"The Flex Phantom" aka "Sushi Casualty"
Last night it was 8PM, my wife and son were in bed and i thought.
“Time to hit Cabela’s for some fly tying materials!”
So i headed down there to get some large hooks (size 4) and some materials to help me tie a streamer that would fool some unsuspecting bass into thinking it was a fellow fish that would make a great meal. Since this particular fly required a weed guard (20# monofilament) i headed nervously from the “Fly Fishing Shop” to the “Bait Shop”. It was like a candy shop for adults of a certain disposition. Neon colors, USA flags, jelly worms and more logos than a Nascar race. It felt like fly fishing merchandise on steroids. I honestly felt overwhelmed as i strolled up and down the aisles looking for some simple plastic line…and then i saw the Flex Phantom (above).
I stared in disbelief as i suddenly thought how:
- The ultimate goal in fly fishing is to fool a fish in to taking your hook.
- That is achieved by tying a fly that tricks the fish into believing it’s a food source.
- That is done by tying a fly with “lifelike” traits.
- Nothing i will ever tie will look as “lifelike” as “The Flex Phantom”.
- Therefore i should give up, or take up by bait casting in order to achieve thought number #1.
After processing all this and arriving at self-doubt, i meekly found my monofilament and headed back to the comfy confines of the “Fly Shop”. I only snapped out of it when i looked around at the brilliant marketing and realized that i don’t need to reinvest in a new sport, i just need to invest in a $400 Sage Bass Rod.
Thank you fly fishing marketing. That was a close one.
