Saving money tying your own flies

[rich5665 0]

I keep reading and hearing, that getting into tying your own flies to save yourself a little money may not pay for itself for a few years. Now, I know I haven't been at this long, maybe two months so I'm no expert. But, after finishing my the flies for my first swap and tying a few of extras for my son and myself. I did a comparison of buying the materials for the pattern I chose (total cost $16.75 w/shipping) and what the cost of the bug I tied would be if I had purchased an equal number of flies from an online store. ($46.75 w/shipping). Yep, I've saved some money. :yahoo: So I now have a good amount of woolly buggers and nymphs, and a few questionable frankenflies just waiting for me to wrap around a tree branch, bush or other stream side obstacle, while I try and direct one of my new creations to it's intended target. :wallbash:

 

Of course saving money wasn't the reason I started tying flies, (I just need one more hobby). It seems that Fishing, camping, hiking, biking, photography, golf and model railroading just weren't enough :hyst: :hyst: And now my son is talking about taking Hunting courses

 

Oh well, I' cant wait to get back to the bench tonight, there's an Adams pattern I need to get the hang of. :headbang: Some more material would be nice, a few more tools. Hmm I wonder if I should get a better vise. There were some skins on eBay. . .

 

Uh maybe I'm not saving any money after all.

[Hairstacker 0]

After you've accumulated at least several thousand dollars worth of materials and come to the realization you won't be able to tie it all up in several lifetimes, then re-visit the idea of saving money by tying your own flies.

 

-- Mike

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

reading this thread made me laugh its true you can save money tying your own flies if you stick to just 2 or 3 patterns good luck with that

[Fred H. 0]

My wife calls my vise , my mistress. My tying keeps me home when I could be somewhere else spending money.

I have a neighbor that stops at the local pub every day and drops a $10 and has a true mistress that costs him considerably more. Tying your own flies might not save you a ton of money , but there are worse things you could

be doing with your time and money.

Fred

[z fisher 0]

Yeah, I got a good chuckle when I read the subject of this thread. If you maintain a superhuman amount of discipline regarding materials and tools (especially materials) you could in fact save some bucks tying your own (though you'd have to factor in the cost of the vise over time). But I have found that materials is to fly tying as gadgets are to fly fishing. If you look at your vest and have twice the amount of equipment that you really need, you're probably going to have similar results when you get into tying.

[the saltydog 0]

yeah this thread is good for a few laughs. the first few dozen flies being cheaper then buying is like the crack dealer giving away the first few hits.

 

this coming from someone who just found a 1/2 of skin of silver pheasant after thinking i was out last week and ordering an entire skin to make sure my inventory was stocked..... my great grandchildren will be able to tie gray ghosts.

 

there are worse things you could do with your time and money.

[Hairstacker 0]

saltydog, I hear you, but it's worse than that . . . . Even though I already own enough deer hair patches to construct a small deer, I bought yet another patch at the fly shop yesterday because I can never pass up an exceptionally good one just sitting there on the peg, screaming to be bought. And, of course, while I was there, I bought yet another 3 packs of Jay Fair's Glimmer Green Olive Short Shuck (even though I already own a mile of the stuff) for my go-to sculpin pattern for smallies, because you just never know if the company might go out of business. Yep, it never ends.

 

-- Mike

[mark2olson 0]

I've saved money recently. I decided to buy two new capes instead of three.

 

Another great way I've found to save money is to get the "one of every color" of an item and then use a portion of one color.

 

But, as far as saving money by tying your own flies, I think that my per price goes up every week...but, one can't put a price on the enjoyment and sense of accomplishment that comes with tying flies.

