SYNTHETICS

[dontheo 0]

OK, LET ME START SOME CRAP HERE AS I JUST GOT DONE WITH MY FIRST ROUND OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AND I NEED TO VENT.

 

WHY IS ANYONE TYING FLIES WITH SYNTHETICS? THINK ABOUT THE SMALL AMOUNT THAT IS USED ON A FLY BUT THE HUGE AMOUNT SOLD EACH YEAR BY COMPANIES MARKETING IT AS THE GRETEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD. ALL IT IS DOING IS ADDING MORE POLLUTION TO OUR STREAMS AND LAKES AT A TREMENDOUS RATE.

 

I WOULD BET THAT EVERYONE READING THIS CARRIES OUT MORE THAN THEY BRING IN WHEN FISHING, ITS A GIVEN, WE ARE FLY FISHERMEN AND WOMEN. AND DON'T SAY I AM A TREE HUGGER, I AM FAR FROM IT.

 

SO WHY DO WE TIE WITH SYNTHETICS AND TOSS THEM IN OUR WATERS? BECAUSE WE ARE BEING MARKETED TO BY COMPANIES THAT ONLY HAVE AN INTEREST IN MAKING MONEY. THEY SELL THE IDEA THAT THIS MATERIAL IS MORE LIFELIKE OR ATTRACTS BETTER. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT NONSENSE.

 

I THINK WE WOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF CATCHING MORE FISH IF THERE WERE MORE FISH TO FISH FOR NOT BY SOME SPECIAL DUBBING MADE OUT OF POLY OR WHO KNOWS WHAT.

 

WHAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF IS WHEN I SEE AGED VETERNS WHO I HAVE ADMIRED ALL MY LIFE START TO MARKET THIS STUFF. THEY ARE SELLING IT BECAUSE FLY TYERS ARE BUYING IT BECAUSE AN ARTICLE IN SOME TYING MAGAZINE HYPED IT AS THE GREATEST STUFF EVER USED BY THE GREATEST FLY FISHER IN THE WORLD SO IT HAS TO BE GOOD. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE ARTICLE WAS PAID FOR BY THE COMPANY SELLING THE MATERIAL. HAS LIFE GOTTEN SO BAD FOR THEM THAT THEY HAVE TO RESORT TO THIS. IT'S A SHAME.

 

WE HAVE MADE SOME GREAT STRIDES IN GENETICS AND OTHER AREAS TO PRODUCE GREAT NATURAL MATERIALS. LET'S USE THEM AND QUIT THROWING TRASH INTO OUR WATERS.

 

FINALLY, MERRY CHRISTMAS, WHICH I MEAN SINCERELY.

 

THE DON

[RDL 0]

Do you fish? where did you find bio-degradable line? While I commend your gesture, our waters have a hell of lot worse problems than synthetic materials tied on some flies.

 

Happy Holidays to you!

[oatka 0]

WHERE THE HECK DID YOU SHOP THAT IT MADE YOU SO MAD THAT YOU CAME HERE AND STARTED TO TELL US HOW BAD WE ARE FOR TYING FLIES WITH WHATEVER MATERIALS WE CHOOSE?

 

SURE, MAYBE WE'LL LOOSE A FLY AND KILL THE PLANET, BUT I PUT OUT MY RECYCLING EVERY MONDAY NIGHT LIKE A GOOD LITTLE AMERICAN, AND EVERY SO OFTEN THE WIND BLOWS AND ALL MY MILK JUGS GO FLYING DOWN THE STREET NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN. SO, I PLEAD WITH AMERICANS EVERYWHERE TO GIVE UP BUYING PRODUCTS IN SYNTHETIC CONTAINERS. STOP BUYING SODA, MILK, JUICE, LAUNDRY SOAP, AND ALL OTHER SUCH PRODUCTS UNLESS THEY COME IN BROWN BIODEGRADABLE BAGS!!!

 

SO, "THE DON", HOW OFTEN DO YOU WASH YOUR BOOTS AND WADERS BEFORE YOU STEP INTO A DIFFERENT BODY OF WATER? THAT COULD HAVE A BIGGER EFFECT ON THE FISH THEN A FEW FLIES I TOSS IN! BY THE WAY, I NEVER WASH MY WADERS OR BOOTS AND I TIE MILK JUGS ON TO HOOKS EVERY CHANCE I GET!

