. When I look at my stuff, I'm amazed at how much of it is 20-25 or so years old, basically stuff I started out with. I'm embarrased to say, I even have some tippet material from 1990............ Don't know why I have such a hard time with letting go of stuff. To my credit, I do still use most of my old equipment from time to time and even try to make a point of dusting stuff off, just so they are not just sitting in a corner. The accumulation of stuff can be overwhelming at times and a guy only has so much room.

One complication of having "too much" stuff, is I sometimes have a hard time deciding which setup to use for the day so I end up setting up multiple rods/reels, kinda like a bass pro. This can get cumbersome. Just ask Adrian Cortes, I fished with him this past saturday and at every run we stopped at, I agonized over which of the four rod/reels I had setup to use. This versus Adrian's one setup (a James Reid Summer Run with Farlows Perfect).

Bummer to hear of prices of good vintage glass going up. Perhaps guys like me talking about them on the interweb doesn't help in that regard.

You are right about good used rods selling for relatively inexpensive. If I had some disposable cash, I'd be shopping for something like a Z-Axis switch or two. I have no problem with owning "old tech" obsolete stuff.

Todd

 

[BJay]

I have been collecting since 1960, that's 55 years total. I could stock a fly shop. I have about 20,000 newer model hooks and about 40,000 older stile hooks from the 40's ,50's and 60's. Haven't figured out what to do with the older stile hooks as they are still good but look funny, ball eyes and offset bends, Mustads and old English stiles. Got to admit--collecting all the fly tying material has been fun. If it hadn't been for all the new materials coming out I would have probably stopped tying a long time ago, and learning how to spey cast has kept me fishing. Now I need a new fishing challenge.
Bjay

 

[redneckdan]

I'm a pack rat. Came in handy when I converted at TFO 2wt ProII into a micro switch. I had enough lines of various flavor laying around that I was able to weld up a sweet little scandi head after some instruction by Steve. Lots of fun for swinging caddis pupa during a hatch. Killed the trout on the Gallatin this summer when everyone flinging PMDs gots skunked.

 

[steeliesncarp]

Most of my single handers are 20+ years old, reels in the same range (although some I bought on eBay more recently), still tying on the HMH that I got in college in the early 80's. Don't know if that makes me a pack rat, or just benefitting from good quality?

Todd, on a related note, what is the Fenglass rod with the extended bottom grip I've seen on your blog? I'm assuming that's an after market addition?

Wayne

 

[JDJones]

One way street

I still have the Heddon flyrod, Shakespeare autowind fly reel & Skakespeare direct drive baitcasting reel purchased with paper route money from Emroe's Sporting Goods store in downtown Indy back in the 50's. Plus the Shakespeare President reel & solid steel baitcasting rod my Grandfather received when he retired. Some of my flytying material goes back to the Polar Bear fur I was able to scavenge from the local taxidermist. Autowind fly reels & left handed Garcia Mitchell open face spinning reels are a part of my collection.

 

[Botsari]

Sure wish I has my Penn Squidder from the 70's, just to touch it. My dad squelched all my long-term pack rat aspiration early by throwing out most of my prized possessions when I went away to school. His ideas of being tidy, apparently.