Future of Fly Tying

[flytyerinpa 0]

I might be wrong but I'm thinking that fly tying may be a thing of the past in a few short years. Just in the few years that I have been in it, the prices have skyrocket not just with all of whiting's feathers I'm talking about everything Daiichi hooks your talking almost .20 per hook in fact almost any brand hook. Something as simple as a snow shoe rabbit foot $6.00 for one seems its all boils down to one word GREED, I really don't know how anybody in the future will be able to afford to get started unless your a doctor or a lawyer. Sorry for venting guys but when I figure its time to order something and I see the prices I just want to say for get it I quit, probably the only thing that keeps me from quitting is the fact that's its so damn enjoyable to fool a trout or bass on something I made myself, but truthfully I would never do it again.

[mikechell 0]

Not so much greed, in fly tying, unless you are talking about the greed of the tiers themselves, not the people supplying the material. It's supply and demand.

More uses for the materials (not just tiers, but other uses) causes less supply. But on top of that is the "need" for Snowshoe Rabbit feet (just using your example). The "need" for exotic natural materials when there are synthetics that are as good (give or take) and much less expensive.

 

Buy from someplace like "Fly Tier's Dungeon" and you'll have a large supply of material for less than the price of one rare bird cape.

 

But then, the cost of materials in any discipline (hobby) is NEVER the fault of the buyer, it's always someone else's fault.

 

Sorry, you started the rant, I am just adding fuel.

 

Since I tie to fish, not to make pretty things, I am not as impacted by the costs as much as most tiers.

[GC59 0]

You are not wrong, prices have gone up. I started tying my own flies to save money I wonder if the price per fly is still a bargain, Im scared to check. But I wont stop just try to be a better shopper and look for bargains.

[utyer 0]

I have been at this a long time, and when I started, hooks were .04 each. Mustad was about all there was. There were NO domestic hackles, and most of the synthetics didn't exist. Flies were selling for less than 50 cents, and many were already coming from offshore. I managed to find ways to get flies on the water for less than a dime, and they caught fish. I was fortunate that I didn't have to spend anything to tool up. My dad's old Thompson was still going strong.

 

Along came better hackle, and the introduction of some of the "higher quality" hooks from Japan. Synthetic materials started to be readily distributed. Each of these things cost MORE, and flies started to get more expensive. I was still able to get flies tied for less than what a store bought pattern would cost. I was able to sell enough flies to finance the purchase of these more expensive products, and even upgraded to a NEW Thompson Pro. Pedestal base, multiple jaws, still didn't rotate.

 

A few more years, and flies hit a buck, and hooks were getting over the 10 cent mark. Materials were better, and more costly, but I was still able to get flies tied for less than they cost in stores.

 

Over the years, I went through 8 more vises, and lots more hooks. I continued to sell just enough custom orders to pay for my supplies and tools.

 

What I see today is too much information too many "brand" name materials, and too little critical thinking about what you must have. The supply line is full to overflowing with too much product. There is a lot of competition to sell this oversupply. Every new material comes with wild claims that its the greatest thing since sliced bread (which also catches a lot of fish.) Every recipe is chuck full of brand name this and brand name that. The mention of this or that dandy dubbing or fancy fiber is done to convince tiers that the pattern won't work without the listed products.

 

People have been catching fish with yarn wrapped around a hook for thousands of years, and many (including me,) still do. Yes you can go out and buy some fiber with someones name on it for 8 or 9 bucks, but craft yarn works just fine. and is 70% less expensive. I have 600 yards of the stuff and it cost me less than 20 bucks. Dubbing is YARN, all yarn started as some sort of fuzz, and you can turn any yarn back into fuzz and dub it on the thread, At the rate I am using up mine, I won't ever run out, and most of it came from garage sales for pennies. A full skein of yarn is 30 to 50 packs of dubbing and you can get yarn even in craft stores for the price of 2 packs of dubbing.

 

I can't even count the number of times I have seen posts from people who don't know what to use because they are out of some brand name item. Its up to the tier to make critical choices about what they want to tie with. Flies are cheap today at 2.00 and I can still tie one for less than 50 cents.

[troutguy 0]

I wished there was a like button Utyer

[TheCream 0]

Time for the village idiot (me) to chime in. It's not going anywhere for me and I'm a far cry from rich. Like Mike said above, I tie flies for one reason and one reason only...to catch fish. They just end up pretty sometimes. I'm not going to stop trying to catch fish, so I'm not going to stop tying. When someone asks me details on what I have tied, I tell them. People ask for specifics and I provide them. I'm not sponsored by anyone (nor do I ever hope to be) and I'm not in the business of keeping secrets. Some things are more expensive and not worth the money, to me, some things are. It's all about perspective. What's worth the price for you? Get creative and you can find ways to stock up on good material for minimal investment. Craft stores, Amazon, eBay, I use them all. If I stumble on something good for cheap that I can use I don't care where it comes from. I'm also lucky I guess that I hunt a lot. I save what I can from animals I kill and animals buddies kill. I haven't bought a white buck tail in years. I have a (for me) lifetime supply of pheasant tail. I have woodchuck hair from a whistle pig I sniped in the back yard. Squirrel tails in the freezer (don't tell my wife). Buy a $1 pack of powdered dye at Walmart and dye your own materials. Recycle hooks from flies that got damaged or experiments gone wrong.

 

There are ways to cut cost if that is hurting you. And tying is going nowhere if it means to you what it means to me.