 

 

 

OH, AND MERRY WHATEVER TO EVERYONE!

[Crotalus 0]

Don, i am assuming that you have forgone all graphite rods, fancy fly lines, monofilament leaders, metal hooks, dry fly floatant, neoprene waders, plastic sunglasses, gas powered transportation and any beverage from a plastic bottle?

 

if not then preaching about the use of synthetic fly materials is ridiculous.

 

oh wait a minute, you are using this here new fangled in-ter-net thingy, that must mean a plastic keyboard, plastic mouse and who knows what other synthetic materials througout the machine.

[dontheo 0]

It just seems very contradictary that we support groups like TU and clean up programs and then add to the problem. Let me just add that in order for a company to make a product like synthetic hair and sell it for lets say 3 dollars a package, do you now how much of this stuff they have to sell just to make a profit. It's not the few threads from a single fly, it's the 1000 of pounds of this stuff accumulated. Do the math.

 

By the way, my Lab just got hung up in a trot line that was at one time tied to a jug. She's fine.

 

Not pissed, just old and have seen what has happened over the years.

 

The Don

 

ps: gift store with smelly scents, drove me right over he edge

 

 

 

[RoyalWulff 0]

Don,

 

I also try to use natural materials, not because of the enviromental aspects but of traditional aspects. Hair is something that doesnt breakdown very well, of course faster then other materials I am sure. But hooks they arent too natural. The thing I think about is, that natural material had to come from some living (now dead) creature.

 

Just a thought,

 

looking to save the waters,

 

-Phil

[kodiaksalmon 0]

Alot of good replies here. I like the sentiment of "our waters have a helluva lot bigger problems than a few stands of synthetic material."

 

Mr. Don, what we have here is a "feel good" idea. It feels good to bring all kinds of attention to our "harmful" synthetic materials, all the while ignoring everything else that has been mentioned- leader material to the gas in your truck.

 

Personally, I think the impact of the manufacturing, selling and usage of synthetics is so miniscule so as to be negligble. And don't forget that even natural materials come in plastic bags.

 

Really wanna make a difference? Ride a bike, and put solar panels on your house. Go easy on the synthetics.

 

Jeff

[flyline64 0]

As many above have already noted this is just a "feel good" solution that will do next to nothing to protect the streams, or the environment generally.

 

The amount of synthetics used by fly anglers is minuscule compared to synthetics used by hardware anglers. Other than actual bait, spin fisherman use almost nothing that is natural--it is all synthetic. There is more plastic in a spin fisherman's plastic worm box than any of us will use in a lifetime of fly angling. (Speaking of spin anglers, sorry to hear about your dog, and glad he's okay, but what happened to him has nothing to do with fly anglers use of synthetics.)

 

Moreover, the synthetics we use are generally produced for other purposes and are a fraction of the overall production. For example, Antron yarn is produced in the millions (if not billions) of pounds for rugs. Maybe 1/1000 of one percent of that is used by us. If we stop buying it for flies, the reduction in demand won't stop the Antron factories, and whatever pollution they produce, for more than a minute, literally.

 

Finally, the pollution associated with all our synthetics is tiny compared to the pollution associated with the rest of our lives. How many plastic shopping bags do you take home every year? If you are like me, they far outweigh a lifetime of synthetic fly material. You'd do more for the planet by advocating that stores charge 10 or 20 cents for each bag, so most people would reuse the same bags (they do this in Europe and it works).

 

(Lastly, you may not realize it, but using all capitals in a post is the equivalent of shouting.)

[oatka 0]

It just seems very contradictary that we support groups like TU and clean up programs and then add to the problem. Let me just add that in order for a company to make a product like synthetic hair and sell it for lets say 3 dollars a package, do you now how much of this stuff they have to sell just to make a profit. It's not the few threads from a single fly, it's the 1000 of pounds of this stuff accumulated. Do the math.

 

By the way, my Lab just got hung up in a trot line that was at one time tied to a jug. She's fine.

 

Not pissed, just old and have seen what has happened over the years.

 

The Don

 

ps: gift store with smelly scents, drove me right over he edge

 

Sorry about your dog. even though i'm not a "dog person" i don't like to hear that yours got tangled.

if it was a candle shop, those scents drive me crazy too.

