It was bound to happen and it finally did. My four year old Korkers Guide Boots finally gave up the ghost. The felt peeled back on one boot, the lacing system works itself loose every few hours, and a lot of the seams are worn and stretched to the limit. While the soles are replaceable (if you can find the old style), I take the felt peeling from the sole as a sign that they have had enough, and are ready to be retired.
The passing of a piece of trusty fishing gear is a bittersweet event. On the one hand, it’s a perfect opportunity to upgrade. And with the plethora of shiny new gear cropping up on the market seemingly every day there is always something new to try. But when you use something every time you go out, it becomes more than just a piece of gear.
As the bumps, scrapes, bangs and dents accumulate over time on your stuff, so do the memories. You know that chunk of cork that was gouged out of the handle of your small stream rod? Every time you look at it you think of the 20-inch brown that sipped an Adams that day and surprised the hell out of you. Or that one rough patch in your reel that grinds a little bit with every crank. When you hear that sound you picture the fish that caused you to drop that reel in the gooey mud of a certain lake ripping line out, tailwalking like a tarpon, and honestly by god going into the backing.
Those old boots of mine have been through a lot. They’ve seen a lot of water over the past four years. Many good times with good people were had in those things. On one hand I’d like to keep them around just for sentimental value. But then again, the idea of a pyre on the riverside as an offering to the trout gods sounds intriguing too…
Farewell old friends, it’s been fun.
Photo by Shane Rickert
