Jump to content
Fly Tying
Sign in to follow this  
Bimini15

How many fly fishermen ARE NOT fly tiers?

Recommended Posts

In all my years of fly fishing, I am the only one who tied flies ... until I got to this site.

 

Even for me, there were years when I fished with store bought poppers instead of tying my own.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I still buy the little chartreuse panfish poppers for smallie fishing, though I tie some foam ones too. Everything else I tie or else I don't fish with it. My latest thing being tube fly streamers.

 

I met a couple of guys in Maine this past summer who bought all their flies still. most everyone I meet ties at least some of their flies but not those two. And seems to me it was on two different trips that I met these guys too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

how many tie flies and dont fly fish?

 

ive recently gone 2 years without fly fishing. it sucks but with a herniated disc in my back its very hard to stand in a river for any length of time without pain

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It must be the smart ones...I have been tying and collecting materials for more than 50 years. I figure with all of the money I have invested in tying materials and equipment, my own flies probably cost me about $167.50 each!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Most of the people I know that fly fish tie at least some of their flies. My niece and her husband fly fish and don't tie their own flies. They've sent me some materials over the last couple of years and I've tied them flies to use out in South Dakota and also tied flies for his father who is an avid fly fisherman but doesn't tie. I repaid their kindness by starting them down the slippery slope of fly tying by giving them and old vise of mine and some materials to tie a couple of woolly buggers. Told them they'd enjoy fly fishing more when they start catching on flies they tied themselves.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have four friends, that don't live near me, that fly fish and don't tie flies.

I tie for them and keeps me from having way, way, way more flies than I need.

Now I am just down to way to many.

I also tie for Casting for Recovery and Reel Recovery.

 

Rick

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My boss fly fished for probably 40 years until I got him into tying his own flies. Myself, I didn't start until I had been fly fishing for about 12 years. I do know quite a few guys around here that do not tie and count on me and my boss for all (and I mean all) of their flies.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I fly fished from my preteens till late 20's with store bought flies. Then again the only fly fishing I did was summertime bluegill, and 2 weeks in the smokies every year in high school.

 

I eventually made the comment to my mom a few years ago, when visiting, that I need to stop buying the simple foam spiders and start making my own. Then she tells me that she bought a bunch of fly tying stuff at a yard sale, and that it might be in the attic.

 

It's been all down hill since. Now, I supply the non-tyers in the family. All of whom only recently, started throwing a fly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't tie fly's.... I attempt to...I can make a mess!!!

I attempt to fly fish and get lucky on occasion.

 

you guys tie fly's....like I never dreamed of.

:)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest rich mc

i know of some that just buy others just get handed new flies to field test. they say why tie when others just give them flies. i tie alot but wont do hair bugs or dry flies. rich mc

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

IMHO at any given time about half the guys flyfishing only buy their flies.

 

Birds of Passage. I'd bet that most of the new guys entering the sport buy their flies. The industry wide business model is to depend heavily on newbees to walk into a shop and ask for instruction. Down the road they walk out with a complete new rig and depending on the guys in question are probably good for at least a year or so of continued business upgrading, buying flies, gadgets etc... But a lot -- most? -- of them also move on to other past-times and interests. They might fish now and then but never get into tying their own.

 

The Damned. IF they have the time, those who do get hooked deeply and get dragged beneath the surface mostly eventually come to a decision to experiment with new fly patterns and make their own. (Forget the savings aspect of fly tying as it is a shibboleth and a lure for the gullible. Few seriously into it save by tying their own unless they stay with it for decades to amortize the entry costs. Tying -- short of commercial tying which is another matter entirely - has its own rewards.)

 

The Lucky Few.. The rest are flyfishing addicts who deeply enjoy and stay with the sport travelling widely to pursue it but who mostly rely on catalogues, guides and local fly vendors to equip them with flies. (The table in this category is tilted toward those with lots of play money,)

 

Of the three categories discussed above, only the second one is likely to be on this site in any numbers. So as practicing addicts our views on the question might well be a bit biased. I do concede that on a given stream at any time more cat 2 addicts are likely to be fishing than the rest but that's just us pursuing our fix. The sport-wide general population is not always there in their numbers -- thank god! -- but they exist.

 

Rocco

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I started both as I got my FIL fly 30-year accumulation tying material collection of materials 29 years ago. 5 years ago I came to a realization the more flies I lose the more fish I catch.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There must be quite a few non tyers out there. I don't know any, but it's the only likely explanation for all the flies I see in shops. Someone must be buying them, right?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...