THE FLIP SIDE: Pricey Knife Just Doesn’t Cut It

EXPENSIVE TOOLS HAVE KNACK FOR DISAPPEARING EASILY

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Teach a man to fish and that man will lose his pocketknife before he gets a bite.

I’ll wager that, over a lifetime, the average angler loses enough pocketknives to equip a nation of Boy Scouts. Almost every angler carries one because a pocketknife is handy for so many tasks.

On the water, a pocketknife is useful for surgically removing the most wicked backlash. In the truck, you can open the wrapper on that new CD and play it. Ever try to open a CD without a pocketknife?

Good luck.

You can cut bait, then slice your sandwich in two and give your buddy half, just by whipping out your trusty pocketknife.

That’s assuming you have a pocketknife to whip out.

Like sunglasses and car keys, knives have a way of growing legs and walking off. The more expensive the knife, the faster it makes its getaway.

That was proven one Christmas many moons ago when I received the most expensive knife I’ve ever owned. Notice I speak of the knife in past tense. I lost it before Groundhog Day.

Even if a cheap knife has high sentimental value, better keep a close eye on it or kiss that knife goodbye.

My favorite folding knife is a French-made job with a nifty wooden handle and a silver ring that turns to lock the blade in place.

On the drive home after fishing, something felt odd in my right front pocket.

No knife. I frisked myself like a madman looking for my beloved pocketknife. I searched the car high and low.

I must have left it on shore while cleaning the quartet of trout I caught. I loved that knife, so naturally it was gone.

A traffic light went from yellow to red in a hurry and I hit my brakes hard.

Something rolled out from under the seat and hit me in the heel - my knife!

Like a cat, my pocketknife has another life.

All is once again right with the world with the knife folded up and snug in my front pocket.

FLIP PUTTHOFF IS OUTDOORS EDITOR FOR NWA MEDIA.

FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER AT WWW/TWITTER.COM/NWAFLIP.

Outdoor, Pages 5 on 01/17/2013