Need Vs Want......

Sometimes separating need versus want is a very hard thing to do
In the case of Old Man River, my father, the lines are horribly blurred
Recently he was forced to make a critical choice of two items

One—a much needed hearing aid



Or Two—his dream 4 weight fly rod set up, a Winston b2x 8’6 thing of fly fishing perfection. Exactly what he NEEDs to make beautiful dry fly presentations to waiting cutthroats on the St Joe river in northern Idaho.


To say my dad is hard of hearing is an understatement. Try issuing directions to Old Man river from the front of a drift boat as you fly down rapids on the Grande Ronde River in your drift boat .

When you play pinball off a few rocks…you understand he might not have heard you say HARD LEFT when you needed to. Our boat has paid that price a few times

So, hearing aid, new fly rod, hearing aid…new fly rod….what to choose?
I can assure you he made the right decision for the item he really needed.

That 4 weight Winston lays out line beautifully.



He still can’t hear you when you tell him to set the hook.