As a youngster I did a lot of fly tying - the Scandinavian family down the road raised exotic chickens and as long as I could out run the birds I always had a handful of feathers.I matched these feathers to Sportsman's cigarette cartons I found on the side of the road,you know the ones with the picture of a fishing fly on the back,and soon I was tying all kinds of Doc Spratleys and Royal Coachmans to name a few.
I still am an avid fisherman and one recent fishing trip to the B.C. Kootenays was particularly memorable,imagine trying to reel in a fly caught 1 pound Rainbow trout while a 10+ Dolly Varden is attacking it.