 

You got to consider that the 1000's of pounds of this stuff that gets sold doesn't always end up in the river. i have tied plenty of flies that make it as far as the box, bur rarely, if ever, the line! many people tie just for show and therefore those aren't likely to end up in the drink either. then, not every fly is lost either, some are retired for various reasons.

[Josho 0]

Are you frickin kidding me ??? :hyst:

 

At first I thought this was a tongue in cheek joke, then after his second responce I realized this was just DUMB! Now I find out he is roving the forums and pissing and moaning in peoples threads that use synthetics.

 

See here;

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=30614

 

Obviously no need to point out the incredible hypocrisy here as so many others have already done so.

 

So what's next Dontheo Gore ? Fly Fishing off-set credits ?

 

Josh

[RoyalWulff 0]

But all in all guys,

 

It is very admirable for Don to be trying to clean up the waters, one step at a time. We have to give him the benifit of the doubt that any minute attempt to clean up the waters is a good one. I will still use synthetics but if Don, or anyother fishermen doesnt want to I will stand by them. You for it Don, do your part, even though the rest of us wont join you for any reason.

 

-Phil

[Cagolddigger 0]

I have to say that of all the outdoor activities, fly fishing has to be one of the lowest contributors of environmental harm that I have seen. Even though I have only been tying for about a year and fly fishing just recently, I have been a fisherman, hunter, prospector and outdoors man all my life.

 

The biggest problem and contributor is the general recreationalist (the weekender out camping and-or the family out for the day). Not all, but a vast majority of them leave their garbage and the telltale sign "I was here."

 

Every year I clean up a long stretch of river here in California that I have a mining claims on. Every year I leave with about 6-10 yard leaf bags full of cr*p people leave or dump. In the river itself, I have collected aprox. a 5 gallon bucket of lead sinkers, lures, and misc. fishing tackle left in the rivers by fisherman, as well as shot by hunters.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, no matter what outdoor activity we all do, we are going to leave some kind of impact or sign that we have been there. A fly tied with synthetics is not going to destroy the environment.

What we need to do is just have common sense. Pick up after ourselves and if you're able to pick up after others. Sooner or later it will catch up to us all. Not so much in the environmental impact, but in newer and stricter regulations by the states and government.

[purolohi kalastaja 0]

I'm all for less pollution, but let's be realistic. work to stop things like strip mining in pristine trout areas, especially where there are "rare" populations of Coasters (Kennecot go away!! Michigan don't want ya!)

 

I'm just curious if Dontheo raises/sells hackles and hence the "anti-synthetic" rant? :hyst:

 

[utyer 0]

My flies are all tied on bone hooks, using silkworm gut, fur culled from curry combing various animals. My lines and leaders are braided horse hair, which are tied to the end of my 14' hickory rod. I dress in furs and leather, and wade wet in all seasons. I always walk to any fishing destination no matter how far. I always tie using only natural light.

[nemoblackdog 0]

Well - I myself likely lean more towards the "tree hugger" crowd than many here and even I say the use of synthetics in fishing flies is insignificant to nearly the extreme.

 

Perhaps this is also because I work in a technical field (yep - a tree hugging engineer - how's that for a mix!) but one of my pet peeves has always been the lack of critical, analytic thought that goes into so many arguments.

 

Transport, packaging, etc... is pretty much a wash because you'd have the same costs with natural material. Since 99.99% of synthetic fly fishing materials are being produced anyways for other industries (e.g. Antron for carpet), that also needs to be factored out. (Not that we shouldn't be conscious of the impact of those factors.) So, the adverse load on the environment comes down to the materials in the flies themselves. Just an educated guess, but I would imagine this impact is smaller than a germ on a gnat's ass when compared to the colossal impact other sources of pollution bring to our world. Put some perspective to this issue and one must come to the inevitable conclusion that our energies to have a cleaner world must be spent elsewhere rather than on if I'm using a bit of craft foam in a hopper pattern.

 

Not to dog the natural hackle industry, but there are environmental costs associated with raising chickens, and just because they're biodegradable doesn't mean it's a net benefit for the environment. I'd like to think the hackle raisers are a lot more eco-friendly than the food-poultry industry, but there are environmental costs to everything we do.