Fun For Some - Scary For Others

[SalarMan 0]

I received my 2024 J. Stockard Fly Tying catalog the other day...and it definitely falls into the fun/scary category. It is 124 pages of fly tying "stuff". The first 24 pages...yes 24 pages...is just hooks. After that we go through tools, tinsel, thread, glue, cements as well as synthetic and natural materials along with...ah hell I can't remember it all.

For many guys here like me, this sort of catalog is great fun to go through, and a wealth of info on what is out there. BUT...can you imagine being a beginner totally on your own trying to figure out what you need and what is of no use to you as a tyer and wonder what the devil is going on here. That is the scary part.

[johnnyquahog 0]

 Stockard is the only paper catalog I still get.  Not like the days when you would get a bunch this time of year.  Funny,  I had counted the 24 pages of hooks as well and all the brands.   I’m an old curmudgeon so complaining about prices today compared to the old days feels natural but average Fulling Mill brand buck tails are selling for $25 minus a nickel.  Glad I’m all set.

[flytire 0]

i bought a fulling mill "premium" bucktail from stockard and its small enough to come from a fawn or doe.

sent it back for a refund and left a review at stockard

[SalarMan 0]

WOW...I didn't bother looking at the prices since I'm not in the market for anything. Like Norm said elsewhere, I have many years of materials in stock so I just scan for the fun of it.

The bucktail story is sad. My experience with them has been good over the years, but my business consisted mostly of threads, wire, tinsels...that sort of thing. I don't blame you for the return and review!!

[flytire 0]

i didnt blame jstockard

i blame fulling mill for their lack of telling tyers that their bucktails are on the small/tiny side

[Chasing_Tails 0]

I placed an order today, now I just have to make sure I can intercept it in the mail on delivery day before my wife gets home from work...

[gadabout 0]

The hook situation is a mess.  When I started out, Mustad was more or less the only game in town, and everyone knew all the model numbers by heart.  In principle, hook prices should be lower due to all the competition.  That is certainly not the case.  I don’t need chemically sharpened hooks.  Diamond hone sharpened hooks do just fine.

[cebe 0]

I had ordered from them some hard to find Mustad hooks that were old stock I guess.

Glad I found them and bought most of what they had left along with materials that I needed. Their price on the Mustads was reasonable.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I'm still on the wholesale side of things (and can't remember the last time I looked over a retail catalog...).  What I've been hearing in good measure is how some relatively modest and always available natural items are just in extremely low supply post covid... My only advise to anyone really needing a particular item - buy it now since tomorrow your favorite supplier may not have what you need and with no supply in sight....The good news if there is any - is that well cared for natural materials like deer tails, calf tails, squirrel tails - will last years and years.... I'm living proof of that since some of my materials i'm still working with - are well over 30 years old now... or older...

[DFoster 0]

19 hours ago, SalarMan said:

BUT...can you imagine being a beginner totally on your own trying to figure out what you need and what is of no use to you as a tyer and wonder what the devil is going on here. That is the scary part.

George as a somewhat seasoned tier (15 years)  I love having the multitude of choices but it is very overwhelming to some one new.  This summer my granddaughter's boyfriend asked me if I would teach him to fly fish.  He ended up with a 5 wright Orvis clearwater set up and the basic stream side gear and has been advancing quickly .  This Fall he made his own vise in shop class and has asked me for some tying pointers.  The best advise I could give was to pick 1 or 2 flies that he had success with this year, hit the local fly shop and purchase only the hooks and materials required for those flies, then I would get him started.   Once he's got a handle on how tie the first 1 or 2 well enough to catch fish then pick 2 more and so on.  After a while the thousands of material and hook options a slowly start to make sense.  IMO that's the best way for someone new to come in without being completely overwhelmed and broke.

[SalarMan 0]

4 minutes ago, DFoster said:

George as a somewhat seasoned tier (15 years)  I love having the multitude of choices but it is very overwhelming to some one new.  This summer my granddaughter's boyfriend asked me if I would teach him to fly fish.  He ended up with a 5 wright Orvis clearwater set up and the basic stream side gear and has been advancing quickly .  This Fall he made his own vise in shop class and has asked me for some tying pointers.  The best advise I could give was to pick 1 or 2 flies that he had success with this year, hit the local fly shop and purchase only the hooks and materials required for those flies, then I would get him started.   Once he's got a handle on how tie the first 1 or 2 well enough to catch fish then pick 2 more and so on.  After a while the thousands of material and hook options a slowly start to make sense.  IMO that's the best way for someone new to come in without being completely overwhelmed and broke.

That makes all the sense in the world Dean. He is fortunate to have someone to mentor him and properly introduce him the various aspects of fly fishing.

[DarrellP 0]

I got my J Stockard and Barlow catalogs on the same day...  my wife confiscated my debit card.  Lol

[DFoster 0]

1 hour ago, DarrellP said:

I got my J Stockard and Barlow catalogs on the same day...  my wife confiscated my debit card.  Lol

You too eh? 

[Sandan 0]

I look, a lot, but don't buy. My three local shops have everything, and more, than I need/want

[DFoster 0]

47 minutes ago, Sandan said:

I look, a lot, but don't buy. My three local shops have everything, and more, than I need/want

Same here these days - I have a box full of gadgets that seemed like a good idea at the time but for whatever reason proved to be redundant, impractical or just didn't fit my particular  fishing/tying style.  Of course when your new and don't have a mentor you have to make a purchase to find that out.  As we gain experience we have a better idea if a new gadget is a "good" idea or not.

 One recent purchase that is working for me was a spring loaded fly tweezers that attaches to my vest.  I'm sure you've seen these things.  They are very similar to hackle pliers but narrow. I can reach into a fly box pluck out a fly and it holds it securely freeing up both hands.  The end attached to my vest is on a swivel which allows me to spin the fly instead of twisting the tippet when tying a clinch knot.  I know you can do the same thing with forceps but this gadget is small and a lot more manageable, at least for me.  In cold temps it keeps my cold fingers from dropping flies.