[FlaFly 0]

I'm with Mike and Cream on this. I guess it might be possible that buying material for tying (especially commercially) will price itself out of reach for some people. Mike and I don't tie things that require exotic, hard to find, materials. As long as there are chickens and flip-flops, Mike will be fine.

 

When I was a kid, I started making my own cufflinks (guys used to wear them). I'd find some really fancy looking buttons, file the backs smooth, get some cheap cufflinks and file the front off, then I'd epoxy the button to the link. One day the hobby shops came out with instant cufflink kits. Just about everything I've ever tried to do from scratch eventually was taken over by commercialism. It seems though that tying flies for our own use won't be replaced by kits. (Kits that consist of assorted materials aren't really kits... you can make an infinite number of patterns out of a "kit"). Add the stuff you can find in craft stores, fabric/sewing stores, dollar stores, etc., and there's no end to the possibilities!

[tidewaterfly 0]

 

 

I wished there was a like button Utyer

 

Me too!

 

Prices always go up. But utyer hit it on the head. You don't have to spend a fortune to tie flies that catch fish. Shop around, find alternatives & substitutions.

 

Flies don't have to be complicated either.

 

I know I already have enough materials & hooks that I could probably tie all the flies I'll need for the rest of my life. But as long as I can afford it, I know I'll add more.

 

I'll keep tying too. Someday, I'll stop, but that will likely because they planted me in the ground. As long as I'm physically & mentally able, I'll keep tying & fishing.

 

Hell, I started with sewing thread & feathers from pillows or what I found, if I have to I'll go back to that, and they'll still catch fish.

[Piker20 0]

I have found nearly all the flies that I catch fish on only cost me the price of hook and thread. Nearly all the fur, hair or feathers is easily available from road kill, hunting donations, farm fences or friends pets.

[flytire 0]

for utyers post

 

 

i dont think fly tying is going to go the way of the dinosaur.

 

theres a price point for just about everything including fly tying materials

 

stay away from the $$$ high end hackle growers like whiting and metz and try the smaller hackle growers like collins (you get the cape and saddle for 1 price), clearwater hackle, keough etc

 

walk through a craft store for inexpensive fly tying materials

 

buy a christmas box from fly tyers dungeon and youll have enough materials to tie flies for years

 

you dont need $$$ high end hooks from tiemco, daiichi, mustad etc. try some allen, saber, jstockard, hook n hackle etc hooks. they all catch fish

 

the list of alternatives goes on and on. do some online searching and youll find them

[Bruce M 0]

I believe we'll be wrapping thread around a hook for as long as man and fish are on this planet.

 

I tie for two reasons, one is to catch fish but I also like just to tie in my spare time while I watch the game or whatever.

It's relaxing and lets my mind drift away from whatever might be happening in life.

 

I'll never fish most of the flies I tie and a lot of them are terrible to be honest, probably a waste of money if you were to be tying for fishing only but as I said that is not the only purpose, or the main purpose really.

 

Paying for capes and other materials is just the price of admission to a life long hobby/passion, it's money well spent when you consider the money we waste on other things in life, worth it in my book.

[heavynets 0]

I hardly think higher prices are due to "GREED". I take it you have never owned a business. Every businesses involved in getting those materials to you has to deal with increasing expenses in things like the following: minimum wage (and its ramifications), matching social security tax, excise tax, inflation, utility bills, freight and mail charges, OSA and EPA regulation compliance, insurance, advertising, website costs, etc.

 

All businesses must pass these increased costs along to their customer or go out of business. Eventually they all get passes to the final consumer.

[Poopdeck 0]

I hardy think higher prices are due to "GREED". I take it you have never owned a business. Every businesses involved in getting those materials to you have to deal with increasing expenses in things like the following: minimum wage (and its ramifications), matching social security tax, excise tax, inflation, utility bills, freight and mail charges, OSA and EPA regulation compliance, insurance, advertising, website costs, etc.

All businesses must pass these increased costs along to their customer or go out of business. Eventually they all get passes to the final consumer.

What!!!! Business aren't in business to barely scrape by? Don't forget the ACA and the pending $15.00 and hour minimum wage. That will drive up the cost of everything. Greed does in fact come into play but it's the greedy politicians buying the votes of the lower class with offers of free money from the middle class under the ruse that it's from the upper class. Sorry I veered of course a little.

 

I don't see fly tying as an expensive hobby. As others have said, I don't buy expensive new age stuff, jungle cock, or the best grade hackle and I don't resort to road kill either. I just keep it simple and I buy only what I need to buy to tie what I know works. I don't fill fly box after fly box with every fly imaginable when a half dozen patterns will do the trick. I think a lot of the expense is dependent on your personality. Some people need to have the most of the best of everything and others get buy with very little.

[heavynets 0]

Poopdeck, you quoted my post as if you are in disagreement. Read my post again. I totally agree with you.

[RickZieger 0]

I find tying flies to be fun and relaxing to me. Most of the flies I tie are not commercially available.

Seem to find that a lot of advertisers don't think warmwater fly fishers buy much.

I have been fortunate enough to hit a few fly shop, long ago, that had hackle on sale from damaged packing. I got it before I knew what I could do with it.

Now I am slowly using it up.

Check hagensfish.com for Dai-riki hooks. Prices for most run from about $60 to %76 /1000 with the excise tax.

Little more for small quantities.

No affiliation, just happy with the hooks.

 

Rick