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

I saved money today by not stopping at the flyshop on my way to the river whew it was tough I think my truck has auto pilot to turn in there

[anders2 0]

I keep reading and hearing, that getting into tying your own flies to save yourself a little money may not pay for itself for a few years. Now, I know I haven't been at this long, maybe two months so I'm no expert. But, after finishing my the flies for my first swap and tying a few of extras for my son and myself. I did a comparison of buying the materials for the pattern I chose (total cost $16.75 w/shipping) and what the cost of the bug I tied would be if I had purchased an equal number of flies from an online store. ($46.75 w/shipping). Yep, I've saved some money. :yahoo: So I now have a good amount of woolly buggers and nymphs, and a few questionable frankenflies just waiting for me to wrap around a tree branch, bush or other stream side obstacle, while I try and direct one of my new creations to it's intended target. :wallbash:

 

Of course saving money wasn't the reason I started tying flies, (I just need one more hobby). It seems that Fishing, camping, hiking, biking, photography, golf and model railroading just weren't enough :hyst: :hyst: And now my son is talking about taking Hunting courses

 

Oh well, I' cant wait to get back to the bench tonight, there's an Adams pattern I need to get the hang of. :headbang: Some more material would be nice, a few more tools. Hmm I wonder if I should get a better vise. There were some skins on eBay. . .

 

Uh maybe I'm not saving any money after all.

 

[rich5665 0]

The scary part of all this; my wish list on the J Stockard Site keeps doubling in size. :bugeyes: When I bought my fly tying tool kit on eBay a couple of years ago, I immediately bought a bag of material as well. So I really haven't saved any money :dunno: But, having a friend ask me for the two ugliest Salmon egg flies I've ever tied is definitely worth every penny I've spent. Now to figure out what to do with the dozen or so buck tails in various colors that I have siting in a box. Oh ya, can't forget about that half of a Ring Neck Pheasant hanging on my wall. What can I tie with a blue squirrel tail anyway? I think the other two birds might be Quail. Then there's that full rabbit skin, can a rabbit's whiskers be used in a fly pattern? I swear it still has eyes. . . :sick:

[tye2fly 0]

i could tie flies the rest of my life, and i don't know if i would have saved money, you can buy alot of flies with 2g's you don't realize how much you got into materials until you sit down and take a look. and that doesnt include hooks or any of my actual tools. this is a burn after you read message because my wife doesnt know how much i have invested..................sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[Alas Babylon 0]

It just occured to me why my son encouraged me to take up fly fishing and tying. Some day he will get all my STUFF!

[purolohi kalastaja 0]

He sounds like a wise young man. :hyst:

 

I have already decided that I cannot possibly save money tying, but I sure find it relaxing.

[flytosser 0]

I tie flys because I like to. But, I just don't go and buy materials because they are cool or neat looking. I am very Frugal. Almost everything I have purchased has been a great deal. I shop at the fly shops discount boxes and shop online. I do have several lifetime supplies of some things like deer hair, bucktails and the such. The price I paid for them was a great deal. I fish for a trout, crappie, bass, striper, hybrid bass, sand bass, white bass, bluegills, warmouths, drum and carp mainly. I do believe if you shop around you can save a great deal of money tying your own flies. I fished a local lake today for bass and lost nine clouser minnows. My cost; 100 pack of hooks 4.19, bucktails free, dumbell eyes 100pack 20.00, crystal flash 1.00, thread 1.59. With that I can tie a hundred clousers. The est price of a clouser is $2.50, so for a hundred clousers it would cost around $250.00. I can tie a hundred clousers for $26.78. I know that doesn't include the vise and tools but even if it did my renzetti traveler only cost me $150.00 and a pair of anvil sissors $8.00 and a bobbin $20.00. For a total of $178.00. That still puts me at $204.78 which still saves me money. Just imagine how much you can save on easier patterns like midges and soft hackles.

The fly box bag I carry in the boat has several fly boxes and plano boxes full of flies. My buddy asked me how many flies I had in the boat, so my kids and I counted; 563 warm water flies and I need to spend some time at the bench. That's not even counting my trout fly boxes or my warm water wading stuff. It can be done if you shop around.

 

Shop around,

 

Gary