Extra boxes of flies, what do you do with them.

[phg 0]

phg, this problem has amassed from having tied for 30 years. When I donate flies, I tend to tie up fresh new ones thinking that the ones in my box aren't good enough. I do give flies to fishermen I fish with and friends but I've still got boxes. I may have to look up the Project Healing Waters, I did donate a batch to them once.

 

Kirk

My apologies, but after 30 years, you should have it figured out.

Speaking of which, I need to set up a fly stripping session myself. My supply of flies that aren't up to current standards seems to be growing as well.

[nick2011 0]

You could just occasionally forget a box of flys in the parking lot of your favorite hole for another fisherman to find..we all like finding surprises. just do it on a busy day were someone will definatly have the opportunity to find it..or give them to friends that loose a lot of flies,

[Chefben4 0]

Good question Kirk! I have a huge rubber maid container full. I call them "factory seconds"! I have no idea what to do with them. I started to try and razor them to save the hook but after a few its just not worth it to me.

[NOODS 0]

Generally, the worse the fly looks, the better it fishes. I take my "bad" ones and fish them. The nice ones I tend to save for friends and donations. Makes people think i know what I'm doin' too.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

phg, you'ld think I'd have figured something to do for sure but being a pack rat, getting rid of them was something that I inadvertantly avoided. Like ChefBen, I dispise stripping my hooks. I think the donation ideas are the route I'll take and the links and suggestions give me some direction. I'll just have to put a disclaimer note in whatever I send saying to feel free to toss out what isn't appropriate.

I feel like one of those old guys on American Pickers that has barns full of stuff and when the guys come to buy something, most of what they pick out, the old guy says, "well, no, I can't sell that" and you know he hasn't done anything with it for fifty years and will never touch it again before he dies...

 

Kirk

[FlyFishin'Jam 0]

Hi Kirk, i seldom have spare boxes as the fly fishing is very diverse in this household, which is awesome btw!!! Buuuuut, if i find any shitty flies i tend to take to them with some huge shears and a lighter, only if the hooks are good! Like a tmc 811s is near a dollar per hook, so i have to salvage and use it. Shitty hooks can sit in the 'do not fish' bin.

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi Kirk,

 

For us when a fly falls into the category of "old fly" or one that is past it's prime, we toss it in a kitchen-cookie type canister. Many clubs are aware we do this an periodically request we donate a "bunch" of flies that they then put in boxes with their logo on them to use for fund raisers, bucket raffles or ??? Earlier this week we sent about 500 such flies to a group to put in their-own-logo boxes for a fly-fishing show. The "canister" is our go-to place when we need flies to fill a donation request. Take care & ...

[mikechell 0]

Extra flies? I like tying, but I am not so into it that I've got tons of extra flies lying around. I've got four or five of each pattern I fish with. When I get down to two, I tie a few to keep the stock up. I will try a new pattern once in a while, but once I've got one that gets hits ... I'll stick with it for a while.

I've said it before ... but from what I read here I am beginning to truly believe that I am the only one who actually does save money by tying my own flies.

[GdubyaSmith 0]

I donate a couple of boxes every year to Casting for Recovery: http://castingforrecovery.org/wordpress/home/ they teach fly fishing to breast cancer survivors at free 2 1/2 day retreats. They really like to get flies to use as they have retreats all over the country. While you may be critical of older ties, CFR is glad to get them.

Grandkids, nephews, nieces and other relatives get most of the rest.

Thanks to your post I sent them an Email and just received this back:

 

We always welcome donations of fishing flies! We are hosting 42 retreats this year, so additional flies is always helpful. We have a volunteer who works with us sorting flies by region. The flies are then sent to a particular program in a particular region for use during the weekend retreat or perhaps to be added to the gift bag supplied to each woman attending the retreat.

You may send the flies to the following:

Casting for Recovery

PO Box 1123

Manchester VT 05254 (if sending via PO)

Casting for Recovery

3738 Main Street

Manchester VT 05254 (if via UPS)

Carole Phillips ([email protected])

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks for the addresses Gdub.

[Chefben4 0]

Does anyone know if CFR takes more then just trout flies? I dont really tie many trout flies so most of my extra are for other fish. From the looks on their website they mostly look for dry flies and/or "special" collections for auction.

[Phish 0]

Jim cramer theory is pure bunk and frankly i dont think he knows what he is talking about. Hald hitches will not interfere in making a perfect bodied fly if you use the correct thread or techniques in building a fly.

If you are gonna be paranoid about it then a dab of superglue will surfice. Half hitches are here to stay and i use them alot since they help in making a much better quality fly every time.

[mikechell 0]

Wrong thread, Phish. You must have accidentally clicked the wrong line ... this one is about extra boxes of flies.

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I finally got around to going through my fly boxes and popper head box. I hope there is someone that can tie some tails on the heads.

 

Thanks,

Kirk

 

[Guest rich mc]

I had a large box set out at a fly show booth and let any kid that walked by a free fly of their choice. rich mc