A tribute to "Muddler"

Brothers of Briar

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Nestled away in a townhouse not to far from my workshop lives Muddler.
No one could ever imagine what can be found beyond his front door. Muddler is a hell of a nice guy with a Pete' and GBD collection of note not to mention all the other briar in his collection. I met Muddler for a refirb job on two recently acquired GBD bullies from the 60's that needed some work. I was introduced to him by the illustrious Jan Pietenpauw one of South Africa's top pipe makers.
Besides owning hundreds of pipes, he has a spare room dedicated to a tobacco collection which blew me away. The man is super knowledgeable and knows so much about tobacco local and international it is scary. A visit to Muddler's house is like letting a kid loose in a candy store. He makes the best coffee and then invites you to share and indulged in some of the worlds finest tobaccos. It was here where I was introduced to the complexity of Greg Pease and enjoyed a bowl of "Laurel Heights" to which I am now addicted. Some of the tobacco he owns I have only read about and it has been fantastic spending time with him. We share the same passions for the pipe, the Fly rod and the hunt.

Today is a Special day....... Muddler has just gifted me a giant rusticated Randy Wiley 'meteor' and I am over the moon. I should not say this out loud but is is the only custom American pipe in my collection and I am thrilled!

Now,...... Let me tell you, I have never met such a nice guy. He gives freely of his time and enjoys hooking up with fellow brothers for a fine smoke.

Muddler my man, the brothers salute you for being such a fine ambassador of the briar and for becoming my good friend!
I owe you one my china!
 
Way to go, Piet!!!!! Now I'm really upset I didn't get to meet up with Muddler when I was in J'Burg last year!!!!! FTRPLT
 
hey ftrplt

maybe next you hit sunny South Africa we will hook up for sure!
hope you enjoyed South Africa bro!
 
Very cool! On a side note, is "Muddler" a reference to the "Muddler Minnow," a popular fly for trout fishing? Just curious...
 
Hey Trout bum!

jip you are right! Muddler would be the trout fly as you may well know, either deer hair or marabou. Muddler and I both share the passion for fly fishing and fly tying, especially for trout! This pattern is a killer in South African trout waters!

well spotted!
Thanks to all the other brothers for stopping by!
 
I live in Alaska, and the Muddler Minnow is a go-to streamer pattern for big rainbows. Someday, I'll have to visit your streams in South Africa! (It's on the list, to be certain!)
 
The generosity and gentlemanly quality of the members of BoB is humbling. I salute you Muddler and all the other members of Bob.
 
I never knew South Africa had trout or trout waters, very good to know as trout are the holy grail of fish. As I understand things though, the absolute premier place on the globe for trout is New Zealand, but they have very restrictive regulations concerning seasons, equipment and even wading. South America is supposed to have world class trout also, native species and introduced species.

We should form an international alliance of trout fishermen, who do NOTHING other than pursue trout the world over

To fish for trout and smoke pipes ... now there is a life worth considering :)
 
I'll second Piet's sentiments. I had the good fortune of meeting Muddler, Mike and NSPiper, Ken, on a business trip to Pretoria back in the Spring. Muddler is a cool guy, gifted me a pouch of Sobranie Original, and Ken gifted me several mini-packs of blends from a South African B&M. We had dinner at a local watering hole and I thoroughly enjoyed their company and knowledge of pipes/tobac over a good meal and a few hours of smoking. Both are fine gentlemen! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
 
The ongoing generosity of the brothers is absolutely amazing. Muddler I salute you ,you sound like an outstanding man. Very nice !
 
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