Reeling & Healing Midwest-Fly Tying Marathon!

33 Tyers + Donations = Over 1,200 Flies

What a day! Thirty-three tyers showed up on November 5th, 2006 at One More Cast, in Countryside, Illinois, to participate in very unique benefit for Reeling & Healing Midwest and Reel Recovery. The mission was simple - show up, tie a dozen files for the organizations' participants, enjoy some camaraderie, food, and fun. If you weren't available to participate, send some flies or make a donation towards the purchase of a dozen flies.

The support was amazing! One More Cast received flies and donations amounting to almost FIFTY dozen flies PRIOR to the event! When we arrived at the fly shop, one-hour prior to the doors opening the day of the marathon, we were greeted by five tyers drinking coffee. They were waiting for the doors to be unlocked so they could get started! Within an hour there was a line of tyers waiting to claim a spot at the tying table so they could tie their special flies for the women and men cancer survivors that will be introduced to fly fishing by Reeling & Healing Midwest and Reel Recovery in 2007. Every Illinois Trout Unlimited Chapter was represented, as well as every fishing and tying club from Chicago, the surrounding suburbs, plus three other states. It was remarkable.

Thanks to the very special help of Joseph Meyer, owner of One More Cast. He hatched the idea of the marathon, organized it, and pulled it off without a hitch. Bringing together thirty-three tyers on a Sunday, with a Bears game on, is a testament to the level of support for Reeling & Healing Midwest and Reel Recovery.

We'd like to thank all of the tyers and supporters who help to make the marathon a wonderful success. Everyone is looking forward to the next one in 2007.

As we say at all of our retreats...Fish On!

Twenty-two Fishing Flies Means More Than One Thousand

By Joseph Meyer, Owner - One More Cast Fly Shop

My heartfelt thanks goes out to the group of 33 tyers who came to the shop today to tie and donate flies to Reeling and Healing Midwest and Reel Recovery that they may be used in fly fishing retreats for those with or recovering from life-threatening cancer.

Another group of tyers came by with flies they tied at home and still another group of non-tyers donated cash for me to buy flies to donate. We had tyers from all the Illinois TU chapters, the Northern Illinois Fly Tyers, Chicago Fly Fishers, the Du Page Rivers Fly Tyers, members of the Wisconsin Fly Fishing message board and the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance.

As well as local tyers, we had some kind folks come down from Wisconsin for the event and a dozen flies traveled a very long way. I was met at the door of the shop one morning by a soldier in uniform who had arrived by cab which was kept waiting while he ran in.  He told me that 72 hours ago, he was in Iraq and a fly tying buddy of his stationed there had read my request for flies on the Internet.  When his fellow soldier in Iraq found out that he was headed home through O’Hare, he asked this soldier to drop off the flies at my shop, a 40-minute cab ride from O’Hare.

We cast a few rods, shared tying skills, beer, laughter and stories of why each tyer had come.

I’m here for my Mother who died of breast cancer, my sister who succumbed to pancreatic cancer, my wife who was lost to brain cancer.

Thanks to the listeners of Outdoor Notebook and the readers of this paper, we received several dozen more flies and cash donations in the mail. We also would like to thank Upper MidwestFlyFishing.com for the donation of pizza.

We made many new friends and had several with skills that we very much needed come forward and say:

I’m a paramedic here to help with equipment and training so your participants can remain safe in the outdoors. I’m an oncology nurse, how can I volunteer?  I’m a counselor for those with cancer can I help?  I‘m a guide; I can give you a day or two on the river.

They all wanted to help, we are deeply grateful to all, and yes, we will use your help.

I have not yet done the math but we have enough donations to equal over 1,000 flies but 22 of them are most special.

One of our tyers, sitting alone and quietly crafting his flies was pretty silent during an otherwise hectic day and when he came up to the desk to hand in his flies he quietly said, “Here. Here are 22 flies”.

Thanks so much but why 22, I only asked for a dozen. His reply reduced me to tears when he related that after a 22-month battle with ovarian cancer and a 22-day stay in hospice care he and his wife had to bury their 22-year-old daughter. As he tied each fly today he was thanking God for each of the 22 years of joy their daughter brought them and he left the shop, smiling.

We’ll use them to enrich the lives of 22 new fly fishers.  They can spend a day on the stream with others who share their struggles with cancer and perhaps take their minds off the toll this disease has caused.

It’s not often that a bunch of crusty fly fishers can enrich the lives of others by tying a few simple trout flies, but I remain eternally grateful to those who came forward to help.

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